Friday, September 23, 2011

Valerie Frankel's "It's Hard Not to Hate You"

Valerie Frankel is the author of Thin Is the New Happy and such chick lit favorites as The Accidental Virgin, The Girlfriend Curse and Hex and the Single Girl. The former articles editor at Mademoiselle, Frankel has contributed to the New York Times, O, Glamour, Allure, Self, Good Housekeeping, among many other publications.

Here she shares some ideas for casting a television movie adaptation of her new memoir, It's Hard Not to Hate You:
Since It's Hard Not to Hate You is a memoir, I cast myself in the main part when I was writing it. Since I'd already lived through the events, I could easily picture the scene—although, in some cases, it wasn't altogether pleasant to go back there. If my memoir were made into a Lifetime TV movie, I'd cast myself as someone thinner (of course). Someone funny, with grit and a bit of a naughty side to her personality. Hmmmm.

How about Kathy Griffin? She's Irish Catholic and I'm Russian Jew. But I can see it. Put a brunette wig on Kathy, and have her walk around the streets of Brooklyn Heights being royally annoyed by snobby neighbors and big umbrella carriers? Comedy gold. It'd be a hoot to see her get in a fight with a sandwich maker at Subway, or arguing with her husband at 3:00 AM. She'd be hilarious as the adolescent me, suffering through junior high with the parade of false friends (the pot head, the beauty queen, etc.).

My memoir has some hard parts, too. Life isn't always funny, unfortunately. I've seen Kathy on Law and Order. I think she could handle getting a cancer diagnosis, and sitting in a room with genetic oncologists, recommending she have a laundry list of organs removed. Even that horrible day had its share of humor, and Kathy would strike the right note between comedy and tragedy.

My husband would be played by Daniel Craig. They look alike to me (not to many others, but so what)? I'm sure Kathy would approve of Daniel as her husband, too. What a match they'd make.
Visit Valerie Frankel's website and Facebook page.

--Marshal Zeringue