Auditioned for
Federico Fellini for his film
Casanova (1976), where she was to
overpower
Donald Sutherland in a wrestling match, which Joan found easy
to do. However, the director and star both thought it would be
embarrassing if such a normal sized woman was to defeat the burly
Sutherland, so the role instead went to
Sandra Elaine Allen, who at that time
was the world's tallest woman at 7'7".