Despite the title, 1988's 'Torch Song Trilogy' is, in fact, a single film. Harvey Fierstein wrote the play that the film is based on, adapted it into a screenplay and also starred in it himself, sharing the screen with Matthew Broderick in one of his early roles.
Although the movie isn't biographical, Fierstein was keen to emulate the work of Charles Pierce, a female impersonator best known for his impressions of Bette Davis in the 1960s and 70s. It's an artistic production which follows the main character of Arnold through ten years of his eventful life and had to be truncated heavily to make it to the big screen. The original play was an epic that ran to four hours; the movie was permitted a maximum length of two by its studio, and so the timeframe was constrained, and several characters were written out entirely. Broderick nearly missed out on the role due to a car accident but decided to accept the part when rehearsals had already begun with a different actor.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.