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Variety Chief Correspondent Daniel D’Addario Digs Into Awards Season in New Novel
'The Talent,' about five women competing to be named best actress, will be released February 25, 2025
The competitors include Adria, a dignified and highly regarded grande dame; Bitty, a raw-nerve comedy actress making her dramatic breakthrough, and trying to push through her anxieties with an increasing alcohol dependency; Contessa, a former child star who’s ready to shed both her innocent reputation and her momager; Davina, a legend of the London stage who’s growing ever more intrigued by superficial, alluring Los Angeles; and Jenny, nursing the wounds of a decades-long losing streak — and looking for a chance to finally defeat her archrival, Adria. At Variety, D’Addario has profiled a number of decorated actors, writing cover stories on Jennifer Coolidge, Ana de Armas, Zac Efron, Andrew Scott, Matt Smith and Kate Winslet, among others. “While the book touches on universal themes of parenthood, envy, friendship, and the attempt (sometimes futile) to shed personal baggage, the setting, and the particular divine absurdity, of an awards campaign is something I hope readers feel they’re seeing up close, from an insider’s perspective.”
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