Her role as "Sheila Shea" in
A Perfect Couple (1979) was originally written for
Sandy Dennis.
Paul Dooley was seriously allergic to cats, though and when cat lover Dennis would come to the script readings with up to five cats at a time, he was briefly hospitalized. As a result,
Allan F. Nicholls re-wrote the role of "Sheila Shea" from an Earth Mother type to the young singer/groupie played by Marta Heflin after her favorable performance as a bride's maid in
Robert Altman's
A Wedding (1978).