Tuesday, October 12, 2010

My Name in Lights!

Okay, so I have an almost true Hollywood story as well. The 'almost' refers to the fact that the Hollywood ending never really happened, not that my tale isn't true.

The truth is, my second book was optioned by an independent filmmaker. But my second book is a memoir. The title alone, Kinky Gazpacho, got me a lot of interest from movie folk -- both Hollywood and Indie -- but the fact that the story is about a little Black girl from Wisconsin who sets her sights on a life of adventure and romance in Spain confused most of them. I don't blame them entirely. My own parents were confused as to why I thought Spain would be the perfect place to find myself. "What's wrong with Milwaukee," they wanted to know ( as they bit into their bratwurst and sipped from their cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer)?


So, when this female filmmaker from Canada (which is totally close to Wisconsin) said she wanted to turn Kinky Gazpacho into a feature film because the story resonated with her so much, because she thought a lot of other people would be able to relate to my spirit of longing, and because, well, because she wanted to shoot a movie in the south of Spain, I was thrilled. And let's be honest, I was completely geeked on the idea that my life story was going to be the basis for a movie. Granted, the filmmaker informed me that she'd have to 'adjust' some of the narrative to make a better story, but I was okay with that. For example, I told her to feel free to completely skip over the chapter that rehashed my minor romance with "Smelly Man," aka the lovely Amherst boy who followed me home one summer but neglected to mention his new vow against using deodorant. 'Yes, please,' I said. 'Cut all you want, especially if will help tell a more compelling (and, ahem, less embarrassing) story.

Needless to say, after spending far too much time trying to decide who should play me on the big screen, as well as my sexy Spanish husband -- who isn't as sexy as say Antonio Banderas was in his prime, but is totally cuter -- in my opinion -- than Javier Bardem -- I realized, there are definite drawbacks to having your life plastered on a movie screen. No matter how much the filmmaker claimed she "got me," her focus was on telling a great story, not sparing my feelings when she decides to turn Smelly Man into an abusive boyfriend with a bad coke habit, instead of just a misguided boy with a hygiene problem. You see where I'm going with this? Once that story became hers, my life was no longer my own. Literally.

Lucky for me, Kinky Gazpacho the movie is still in the development stage. For about a year I would check in with the filmmaker on a regular basis for status updates, but now I'm content to leave the project in that famous Hollywood limbo. If it ever does make it to the big screen I don't know how I'll feel seeing my life interpreted by a complete stranger. It will probably be very trippy. Maybe I'll call Elizabeth Gilbert and she how she's dealing with it.

Peace out!

Lori L. Tharps is the author of two critically acclaimed non-fiction books, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America and Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain. Atria Books just released her debut novel, Substitute Me in August 2010.

13 comments:

  1. I can only imagine how weird it would be to see your life story morph into someone else's vision. Did you ever decide who "should" play you? That's one of my favorite games . . . casting my books/life.

    As a former Wisconsinite (via Madison), I love the line about going to Milwaukee, too . . .

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  2. I love the title Kinky Gazpacho. Thanks for sharing this.

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  3. Your post reminds me that my goal growing up was to live a life like a novel, full of passion and adventure. Not so much anymore. For my children's lives, I want not one single plot twist, no drama, and only happy endings. Nothing that could be made into a movie that would interest anyone. Thanks for this interesting look at the double-edged sword of filmmaking.

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  4. Love this post! We all want our lives to be movies, but when it comes to the reality of making your life into a movie.... well, maybe not!

    I did a semester in Spain! I lived in Seville for 5 months-- it's an amazing place. Did you ever make it to Spain?!

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  5. Lori, I love your sense of humor about it all! Thanks for making me smile on a day when I needed it. You'll have to update us and tell us what happens (especially re. Smelly Man!) when the movie is finally released.

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  6. Great title - here's hoping the film gets made!

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  7. I can see why the title drew a lot of interest! Do keep us posted. Everyone who's had experience with Hollywood says just take the money and run, but a different story with your own life! Have to agree with Cindy--Don't really want any funky plot twists for my family either!

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  8. Lori, your post made me laugh (I'm from Wisconsin, though, so I could totally relate ;). Here's hoping we'll get to see some version of the film onscreen one day -- along with your notes on what's fact vs. fiction...

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  9. Lori,
    Great post! I love hearing these true Hollywood stories. As a Hollywood girl myself, I can tell you showbiz has a way of sucking the life out of you. So you're smart to step back and let the machine go to work! I hope to see it on the big screen soon!

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  10. Thanks Girlfriends for the comments. I'm glad I made some of you laugh and others remember their Wisconsin roots. And no I never did decide who should play me on the big screen, mostly because I secretly want the role for myself. Anyone else out there secretly want to be an actress after they're done being a writer?

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  11. Fantastic story! It's always good to know the truth about what really happens in Hollywood - I find it just as interesting as the on-screen stories. And I agree with everyone, great title!

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  12. LT, you should move out here. Hollywood is littered with writers who want to be actors. In fact some of the best writers and producers I know started out as actors. I actually used to act in high school and college, but when I started writing plays and screenplays, it was like, "Oh wait, here's where I belonged all along."

    Anyway, awesome story. A travel memoir is one of the projects that I have on the docket as well, though I keep on adding stories as I get older, so something tells me it's not ready to be written yet...

    Still, you inspire me.

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  13. I can't even imagine having a memoir turned into a movie. Surreal probably can't even begin to describe the feeling. I think Liz Gilbert (yes, I can call her Liz) is a good model. She seems to have done a good job keeping her head on her shoulders during that whole breakout.

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