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Emmy Rossum Discusses Her Meeting With the Real ANGELYNE
May 17, 2024
In Peacock's new series Angleyne, Emmy Rossum transforms into the mysterious Los Angeles icon that she has been trying to figure out since she was 13 years old. BroadwayWorld caught up with Rossum about what went down during her one-on-one meeting with Angelyne herself, how she prepared to play her, and how Angelyne is the 'original influencer.'
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0:00
I'm so excited to talk to you about Angeline today
0:02
I was obsessed with this series when I was watching it. I would love to know like how you initially got involved
0:10
with the series and what sort of drew you to her. Well, I saw Angeline's billboards for the first time
0:15
when I was 13 and I was in LA for the first time auditioning for pilot season with my mom
0:21
And I saw her billboard out of the window of a Hertz rental car
0:25
And I was just shocked, like who is this woman? This power, this beauty, this like
0:35
just who is this so much woman? And so I started asking people like
0:38
who is this woman Angeline? And everyone would light up and then tell me
0:43
a completely different story. And I think that was what was so interesting to me
0:48
about her over the years and why I was so drawn to her
0:52
How can you be so known and so unknown at the same time
0:56
And so that mystery, that enigma, that's what I really wanted to capture in the show
1:02
So I raised my hand at a certain point and said, I'd really like to do a show about this icon
1:09
the mythology that surrounds this woman Angeline. And people started to say yes
1:15
And then I got the opportunity to meet with her and talked with her and have her blessing to make the show
1:22
So it was really an incredible experience. It was a little bit of Angeline magic
1:28
What was that meeting with her like? How did she kind of react to the whole process
1:32
and everything? It was at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which is of course in and of itself very iconic
1:39
And she chose the location for dinner because she said it was her lucky contract signing place
1:45
and has good energy. I showed up an hour early, completely over-prepared
1:53
I had by that point bought meditation tapes that she had released on eBay
1:59
I had bought t-shirts. I had read everything she had ever written
2:03
I had looked at her fine art paintings. I had seen everything that she's ever appeared in
2:10
She was on time, but ended up being an hour late because I could see out the window of the restaurant
2:15
She was mobbed in the parking lot and she was selling merch out of the trunk of her car
2:22
which I loved. And she sat down and she said, okay, so why do you have such a hard-on to play me
2:30
And I said, I mean, that's why, because she's a trailblazer. She's a rebel
2:36
She is completely authentic. And she's the original influencer. She paved the way for everyone who came after her
2:46
and she invented the game. But I think she's also done the impossible, right
2:50
Which is maintain that mystery and that enigma for decades. And she spreads kind of joy
2:57
wherever she kind of zips by in that pink Corvette. And I think she's just a legend
3:04
You mentioned that she's sort of this original influencer and the show definitely brings up that concept
3:10
of famous for being famous. How do you think the show sort of comments
3:15
on that whole concept as a whole? Well, I think the show is trying to kind of play
3:24
with the kaleidoscopic narrative that surrounds the icon that is Angeline. I think one of the most interesting things about her
3:34
is that all these stories exist about her, right? Like some rich guy paid for the billboards
3:41
or she's from Ohio or Idaho or outer space or she's an alien or there are actually 12 Angelines, right
3:48
Or whatever it is, so many different wonderful fairy tales. And she doesn't do anything to correct the record
3:57
or dispel those rumors because she brilliantly knows that that water cooler
4:02
and that tumbleweed of conversation goes to fuel the narrative and make her more famous
4:08
So I think she's really quite brilliant. Yeah, you mentioned earlier too
4:14
that you had originally seen the billboard in LA when you were younger
4:19
and you've been an actress working in LA for such a long time
4:22
What does this story sort of say about Los Angeles, the city as a whole
4:27
that people might not realize initially? Los Angeles is a place where people come to reinvent themselves
4:35
and it's a place where people can capture, it's a place of Hollywood and old Hollywood and dreams
4:44
and where dreams are made, right? I mean, mine were made there
4:50
I think that this story is really about fame in and of itself
4:57
And I think Angeline rose to fame at a time before the explosion of the internet
5:03
when you could really define yourself, decide your identity and in a way that maybe broke from historical facts
5:13
about you. And I'm really interested in the concept of identity that feels like it's very much a conversation
5:19
in our country right now. Are we a collection of historical facts about us
5:24
or do we define ourselves? Do we have that right? Do we have that right to say
5:28
I'm gonna make my outside reflect how I feel inside, but that is the most authentic me
5:34
That is a beautiful and powerful story. And I think that she is one of the original people
5:39
who was bold enough to raise their hand and say, this is who I am. She's such an icon
5:45
Lastly, what do you hope people take away from this series that they may not have known before about Angeline
5:51
I hope that they fall in love with LA's unicorn the way that I do and did
5:58
I think that she is a beacon of positivity. I think that she makes the absolutely impossible possible
6:08
and that she is a profound, deep, incredible human being and deserves to be celebrated on a massive scale
6:18
Damn, Angeline, it's so big. I bet people will talk about this a hundred years from now
6:30
Oh my God. It's working. Since I was a girl, I've known that fame is my destiny
6:37
Huge, gigantic fame. So I said, I'm going to get the love of the world
6:45
Billboards are popping up around the city featuring the striking image of a blonde with a single name
6:52
Angeline. Angeline. Angeline. Angeline. The billboard queen. Yes. But it can be hard when you become famous
7:02
A lot of people want to be a part of it no matter what it takes
7:06
So they'll say and write just about anything. She was the devil in disguise
7:10
My dad paid for those. Money's her bottom line, not people. I'd love to be like Barbie
7:15
She won't cry. She doesn't hurt. You are crazy. I'm done. Contrary to what people think
7:25
I'm actually very private and people should respect that. Everybody wanted to know, who is this woman
7:32
You'd look up in the sky and there she was. This whole Angeline story starts with me
7:37
That did not happen. He's completely delusional. When Angeline showed up, Kelly needed her
7:46
Who is the real Angeline? Don't you like the not knowing? I remember that so differently
7:59
I'm something that you have to experience. I'm an innocent little dog
8:06
Or a porn star. I'm whatever you want me to be. I do not want to be famous for something that I do
8:17
I want to be famous for who I am. I'm Angeline. Angeline, no, no, no
8:29
That's the only story you need to know
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