 Hollywood was in the midst of a widely publicised search to find an actress to portray Scarlett O 'Hara in David O. Selznick 's production of Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ) . At the time , Myron Selznick , David 's brother , and Leigh 's American theatrical agent was the London representative of the Myron Selznick Agency . In February 1938 , Leigh made a request to Myron Selznick that she be considered to play Scarlett O 'Hara . 
