So yesterday and today we auditioned the actors. I had no idea what to expect, and was probably as nervous as the actors themselves. It was useful, though, to try and describe the project to people who know nothing about it. Perrin had devised this short screen test for the Camillas that asked them to flip through a set of imaginary photos and, at some point, to pretend to come across one of the child that had been taken from them. I made a complete fool of myself several times over, as every time I watched one of them go through the exercise, I burst into tears. Clearly designed to push the buttons of every mother… I felt an utter twit. Anyway, just about everyone we saw was terrific and it was painful to have to narrow it down to three, but we did it. Sue Maund is our Lucrezia – was completely knocked out by her gravity and her bearing. She looks perfect, too, with uniquely arresting eyes and beautiful Renaissance features, exactly as one might imagine Lucrezia to have looked at the end of her life. Eugenia Caruso, a Italian actress, is our Camilla. Again, she is spookily similar to the portrait of Camilla, but what struck me about her was the way she became this young woman, her gestures and attitude completely natural. Maybe it’s her background, and a lifelong proximity to the Catholic church. Anyway, she’s terrific. And our Man is Jamie McDonald, an Australian actor with a kind of Orlando Bloom-like quality (will appeal to mothers and daughters!) – not fey, but capable of being mysterious. Job done.
On the train there and back I read through the drafts from two of the last three of the contributors to She’s So Fine. In a way, it’s good these pieces are only coming in in dribs and drabs, so I have time to read and comment – what else are train journeys for? That being said, I’m so looking forward to having the project behind me – and I will think very carefully before agreeing to edit a collection again.