Emmy Rossum is set to play the Los Angeles icon Angelyne in an upcoming limited series, which is being developed by her husband Sam Esmail.
The series is based on a Hollywood Reporter article that exposed the true identity of Angelyne, whose real name is Renee Goldberg. She was born in Poland in 1950 to survivors of the Holocaust and moved to L.A. with her family as a young girl. She is famous for driving her pink Cadillac around Hollywood and appearing on billboards.
“I have always been fascinated by the enigma that is Angelyne,” Emmy said in a statement (via THR). “At a young age, I can vividly remember staring up at her on a billboard above me and wondering, ‘Who is that woman?’ Gary Baum’s investigative journalism has finally unearthed the true, complex identity of the infamous woman who has fascinated Los Angeles for over 30 years. From the moment I read Gary’s recent piece, I knew I had to tell this story. It’s a poignant and bizarre tale about the hunger for fame, the sexualization of women and the erasing of past traumas.”
Emmy and Sam will executive produce the series, which is being shopped to cable and streaming outlets.