Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas was an agency manager, studio partner and producer for the best stars, including Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez during her long career. Now, she is about to become a novelist for the first time – with the star of “Sex and the City” and “Emily in Paris”, Darren Star aligned himself to adapt her book in a series for Universal Television.
“Cuting in heels”, due on April 29 of the St. Martin press, focused on three secretaries in a talent agency in the 1980s Hollywood. Women with large hair, short and glamorous in high height heels, they have dreams exciting the sky in an industry capped with an almost unbreakable glass ceiling. Adaptation will be the first star project as part of the multi -year agreement he signed with Universal TV in March.
“Climbing in the heels: a novel” by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
(Press St. Martin)
“I have been a writer for as long as I remember,” said Goldsmith-Thomas, who started working on the novel at the dawn of the Cavid-19 pandemic, a period when a large part of the Hollywood normal business activities stopped. “But I am in a way kept silent. When I was an agent, my customers did not want to think that their agent was a writer, and when I directed a studio, I was so busy hiring, right? It's my way of saying:” Who is I. “”
Goldsmith -Thomas says that finishing “climbing in heels” and signing an agreement for its adaptation met faster than expected – even after its wide experience in Hollywood.
“I guess I went a little blind and a little naive, as you should,” explains Goldsmith-Thomas, whose curriculum vitae includes high power roles at the agency William Morris, ICM and Revolution studios In addition to producing. “There is not part of my career that I have ever planned; Everything happened in a way. I guess it is how to know how fivotes you, right? “
After finishing the book, “I gave it to a few people. I was a little nervous because I really went for that. And one of them was Darren Star, whom I have known since the 80s when he was assistant in an advertising company, and I was secretary who called me an assistant.
She says that star “inhaled him, he loved it. He called me and said he wanted the option.”
At the same time, several agents representing it at the CAA had read its manuscript and bought it from the producers.
Goldsmith-Thomas remembers: “I said to myself:” Wait, it does not go out until next April “. I would like to be able to tell you that it was brilliantly orchestrated, but it was not.
I entertained these offers from these other very big showrunners who had read it and really loved it, and I chose to go with Darren because I think it is perfect for that. “”
– Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
When the agreement was revealed at the end of the yearStar described the novel “Ballable love child and debauchery as” Mad Men “and” Sex and the City “.”
“I do not know if being producer helped me conclude this case,” said Goldsmith-Thomas. “I think everyone knew who I was, but then it just happened so quickly. Darren wanted it, he spoke to Universal, they read it, they made a large offer in a preventive way and removed it from the table. Now we still have to present it to the banners, and we will do it at the end of February. ”
Goldsmith-Thomas has a previous writing credit: the “Second Act” co-scripting, a 2018 film with Jennifer Lopez. In addition to the book promotion tasks, Goldsmith-Thomas will juggles with a producer of “Office Romance”, Lopez's third feature film for Netflix, as well as other Nuyorican production projects in her role as president of Lopez's Banner.
Among them: the adaptation of the Streamer series of “Happy Place” by Emily Henry, which Goldsmith-Thomas will co-produce with Lopez and Benny Medina; The producer co-executive of “Bridgeton”, Leila Cohan, is on board as a showrunner. Henry is a successful author whose previous novels “Book Lovers”, “Beach Read” and “The people we meet on vacation” are all adapted in the films.
Given the bonds of the author-producer with Lopez, it is tempting to look for the obvious part of the actor in “climbing in heels”, which seems absent in the book. Goldsmith-Thomas laughs. “I was shaken the other day. Jennifer said:” Elaine didn't put me in it! “”
But the producer of films such as “Smile mona lisa” And “Hustlers” said there is no shortage of stars that are in queue for a game.
“We have received many calls from actors and directors, and we have some ideas to launch the characters. We have an idea for some women, but nothing has yet been locked up, “says Goldsmith-Thomas. “We are not going to stream with a full cast. And we have not written the pilot – we have to take our time. Everything else was very fast, but we slow down at this stage.”
