Marjorie McCown spent 27 years in Hollywood working on the costumes for movies such as
Forrest Gump,
Apollo 13, and
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Her film career provides the
inspiration for her Hollywood Mystery series of books that are set behind the scenes in the
world of moviemaking and feature key costumer Joey Jessop as the main character. Her cozy
murder mystery,
Final Cut (2023) was chosen as an Amazon
Editors' Pick in the best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense category.
Deadly Pleasures Magazine
named
Final Cut as one of the best cozy mysteries of 2023. Her new novel,
Star Struck, is Book #2 in her Hollywood Mystery series. McCown is a member of Sisters-in-Crime and
Mystery Authors of America.
Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of
Star Struck.
Movie costumer Joey Jessop is working on a film with two of the biggest box office stars
in the world. The leading man, Andrew DeRossi, is not only a serious actor but also a
philanthropist and climate change warrior -- while his costar, Gillian Best, is an aging
beauty who pours most of her time and energy into becoming the next celebrity
entrepreneur with her start-up lifestyle brand.
When a fatal traffic accident happens within sight of the movie's shooting location in
downtown Los Angeles, Joey realizes the car involved belongs to Gillian, and she starts
to wonder if the star is hiding something. Gillian's strange behavior in the wake of the
tragedy only deepens Joey's suspicions. When the authorities show no interest in
further investigation of the circumstances surrounding the accident, Joey is faced with a
choice: she can either maintain her professional detachment from the swirling orbits of
the movie stars she works with and turn a blind eye to Gillian's scheming -- or she must
launch her own search for the truth.
I have lots of ideas for casting the movie version of my book! Since I spent most of my
career working as a costume designer and costumer for feature films, it's almost second
nature for me to think about casting the characters.
I think Jennifer Lawrence would be perfect to play Joey. She projects an understated
aura of personal confidence and competence that feels authentic on screen. And she
has an easy intelligence about her along with a sense of humor that she just naturally
brings to all her characters.
For Gillian Best, I think Gillian Anderson would be a wonderful choice, though I didn't
select my character's name with her in mind when I began to write. But Ms. Anderson is
the right age and she's still a great beauty. She's also a gifted actress with a grace and
elegance about her that would allow her to portray the kind of entitled hauteur that is
part of Gillian Best's persona without having it come across as caricature.
For Dan Lomax, Gillian Best's shrewd, attractive, and ambitious personal manager, I'd
love to cast Ben Mendelsohn, who can play anything. He's a brilliant actor whose
performances are always layered and nuanced; his characters are complete people.
For Andrew DeRossi, though the part is small, it is still pivotal to the success of the
story. I think Ryan Gosling would be superb. He has a mischievous charm that he
brings to every role, and he's also got that "it" quality -- he looks like a movie star.
Visit
Marjorie McCown's website.
Q&A with Marjorie McCown.
--Marshal Zeringue