Emmy Rossum to Portray Mysterious Hollywood Icon Angelyne in Limited Series
Emmy Rossum is bringing a mysterious Hollywood legend’s story to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the “Shameless” star will topline a limited series about Angelyne, the child of Holocaust survivors who “reinvented herself as a blonde bombshell, famous simply for being famous, by appearing on billboards in Los Angeles and driving a pink Cadillac around Hollywood.”
The project is based on THR writer Gary Baum’s recent investigative profile on Angelyne, whose real name is Renee Goldberg. Rossum is executive producing the limited series with her husband, “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail. Baum will serve as a consultant on the drama, which is being shopped around to cablers and streamers.
“I have always been fascinated by the enigma that is Angelyne,” Rossum explained. “At a young age, I can vividly remember staring up at her on a billboard above me and wondering, ‘Who is that woman?’ Gary Baum’s investigative journalism has finally unearthed the true, complex identity of the infamous woman who has fascinated Los Angeles for over 30 years. From the moment I read Gary’s recent piece, I knew I had to tell this story. It’s a poignant and bizarre tale about the hunger for fame, the sexualization of women, and the erasing of past traumas.”
Rossum is a series regular on Showtime’s “Shameless,” currently in its eighth season. She made headlines last year when she negotiated for pay parity with co-star William H. Macy. She also sought a higher per-episode salary to make up for years of being paid less than Macy. “My thing was just, ‘I need to do something to make it right for me, so that I can feel good about doing this job,’” Rossum has said about her fight for equal pay.
The two-time Critics Choice Award nominee has helmed two episodes of “Shameless” as well as an episode of TNT’s “Animal Kingdom.” You can catch her next in the upcoming “A Futile & Stupid Gesture,” a biopic about National Lampoon, and revenge thriller “Hard Powder.” Both features are in post-production.
