Youve been working on this project for a very long time. Its a passion project for knoop, who cowrote the script songs by her brother, long divorced from albert. This catalog documents terminal 5, a group show held at eero saarinens twa terminal at new yorks jfk airport, to which jt leroy contributed. Its subject was purportedly an hivpositive teenage male prostitute in san francisco who became a minor literary celebrity about 15 years ago. The jt leroy story, a documentary, offers a complex and deeply fascinating account of a decidedly unusual chapter in recent american cultural history. After albert leroy s novel sarah became a bestseller, albert began conducting interviews as her avatar via phone and email. Apr 23, 2019 but jt leroy was actually savannah knoop in a wig. Initially avoiding the public eye due to jt s chronic shyness.
In june 2007, albert was sued by antidote international films inc. Jt leroy movie is based on this real wild literary hoax. Theres a fictionalized character based on asia argento in. As the scam becomes a film, the performer tells all. New film jt leroy explores bizarre details of early2000s literary scam savannah knoop, who played jt for six years, spoke to rolling stone about the film and their role in the. Ancillary people are lightly sketched, but the ones closer in are so real, silky, bristly, damp, odoriferous, creepy. It stars kristen stewart, laura dern, kelvin harrison jr. Laura albertis one of ironic literary delights, which is why the film about it ought to have been much better than it is. Both books received serious praise in all the right places, and launched jt leroy toward celebrityhood.
A young woman named savannah knoop spends six years pretending to be the celebrated author jt leroy, the madeup literary persona of her sisterinlaw. Albert originally published as terminator and later jt leroy. Laura albert, marc maron, jeff feuerzeig jt leroy official page who is laura. Savannah knoop spends six years masquerading as writer laura alberts literary persona jt leroy, the author credited for the novels sarah and the heart is deceitful above all things. Sarah and its followup the heart is deceitful above all things were the books you had to be seen reading in public. Taken on its own, it leaves the viewer wanting more depth and nuance to bring. With laura albert, bruce benderson, terrence owens, ira silverberg. A reissue of the national bestselling novel by jt leroy laura albertpublished to coincide with the new jeff feuerzeig documentary. At the very least, be sure to supplement jt leroy with jeff feuerzeigs firstrate 2016 documentary author. The jt leroy story master documentary filmmaker jeff feuerzeig, who made the landmark the devil and daniel johnston, has turned his attention to laura albert and jt leroy with his film author. The jt leroy story, feuerzeig offers plenty of photos and home movies to prove that albert was indeed the hefty, unpopular child of an unsupportive mother and to begin laying the case. The narrator aka cherry vanilla aka sarah aka sherah aka saint sarah aka sam evolved before the first page was even written. Its arguably even more selfserving than this movie, but gets at the insanity in a way that a knoopcentered version simply cant.
Albert wrote fiction under jts name, beginning with 1999s sarah. Documentary captures the jt leroy literary deception sfgate. The jt leroy story official trailer 1 2016 laura albert movie the story behind literary persona jt leroy, the fictional writer created. Jeremiah terminator leroy, or simply jt leroy is a literary persona created in the 1990s by. Oct 07, 2005 in 2000, when jt leroys novel sarah was published, i attended his first reading in san francisco, where local writers read in place of the pathologically shy author.
In real life, argento was unwittingly ensnared in the wild jt leroy literary. The movie which was screened for press on monday and was directed by justin kelly is the story of knoops rise and fall as jt. Jts special friendship with mike pitt is celebrated here. Sep 12, 2016 asia argento and others are angry about being in jt leroy documentary. But after six years of this charade, the hoax that was jt leroy was uncovered in a 2005 expose jt jeremiah terminator i guess the name shouldve been a giveaway was a transgender woman who grew up as an abused, drugaddicted teenage boy prostitute in the south and sarah was her heavily autobiographical debut novel.
Sarah was about leroys experiences working alongside his mother as a sex worker at age 12 she felt angry about the competition, but she also liked the money, too, he told terry gross on. From the director of the devil and daniel johnston, author. Leroy, the voice of his generation, the ultimate survivorpoet. The movie, which will close out the festival, is based on the true story of laura albert, a writer who created the fictional persona of a young gay man named jt leroy. The jt leroy story official trailer 1 2016 laura albert movie the story behind literary persona jt leroy, the fictional writer created by american author laura albert. Jt leroy turns out to be not just the pen name of the real author of sarah, who is laura albert laura dern, but is also lauras creation, an invented literary male persona. The jt leroy story is in uk cinemas from 29 july and the jt leroy books sarah. New film jt leroy explores bizarre details of famous literary. The jt leroy story, directed by jeff feuerzieg, albert explains the truly curious and deeply moving original story of leroy, a homeless prostitute suffering.
