Soon-to-be Superstar Shelley in 1978 promo pic
Shelley became THE Charlie Girl in 1976; and she catapulted herself and the Charlie brand to worldwide recognition. She was as recognizable as a can of Coke, Aaron Spelling once said. And Shelley set her sights on Hollywood, the logical next step. But she didn't want to become just another model-turned-actress (a term she doesn't like). She wanted to become a great actress like her idol Katharine Hepburn, who also hails from Connecticut. Then Charlie's Angels came along; and she became a superstar. She knew she had a lot to learn and felt like it was a great opportunity to join the series. When asked if she was nervous about joining the show, she said she wasn't; and she was branded as arrogant. But she explained to Cue magazine in 1979, "Why should I be nervous? That's not arrogance. It just struck me as a silly question. When I was setting off for Australia, someone said, 'But you don't know anyone there.' And I thought to myself, 'What a dumb reason not to go.'" (Shelley took a year off from college to study archaeology at the University of Sydney in Australia and had it credited as part of her college curriculum.) Shelley knew she was treading unknown territory but was up for the challenge.
