Philippa Sutcliffe, an English stage actress better known for her tempestuous on-set affair with Scottish lothario Miles McCrea than her film work, dismisses the Oscars as nothing more than a popularity contest and is outraged when contractual obligations force her to reunite with her former lover, who’s also a nominee, to campaign for their film.
Author’s Notes: There is probably more of me in Philippa than in any of the other characters in BLAME IT ON THE FAME. She has a sharp tongue, but a good heart. Unfortunately, it was broken by the roguish Miles, a man Philippa knew she had no business being with in the first place (Fancying bad boys is a fatal character flaw that Philippa and I share.) I had the best time writing the banter between Miles and Philippa, but then love/hate relationships are always fun in fiction, aren’t they? Miles and Philippa are like a British Dave and Maddie (Moonlighting shout-out) for the new millennium.
Philippa Quotes (non-spoilery): “This is typical Miles McCrea. He makes a commitment then forgets all about it when something shiny or silicone-enhanced comes along and distracts him.”
“You’re awfully sensitive for a Hollywood sell-out.”
“Lovely. So, if I win this award, it won’t be because of my acting, it’ll be because letting Miles McCrea get into my knickers gave me global name recognition.”
Casting: Although she doesn’t perfectly match my physical description of Philippa, I always envisioned Emily Blunt (one of my favorite actresses) in the role. She’s so good at playing prickly while still conveying the vulnerability beneath the tart words and that’s Philippa to a tee. A friend of mine said that she saw Rachel Weisz as Philippa and that would work, too. I’ll leave it up to readers to decide who their Philippa is.
I am a sucker for love/hate relationships so I'm super excited to read about Philippa and Miles!
ReplyDeleteWell, now Philippa is my fave!! Who doesn't love a bad boy?
ReplyDeleteOh Miles!!!! *SIGH*
ReplyDeleteI take full responsibility for Rachel Weisz! :-) I love her and I know she would do dear Phil justice!
I love that you're picking actresses for your characters! Now that I'm reading Blame It on the Fame, this totally helps me have a visual to put with each of the women. I did this with my third book, and it really helps the writing process and helps me get a feel for my characters as I write them.
ReplyDeleteLoving your book and can't wait to get back to my Kindle:)
I always cast my characters as I'm writing the book. As you said, it really helps with the creative process. And when I really love a book, I think it's fun to know who the author was thinking of when she wrote the story. Nine times out of ten, the author will name someone who's completely different from what I envisioned when reading. Just goes to show that we all have our own interpretations of characters.
DeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying Blame It on the Fame! I look forward to reading your next book in Feb.