L.A. Story
INT.
PRESENTER
Lucy McGinn’s meteoric rise from “quirky neighbor” to A-list celebrity was a Cinderella affair. This is her story. This is the E! True Hollywood Story.
SCENE 1: GROWING UP
PRESENTER
Lucy grew up in a small Midwestern town where she caught the acting bug at an early age. Along with her childhood friend Betty, she used her tape recorder to make her own radio dramas. In high school, she starred in plays like Snow White...
CUT TO: EMBARRASSING YEARBOOK PHOTO
PRESENTER
And The Wizard of Oz.
CUT TO: EMBARRASSING PHOTO OF LUCY IN LION COSTUME
SCENE 2: HIGH SCHOOL INTERVIEW WITH ACTING TEACHER
MRS. TOMAK
Oh she just had that spark. She really made a great lion.
SCENE 3: THEATRE SCENE
PRESENTER
Mrs. Tomak recognized talent in Lucy’s high school performances and recommended that she start taking classes at the local drama school. Lucy tried her hand at the local theatre scene, but it wasn’t until she moved to London that she got her big break.
CUT TO: COMMERCIAL BREAK
CUT TO: MONTAGE OF SHOTS OF BIG BEN, TOWER BRIDGE, LONDON BUS, WEST END MARQUEES
SCENE 4: TUBE STRIKE
PRESENTER
It was in London that Lucy began making a serious career out of acting.
CUT TO: RICHARD AND JUDY JUNE 2007 INTERVIEW
LUCY
I always knew I wanted to be an actor and London just felt like the right place to be.
CUT TO: PRESENTER
After a stint at the world famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, starring as “Viola” in Twelfth Night, Lucy was able to land an agent and quickly got sent on auditions around London. A string of rejections nearly led Lucy to give up, until she received a call from an old acting classmate. There was a role available in a Soho Theatre production that was perfect for her, and they needed an understudy. Lucy jumped at the chance and, like every other understudy, hoped the lead would get strep throat. Instead, a tube strike left the lead unable to make curtains up and Lucy took center stage. Not only did she steal the show, she impressed one very important audience member.
CUT TO: COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCENE 5: "VICTORIA STATION"
PRESENTER
When Lucy filled in for the lead at the last minute, she had no idea that Harvey Weinstein was in the audience. Weinstein contacted Lucy’s agent the next day. There was a Miramax film being shot in London the following month and Lucy was asked to do a screen test for the small but memorable role of “quirky neighbor”. The movie, Victoria Station, went on to gross more than 50 million domestically, and it wasn’t costar Joaquin Phoenix that had Hollywood buzzing. It was Lucy McGinn.
CUT TO: VICTORIA STATION PRESS JUNKET INTERVIEW
JOAQUIN PHOENIX
Lucy was great to work with. We had a lot of fun. Why has it taken Hollywood so long to discover her?
SCENE 6: ON THE RISE
PRESENTER
Victoria Station led to a string of other commercial and critical successes including: Business Class, I.T. Girl and Killing Thyme. But there were bumps in the road ahead...
CUT TO: COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCENE 7: FALL?
PRESENTER
After three top-grossing films, it seemed Lucy had no where to go but --
[DELETED*]
CUT TO: COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCENE 8: COMEBACK
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Lucy bounced back with her comeback film Stopwatch which she co-produced with Drew Barrymore’s production company Flower Films.
CUT TO: OPRAH INTERVIEW
DREW BARRYMORE
When Lucy came to me with that script, I knew it was going to be a hit. It's such a powerful film and it really, really touched me, you know?
CUT TO: WRAP UP
PRESENTER
Lucy’s comeback was awarded with a Golden Globe and an Oscar, and she hasn’t looked back. After a late start, and a lot of hard work, Lucy McGinn became an “overnight success”. A string of hits, an Oscar and her own successful production company. Lucy’s story is an E! True Hollywood Story. The only question is “what will she do next?"
*Deleted to avoid bad luck.
