Before traveling to Italy for a two-picture deal with Giuseppe Amato, Darnell was rushed into the production of "Blackbeard the Pirate" (1952), which—much to Darnell's distress—got far behind schedule. She arrived in Italy in August 1952 and started filming "Angels of Darkness" (1954) in February of the next year. The second collaboration proved disastrous, and the next film was never released in the United States. Owing to a delay in the middle of production, she was sent back to Hollywood and there accepted an offer from Howard Hughes to star in RKO's 3-D film "Second Chance" (1953), filmed in Mexico. Afterwards, she flew back to Rome to complete "Angels of Darkness", in which she spoke Italian. Upon returning to New York, she was under the misunderstanding that she would portray the title role in Mankiewicz's "The Barefoot Contessa" (1954), believing that the role could carry her to dramatic heights. Through trade papers, she learned that Ava Gardner assumed the part.