Friday, July 21, 2017

Jo Perry's "Dead Is Good"

Jo Perry earned a Ph.D. in English, taught college literature and writing, produced and wrote episodic television, and has published articles, book reviews, and poetry. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist Thomas Perry. They have two adult children. Their three cats and two dogs are rescues.

Here Perry dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest novel, Dead is Good:
I still think Jonah Hill would make a fine Charles Stone, my chunky, rueful, murdered protagonist, even though Hill is now extremely slim. Zach Galifianakis could step in as Charlie, too--he's good at playing self-deprecating, smart, and messed up men. And Charles is messed up in Dead Is Good, as he returns to to the living world help the one woman he truly loved in life, and whom still loves in death, Grace Morgan. Grace is a prickly, brave and complicated person––a performance artist who breaks barriers, who likes to shock, and who can be haughty and remote. I would love to see Tatiana Maslany play Grace, and considering Maslany's magnificent and endlessly creative performances in Orphan Black, Maslany could also play Grace's sister, Hope. Another actress who would be very fine as Grace is Alison Tollman of Fargo. Charles has a smug,brother whom he hates. I think Dean Winters ("Mayhem" on those Allstate commercials) would be perfect. William H. Macy could play the homeless man named Goldberg.

And I can't imagine a real dog who would play Rose who is composite of all that is good and beautiful and wise in dogs. And I worry about the often cruel methods used with animal actors. So I hope that Rose would be computer-generated.
Visit Jo Perry's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Jo Perry & Lola and Lucy.

My Book, The Movie: Dead is Better.

The Page 69 Test: Dead is Better.

My Book, The Movie: Dead is Best.

The Page 69 Test: Dead is Best.

--Marshal Zeringue