Louise Brooks with Ford Sterling
Paramount Studios Film Still from THE AMERICAN VENUS
1925 · New York City, New York

While still dancing by night in The Ziegfeld Follies, Brooks shot her scenes in THE AMERICAN VENUS by day. The film provided her first introduction to the culture of sychophancy that characterized movie sets—machinations she had neither the will nor the inclination to participate in. Comedian Ford Sterling, for example, would have to look elsewhere for flattery and appreciative laughter. Despite her clashes with Sterling, and a tendency to catch up on missed sleep during set-ups, Louise's first credited film role was singled out for praise among critics.