The jt leroy story, written and directed by jeff feuerzeig, is a potent reminder of the bizarre ways the jt jeremiah terminator leroy phenomenon played out in san francisco and around the world. How i became jt leroy, and she cowrote the script with kelly. Apr 26, 2019 leroy went to all the best parties and associated with all the best people. The jt leroy story, which lets albert tell her version of the story in obsessive motormouthed detail. Asia argento and others are angry about being in jt leroy. New film jt leroy explores bizarre details of famous. Apr 26, 2019 new film jt leroy explores bizarre details of early2000s literary scam savannah knoop, who played jt for six years, spoke to rolling stone about the film and their role in the. Jan 23, 2016 these short stories inspired her to write the novel sarah, which was attributed to a transgender teen boy named jt leroy, with the initials an abbreviation for jeremiah terminator. In the beginning of sarah, leroy is being inducted into the fold of a group of. The completely bonkers jt leroy hoax is now a movie with kristen stewart and laura dern share this. Jt leroy was popular for 5 minutes in the hollywood circle before everybody finds out it was an hoax.
The jt leroy story official trailer 1 2016 laura albert. Kristen stewart and laura dern duel over their shared. Jt leroys ostensible origin story was a publicists dream. Asia argento and others are angry about being in jt leroy documentary. A young woman named savannah knoop spends six years pretending to be a transgender writer named jt leroy, the madeup literary persona of her sisterinlaw. I reread sarah after coming across the documentary author.
The completely bonkers jt leroy hoax is now a movie with. Meanwhile, savannah stewart arrives in san francisco to live with her brother, her scruffy looks and introverted personality drawing laura in, seeing an opportunity to bring. Jt leroy film with laura dern and kristen stewart to close. The jt leroy story has excerpts from phone calls a hoaxer secretly. Sarah 1999 by turns magical and realistic, the novel sarah is narrated by a nameless boy whose mother sarah is a lot lizard. Rebecca sappwireimage they say that truth is stranger than fiction and theres no example of that phrase better than the story of jt leroy. Jt leroy isnt a bad movie, and with these actresses its certainly worth seeing. When laura meets her boyfriends sister, the tomboyish savannah knoop kristen stewart, she recruits her to become her alter ego, the mysterious superstar. Laura dern captivates as laura albert, brimming with creative energy and nowhere to put it but a masquerade. In 2000, when jt leroy s novel sarah was published, i attended his first reading in san francisco, where local writers read in place of the pathologically shy. Diane kruger joins cast of jt leroy movie cannes deadline. May 16, 2017 diane kruger has joined the cast of justin kellys jt leroy, the movie based on the true story of the hoax author starring kristen stewart. A reissue of the national bestselling novel by jt leroylaura albertpublished to coincide with the new jeff feuerzeig documentary. Kristen stewart and laura dern with jim sturgess in an exclusive still from jt leroy.
She can be abusive and abandoning, yet he longs for her love and tries to follow in her world. The story could make a short movie or a nice documentary but this is the most uninvolved way to bring it to the screen. Albert recruited knoop to play leroy when her book, sarah, which was the story of leroy s sex worker mother, became so successful that she needed someone to play him in public. Aug 18, 2017 on the set of justin kelly and savannah knoops bigscreen version of the infamous jt leroy hoax, starring kristen stewart and laura dern. The story behind literary persona jt leroy, the fictional writer created by american author laura albert. Jt leroy is a 2018 britishamericancanadian biographical drama film directed by justin kelly based on the memoir girl boy girl. May 07, 2019 jt leroy was a literary phenomenon picture. Leroy, and published two books of fictionalized memoir, sarah and the heart is deceitful above all things. Diane kruger plays asia argento, the one who slept with leroyunderaged, you know how she is.
With kristen stewart, laura dern, jim sturgess, diane kruger. The jt leroy story, a bakers dozen descriptors are tossed out in an attempt to properly answer that question, most of them by laura albert, the writer who created leroy. See more ideas about justin kelly, kristen stewart and kristen stewart movies. Apr 03, 2019 check out the official jt leroy trailer starring kristen stewart. Theres a fictionalized character based on asia argento in the. Jts stuff can also be found in the best american nonrequired reading 2003. Diane kruger has joined the cast of justin kellys jt leroy, the movie based on the true story of the hoax author starring kristen stewart. After a while, terminator revealed what sounded like a real name, j. Apr 27, 2019 shes also a bestselling author of a book called sarah but refuses to disclose that shes the writer, using the made up name and backstory of jt leroy as the author. Aug 14, 2018 the movie, which will close out the festival, is based on the true story of laura albert, a writer who created the fictional persona of a young gay man named jt leroy and wrote novels under that.