 Sole cast Paula Sheppard, then a college student, as 12-year-old Alice, the protagonist suspected of her sister's murder.At the time of being cast, Sheppard was 18 years old, and had been discovered by Sole while working as a dancer in stage productions at Connecticut College.Though playing a 12-year-old, Sheppard celebrated her 19th birthday during the shoot in early July 1976.