Lana Wood’s new movie marks a comeback after she survived a high-profile period of homelessness in 2017.
The veteran actress, 76, stars in the indie feature “Dog Boy” as Vera Summers — a selfish Hollywood has-been who is on the verge of financial bankruptcy until she meets a cabbie who changes her perspective on life.
Wood — who most famously played Plenty O’Toole opposite Sean Connery’s James Bond in 1971’s “Diamonds Are Forever” — got very candid on her economic struggles and how the film helped get her back on her feet.
“It touched so many parts of me,” the little sister of the late, great Natalie Wood told Fox New Digital. “I identified with so many of the things that the character was going through or had gone through. There were some moments when it could have been me. It fascinated me. Scared me. But it was really great to do.”
Wood encountered some hard times several years ago when she found herself living in a motel with her daughter, Evan Taylor Maldonado, son-in-law, three grandkids and their two dogs.
The family was unable to pay rent on their home and they were compelled to move out.
Wood — a mainstay on ’60s TV series such as “The Long, Hot Summer” and “Peyton Place” — said her “Dog Boy” character touched her soul for obvious reasons.
“I remember when [Vera] said she was going to lose her home,” she noted. “She found herself in a position where she was going to lose her home. That really resonated with me. It was a little sad at times. But what a wonderful experience.”
Unfortunately, Wood encountered more grief in 2017, when her only daughter died from heart failure at the age of 42. She later had a friend set up a GoFundMe that raised almost $40,000 to help out with medical bills and other expenses.
Despite her pain, Wood thanks her fans for helping her survive. “I just never imagined that people would help. I’m extremely grateful. They got my heart,” she gushed.
Wood now lives with her grandchildren as well as dogs and cats in her home.
“We’ve got each other. We argue over cooking and meals. One of the kids is being homeschooled and I’m there with him trying to understand algebra. But I’m very content,” the “Peyton Place” star added.
Wood has done many projects and has acted in a slew of TV roles over the course of her 50-plus-year career, however, she told Fox Digital that coming back onto a film set “was frightening and a little overwhelming.”
“This is a little independent film with an enormous crew — but it felt like coming home. I made friends with everyone. I got over my nerves.”
