Trivia / Hollywood (2020)

• Actor-Inspired Element:
  • Holland Taylor supplied the costume designers with photographs of her mother from the 30s and 40s, and they replicated some of the clothes she wore for Miss Kincaid's outfits.
  • Based off an early discussion with Ryan Murphy where he referred to Claire as a spider, Samara Weaving worked with the costume designers to give Claire's wardrobe an insect vibe.
• Actor-Shared Background: Darren Criss is half-Filipino, just like Raymond Ainsley is stated to be.
• Fake American: Australian Samara Weaving plays American Claire Wood.
• Fake Nationality: Downplayed. Michelle Krusiec was born in Taiwan, only emigrating to America later in life^note She does not know her exact racial background, as her birth mother was also adopted.. Anna May Wong meanwhile was born in America, and ironically would play many characters born in Asia.
• Method Acting: Michelle Krusiec read numerous biographies, watched documentaries and listened to clips of Anna May Wong - even working with a dialect coach to achieve her distinctive Mid-Atlantic accent. She went to the audition in full 1940s wig and costume.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Creator Example - Ryan Murphy has created American Horror Story and American Crime Story, both of which are known for being bleak and dark. In contrast, Hollywood is more uplifting and warm when compared to the two.
  • Rob Reiner's best known acting role before he moved into directing is the fiery liberal Mike Stivic from All in the Family (his clashes with his conservative father-in-law Archie Bunker leading Bunker to famously nickname him "Meathead"), while here he's a conservative studio head who needs to get out of the way of progress.
  • Jim Parsons usually plays quirky characters like Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. Here he is a ruthless Hollywood agent who preys on closeted young men.
• Production Posse: Ryan Murphy and Darren Criss had of course collaborated three times before on Glee, American Horror Story and American Crime Story.
• Queer Character, Queer Actor: As is typical with Ryan Murphy shows, Jim Parsons, Joe Mantello and Jeremy Pope star as gay characters. All three are gay themselves in real life.
• Typecasting:
  • Holland Taylor had appeared in a miniseries set during the Golden Age of Hollywood some twenty years previously called The Lot (in which she played an Expy of gossip columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Persons).
  • Jim Parsons had done a period piece tackling racial discrimination in Hidden Figures.

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