The Knockturnal was on set for the black carpet of “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” at the SVA Theater on Sunday October 14.
Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).
The Knockturnal: This is a story about a female protagonist portrayed as an anti-hero, do you think the narrative would have been different had she been a man?
Anna Deavere Smith: No, I think it’s very specific to a woman and I think her crisis is very specific to a woman.
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The Knockturnal: This is a story that’s so unbelievable in its nature- and it’s a true story. What was your first exposure to it like?