The Brittany Murphy Story, which shares the real-life story of the ambitious and talented actress – who rose to fame quickly, but succumbed much too young to the dark side of Hollywood – will make its worldwide premiere Saturday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
Produced by MarVista Entertainment, The Brittany Murphy Story follows the actress (Amanda Fuller, Cheap Thrills, Grey's Anatomy, Last Man Standing) and her mother, Sharon (Sherilyn Fenn, Magic City, Boxing Helena, Of Mice and Men, Twin Peaks), as they gamble everything in a move to Hollywood, determined to make young Brittany a star.
Quickly landing a breakout role in the '90s hit Clueless, the 17-year-old continued her rapid climb to fame, working with some of Hollywood's biggest stars in such high-profile hits as Girl, Interrupted (with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder), Don't Say a Word (with Michael Douglas) and 8 Mile (with Eminem and Kim Basinger), among others.
With a personal life equally as glamorous, Brittany dated leading men like Ashton Kutcher (Adam Hagenbuch, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), before settling down to marry British screenwriter Simon Monjack (Eric Petersen, Kirstie, the upcoming Naughty and Nice). But relentless rumors, media glare and merciless pursuit by paparazzi – coupled with insecurities about her appearance and an underlying desperation for approval – wreaked havoc and took an enormous toll on Brittany's fragile psyche.
Through it all, Sharon remained her grounding force, but found too late that a mother's enduring love wasn't enough to save her from the dark side of life in Hollywood—and the world was shocked by Brittany's abrupt and mysterious death at just 32 years of age ... followed five months later by that of her widowed husband. Also starring Amy Davidson (The Capture of the Green River Killer, 8 Simple Rules), this biopic was directed by Joe Menendez from a screenplay by Peter Hunziker and Cynthia Riddle. The Brittany Murphy Story was produced by Carrie LaGrand with MarVista's CEO Fernando Szew, Sharon Bordas and Michael Moran serving as executive producers.
