Carla Malden's "Playback"

Raised in Los Angeles, Carla Malden began her career working in motion picture production and development before becoming a screenwriter. Along with her father, Academy Award winning actor Karl Malden, she co-authored his critically acclaimed memoir When Do I Start?

Carla Malden’s feature writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, highlighting the marvels and foibles of Southern California and Hollywood. She sits on the Board of the Geffen Playhouse. Her previous novels include Search Heartache, Shine Until Tomorrow, and My Two and Only.

Malden lives in Brentwood with her husband, ten minutes (depending on traffic) from her daughter.

Here the author deamcasts her new novel, Playback:

Who would I dreamcast in the movie version of Playback? That’s a particularly fascinating and apt question because Playback’s predecessor, Shine Until Tomorrow, began its life as a screenplay. Much changed from iteration to iteration, but once upon a time, I envisioned these characters in a movie… and still do. Disheartened and disappointed – in life and in herself – Mari Caldwell is all the things she vowed she would never be: divorced, a single mother, a photographer shooting houses for sale instead of rock stars. When she makes an unanticipated trip back to 1967, she rediscovers her seventeen-year-old self, as well as the love she left there on a first visit. Mari is thirty-four on the inside, seventeen on the outside, and a mash-up of the two emotionally: a unique challenge for an actor.

Molly Gordon is spectacular at running the emotional gamut on The Bear. She makes each moment feel fresh, unpremeditated. She’s smart and funny and vulnerable all at once – precisely like Mari. She could pull off Mari’s self-protective, verbally convoluted rants while maintaining Mari’s core yearning for connection.

Jimmy Westwood is the singer-songwriter with whom Mari rekindles the first love that sparked during her previous visit to the Summer of Love. Early 20s, rock star gorgeous, the heart-and-soul of the Sixties, Jimmy embodies a young girl’s Byronic fantasies and a young woman’s longing for simpler, less freighted romance. I do have someone in mind for Jimmy, though I have no idea whether or not he’s the slightest bit interested in acting: Henry Taylor. I’ve seen Henry Taylor, son of James Taylor, perform with his father several times; he is the ideal physical type, projects a tenderness that is at the heart of Jimmy’s appeal, and, like his father, has the voice of an angel. Added plus: his paternal connection to the actual era in which Playback takes place adds a lovely layer of both nostalgia and relevance.

As a former screenwriter, I definitely think – and write – in terms of scenes. In terms of actors, however, I fluctuate between having someone specific in mind versus creating a conglomeration of people I know personally. If there’s a specific actor who would be perfect for a part whom I can keep in mind, that’s a gift.

Visit Carla Malden's website.

--Marshal Zeringue