In 1970, Principal moved to Hollywood.
She won her first film role as Marie Elena, a Mexican mistress, in John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) (opposite Paul Newman), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer.
On the basis of the positive response to Principal's acting work, her role was enlarged by writer John Milius.
During this period, Warren Cowan flew in, introduced himself to Principal, and offered to represent her free-of-charge for the next year.
She flew to Arizona a complete unknown; when she returned to Los Angeles three months later, the commercial flight she was on was greeted by throngs of paparazzi.
Subsequently, she appeared in The Naked Ape (1973) and appeared nude in the September 1973 issue of Playboy to promote the film.
However, the failure of the feature film disappointed her.

In 1974, she was cast in the disaster film Earthquake.
Principal won the role when she showed up for the third audition having cut off her waist-length brown hair, dyed it black, and put it into an afro.
The producer was stunned and impressed by Principal's risky transformation to look more closely like the character Rosa.
She continued to act in lesser-known films such as I Will, I Will ... for Now and Vigilante Force with Kris Kristofferson.
Principal signed a three-picture deal with Brute Productions.
In 1970, Principal moved to Hollywood. She won her first film role as Marie Elena, a Mexican mistress, in John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) (opposite Paul Newman), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. On the basis of the positive response to Principal's acting work, her role was enlarged by writer John Milius. During this period, Warren Cowan flew in, introduced himself to Principal, and offered to represent her free-of-charge for the next year. She flew to Arizona a complete unknown; when she returned to Los Angeles three months later, the commercial flight she was on was greeted by throngs of paparazzi. Subsequently, she appeared in The Naked Ape (1973) and appeared nude in the September 1973 issue of Playboy to promote the film. However, the failure of the feature film disappointed her.
In 1974, she was cast in the disaster film Earthquake. Principal won the role when she showed up for the third audition having cut off her waist-length brown hair, dyed it black, and put it into an afro. The producer was stunned and impressed by Principal's risky transformation to look more closely like the character Rosa. She continued to act in lesser-known films such as I Will, I Will ... for Now and Vigilante Force with Kris Kristofferson. Principal signed a three-picture deal with Brute Productions.
Victoria Principal