Ursula Macfarlane expands her diverse filmography. With titles such as “Untouchable,” an investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, and “The Life and Loss of Karen Woo,” a portrait of a medic who was killed by the Taliban, under her belt, the director is now shining a spotlight on one of reality TV’s first stars, late Playmate and Guess model Anna Nicole Smith. Variety reports that the documentary will be available on Netflix.
Currently untitled, the project, which is currently in production, will feature “never-before-seen footage from an unreleased documentary about a young Smith balancing motherhood while on the verge of global stardom.” It “focuses on Smith’s cultural impact [and] comes amid a larger reckoning on the way pop culture figures — particularly younger women like Britney Spears and Janet Jackson — were portrayed by the media in the aughts,” the source teases.
Smith was born Vickie Lynne Hogan. After her breakthrough modeling career, Smith was a tabloid star when she married J. Howard Marshall II (89-year-old oil tycoon). She made even more headlines after her legal battle for Marshall’s estate. Smith, and her struggles with drug addiction and involvement in paternity lawsuits, were the subject of much late-night “humor” that dehumanized her, reducing her to a punchline. The star of E!’s “The Anna Nicole Show” died in 2007 after accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs.
“I approached Anna Nicole’s story as an epic mystery tale. How can someone with such charisma, jaw-dropping beauty and the world at their feet, fall so far so quickly? Now feels like the right time to re-examine the life of yet another beautiful young woman whose life has been picked over and ultimately destroyed by our culture,” Macfarlane said in a statement. “I am thrilled to work with Netflix and Propagate to make a moving, unflinching, and sensitive portrayal of one of the most misunderstood women of our time.”
Source: Women And Hollywood