MacLaine had previously starred with Sellers in Woman Times Seven (1967) but her role in Being There was a complete departure from the gallery of kooks she played earlier in her career. Melvyn Douglas was cast as Benjamin Rand, a wealthy industrialist and advisor to the President and Shirley MacLaine played his wife, Eve. Vanderbilt estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The film locations were divided between Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and the George W. In order to protect his original concept, Jerzy Kosinski adapted the screenplay himself, adhering closely to the book's allegorical tone and chronology. After Lorimar Pictures agreed to produce Being There in 1979, the rest fell into place quickly. Ashby had also become a much sought-after director after a string of hits ( The Last Detail (1973), Shampoo (1975), Coming Home, 1978). The turning point came in 1979 when Sellers was reaping the financial rewards of his 'Inspector Clouseau' character, which was successfully revived in 1975 with the release of The Return of the Pink Panther and its subsequent sequels. Whoever developed some financial clout in Hollywood first would try to turn Being There into a movie. Sellers had been a great admirer of Ashby's cult comedy, Harold and Maude (1971) but Ashby wasn't an A-list director yet and had no better chance of getting the film produced. Undaunted, Sellers approached Hal Ashby, his first choice of director for the project. Unfortunately, the actor's career was at its lowest point in 1972 and no studio would seriously consider his proposal. Clearly, Sellers connected with Chance, a simple-minded gardener who is mistaken for a man of profound wisdom and insight. Kosinski soon found himself bombarded by telegrams, cards, and letters from Sellers signed 'Chance' (the name of the novel's protagonist). Jerzy Kosinski's novel, Being There, was first published in 1971, it prompted Peter Sellers to begin an eight year campaign to bring it to the screen.
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