 Loden said of her title character, "She's trying to get out of this very ugly type of existence, but she doesn't have the equipment"—an independent-minded idea for a cinematic heroine at the time, making Wanda an anti-heroine.In 1978, Loden was diagnosed with breast cancer.At the time, she had completed several other screenplays with Proferes that Kazan described as "devoted to the neglected side of American life."