In 1943, she was cast, uncredited, as the Virgin Mary in "The Song of Bernadette". By late 1943, Darnell was fed up with critics only praising her beauty rather than her acting abilities. Judging her performance in "Sweet and Low-Down" (1944), in which she co-starred with Lynn Bari, one critic of the "Los Angeles Examiner" wrote, "Lynn comes off the best because she has more of a chance to shine. Linda just doesn't have enough to do—but looks beautiful doing it." Darnell was reduced to second leads and was overlooked for big-budget productions. Matters changed when she was named one of the four most beautiful women in Hollywood along with Hedy Lamarr, Ingrid Bergman, and Gene Tierney in a 1944 edition of "Look". Afterwards, the studio allowed her to be loaned out for the lead in "Summer Storm". Portraying a "seductive peasant girl who takes three men to their ruin before she herself is murdered," it was a type of role she had never before played. In a later interview, Darnell commented: