Eva Marie Saint is fabulous in the role: sexy, manipulative, vulnerable and quite funny as well. I agree the age difference is quite odd but I'd rather have Grant and Saint than mismatched actors of the same age
"It's hard for me to watch American Idol because I have perfect pitch."
-Jenna, 30 Rock

Yeah Newman and Brando had very good chemistry with her. I said Brando because Paul was already in Hitchcock movie. I would have liked to see Brando in Hitchcock movie with Eva.

I agree with you Liz Eva & Brando had great Chemestry 5b4but her and Paul Newman did also. has it ever occured to the other posters that at the time of filming her heart was Elsewhere as she had just had a baby recently before filming started and probably felt like she should've been home caring for the baby and her other young child. like Newman's wife didn't go back to work until 8 months after their oldest daughter was born because she didn't want to leave the precious child they had struggled for with a nanny that young.
"why are you married to him then if you can't work with him how do you live with him?"

I like this movie. It's one of my favorites. Eva was perfect in the movie. I say if anything pick another man. I say Marlon Brando. They were perfect together and had tons of chemistry.

Yep, I tend to agree that Grace would have added something more to that role. She and Cary were amazing in 'To Catch a Thief'. They had great chemistry together. Eva(whilst a great actress - see her in 'On the Waterfront') didn't seem to click with Cary that well.

I agree. I didn't like her at all in North by Northwest. Grace Kelly was supposed to get the role, but as Princess, Prince Rainier would not allow her. Grace would have done much better. And I really don't think that Eva was a good actress. At least not in NBNW. And I really don't think they had good chemistry either. But that's simply my opinion.

In fact, according to a retrospective that TCM aired just yesterday, it was supposed to be Cyd Charisse in the role of Eve Kendall. not Grace Kelly, and certainly not Sophia Loren. The program was done in 2000, and narrated/hosted by Eva Marie Saint. She probably knew the real story, better than any of us, speculating here on internet rumor.

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Anyone who thinks those two don't have chemistry in the movie, I'd expect probably haven't had much "chemistry" going on in their own life. In other wordsyour effing crazy.

I thought she was very good and added something different (more "bite") to the traditional "hitchock blonde" i.e. Grace Kelly, who I'm also very fond of. I find it difficult to imagine another actress of that era in the same role aside from Grace Kelly or even Janet Leigh. The only problem, that I can see, is the age difference between the actors, perhaps someone equally as seductive but slightly older than Saint would have provided more chemistry with Grant.