Dhruv Trivedi
Created by Nicole Oliver, ‘Angelyne’ is a limited series that tells the story of the original Hollywood icon who is famous for being famous. Often called the billboard queen because of the many billboards around Los Angeles that sport her likeness, the show’s titular character remains famous for decades. In her appearance on talk shows and interviews, Angelyne says she is whatever her fans want her to be.
The show attempts to recreate parts of the life of the actual titular Hollywood icon from the 1980s and 1990s, with actress Emmy Rossum essaying the role. The bleached blonde, noticeably curvy figure of Angelyne on the show is a fair likeness to the original despite the actress playing her looking quite unlike the billboard queen to begin with. Let’s take a look at how Emmy Rossum turned herself into the titular character of ‘Angelyne.’
Are Emmy Rossum Breasts Fake or Real in the Show?
Actress Emmy Rossum actually spent years trying to bring the series to fruition after initially having the idea to essay the self-described “blond bombshell billboard princess” Angelyne. After crossing many a hurdle, including buying the rights to Angelyne’s life, trademarks, art, and punk-pop music catalog, all of which are present on the show, Rossum focused her attention on the transformative makeover that turned her into a convincing image of Angelyne.
In one memorable instance, the actress actually walked into a production meeting with her entire garb on. In a blonde wig and leopard-print arm warmers, Rossum interrupted the session and passed out rose quartz crystals while holding a peacock feather. To make her physique look like Angelyne’s, Rossum was clad in high heel stilettos and donned a massive 3-pound breastplate. Rossum’s rendition of the character was so accurate that a few people in the room thought for a few moments that the real Angelyne had walked in.
The heavy breastplate that Rossum wore for long periods took its toll, and there were multiple reports of the actress getting blisters from the fake breasts. She also developed tear duct issues because of the two pairs of contact lenses and copious eye makeup she would have to wear for most scenes. All of this resulted in Rossum spending between four to five hours almost every day in the makeup chair. The actress also bleached her eyebrows for the role.
Rossum’s husband, ‘Mr. Robot‘ creator Sam Esmail, who is also a producer on ‘Angelyne,’ claimed that there were times that even he couldn’t recognize his wife. While Esmail described the situation as kind of “eerie,” Rossum actually found looking completely unlike herself a liberating experience. “The physicality of the character was challenging. The body is heavy, yet it has to feel light and effervescent,” she told The Hollywood Reporter, adding, “At first, it’s unnerving. But feeling lost gives way to this real liberation — from myself and the hang-ups that can impede a performance.”
Rossum delved deep into recreating Angelyne, purchasing the latter’s meditation tapes from eBay, and even meeting the titular icon to get her blessing for the show. Rossum claims Angelyne told her to tell the story she wanted to tell. Ultimately, the actress wants to make the show a love letter to Angelyne and put substantial effort into recreating the glamorous icon, including donning 3-pound prosthetic breasts. The result is a compelling resemblance to Angelyne that aims to bring her distinctive and mysterious charm to the screen.
Read More: Is Angelyne’s Jeff Glasner a Real Journalist? Where is He Now?
