J. Lee Thomson had indeed directed Hayley Mills earlier (in the 1959 film Tiger Bay), and as a Brit he doubtless would have liked having his fellow countrywoman in this cast of Americans for his first American film, not to mention he knew he could deal with this young actress.
But I think Mills would have been all wrong for this part. Her other career issues (with Disney) aside, Mills's Britishness could not have been disguised and would have undermined her role, and the film, from the start.
Lori Martin does indeed look like she could have been Peck's and Bergen's daughter, was American, and ultimately turned in a much more realistic, less mannered, performance than the more theatrical, "professional" Mills would have.
Saying this, I have to strongly disagree with my friend telegonus above, and second the thoughts of my other friend ecarle. I think Lori Martin was beautiful, and looked a bit older than her years -- enough to provoke unhealthy feelings of pedophilia in normal men, not just a twisted psychopath like Max Cady. She was presented as quite lovely and even sexy -- in fact, I think the movie was criticized for sexualizing her so blatantly, quite astonishing for 1962 -- and so it was obvious why a man like Max Cady would want her.
By contrast, with all regard for Hayley, she was not the least bit pretty (let alone beautiful), and didn't improve much with age (irrelevant to this film anyway). I actually think she was rather homely and unattractive. There was nothing sexy or beautiful about her at all -- she was more of an imp, or tomboy, certainly with nothing seductive about her. I can't see how anyone could think she was beautiful, let alone better looking than Lori. Not to mention that, physically, she would not have been the slightest bit convincing as the daughter of Peck and Bergen.
Anyway, I'm not sure Mills would ever have been much in contention. Peck was the film's producer and had the final say. He had hired Lee Thompson as director because of the favorable experience he'd had with him on The Guns of Navarone the previous year, and admired his earlier work on the 1959 film North West Frontier, but this was Peck's project and he knew what kind of actress would and would not have worked in this part.
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