How did Hammer not get her onboard?

Cronenberg relates a story from Shivers in which she pulled the director aside to give him a powerful piece of her mind when she thought he was assaulting a fellow actress on the film. The other actress had asked Cronenberg to slap her before scenes so she would be shedding tears for her scenes. Steele, knowing nothing of this arrangement, was horrified and referenced all the great directors she had worked with, saying she had never seen such tyranny on the set. It all ended amicably once the misunderstanding was cleared up.