Jen Aniston joins I'm Glad My Mom Died series
Jennifer Aniston has joined the production in the mother role, who has been described in the official logline as 'overbearing' and 'domineering'.
McCurdy's book, published in 2022, detailed her life as a child actor from the time she was six years old, starring on shows such as iCarly and Sam & Cat.
It's a raw account of the travails her mother put her through, including 'calorie restriction' and makeovers, as well as control of her emails, diaries and income, leading to anxiety, disordered eating and addiction.
When her mother died from cancer in 2013, McCurdy said she was able to start to heal from the years of abuse and trauma. Her book, which uses dark humour to explore these heavy themes, topped The New York Times bestseller list.
The series sounds like it may not be a direct adaptation, more 'inspired by'. Jennette McCurdy's book will be adapted into a streaming series. Credit: Supplied
McCurdy will write, executive produce and showrun the production with Ari Katcher, who has worked on Ramy and the Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show.
Aniston will also be an executive producer through her production company, Echo Films, alongside Sharon Horgan and Stacy Greenberg through Merman. Margot Robbie's banner, LuckyChap, is also involved, with her partners Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara as well as Dani Gorin listed as executive producers.
Aniston may be able to draw from her own experiences growing up in a showbiz family. Both her parents were actors – her mother, Nancy Dow, had roles on The Wild Wild West and The Beverly Hillbillies, while her father, John Aniston, was on Days of Our Lives for almost four decades.
Her parents divorced when she was a child, and she has spoken before about having had a destabilised upbringing. She was, at different points, estranged from her parents, but reconciled with them before their deaths.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
AFL champ details abusive upbringing with ‘violent' father
Former AFL star-turned-media personality Jimmy Bartel has lifted the lid on his troubled childhood at the hands of his 'violent' father, and revealed why he believes the game's first openly gay men's player is yet to come forward. In a candid interview with Sarah Grynberg on the A Life of Greatness podcast, Bartel revealed that behind the three-time premiership player and Brownlow medallist was a man who had endured his fair share of personal challenges. Largely raised in Geelong, the ex-Cat's parents separated when he was just one-year-old, recalling a pivotal moment in his relationship with his father after spending school holidays with him aged 14. 'I'm pretty guarded and reserved, and I remember coming home, I went straight to my bedroom and then Mum comes in and goes, 'What's wrong?'' Bartel recalled, responding, 'I just don't think he's the person I think he is'. 'I didn't have a great time up there with him and had a pretty average night, one night with him, which (was) pretty scary for myself. He had been heavily drinking and things like that, he got pretty physical with myself, sort of stuff that you'd put away and seen earlier, that sort of all came to the surface.' Bartel shares sons Henley and Aston with ex-wife Nadia Bartel, and young daughter Paloma with girlfriend Amelia Shepperd. Jimmy Bartel and partner Amelia Shepperd. Credit: Jimmy Bartel / IG He added it was difficult to see his father, who had battled alcoholism, turn on his charm and charisma around friends but cut a totally different figure in the presence of loved ones. At one particularly low point, the former player revealed his father threatened to end his mother's life if she didn't allow him more time with Bartel and his two sisters. Jimmy Bartel and his sons Henley and Aston. Credit: Jiimmy Bartel/IG / IG Despite his parents' separation, Bartel said his father would 'come around home and my mum had placed an AVO (Apprehended Violence Order) on him, he came around and told her to lift the AVO or else he was going to take mum'. 'I remember looking out the lounge room window and he was taking my mum and I only found out until I was older, he was taking mum out to the back of Geelong and pretty much gave her the ultimatum, either remove the AVO or this is the end for you. 'And so it was a tough decision for my mum, do you leave three kids with no mum or you come back home and you remove the AVO and you try and manage things a different way?' Sharing much of his playing career with fellow club legend Joel Selwood, the 41-year-old said it was difficult to watch his close friend suffer the tragedy of two premature family deaths in brothers Troy and Adam earlier this year. And with more than just his personal connection to the Selwoods, Bartel said his mother had also drawn close to Bryce and Marie Selwood after sharing the locker room with their son for more than 13 years. Geelong v St Kilda in the Grand Final at the MCG; Joel Selwood, Joel Corey, Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel and Cameron Ling with the cup. Credit: Mal Fairclough / WA News 'I think the most difficult thing is, like, what do you say? And I know that's the minor end of the problem, but you just want to make it all better for them,' Bartel said. 'But then you want them to know that you're still always there, even after the phone call, the message, or seeing them in person. And the resilience of that family is extraordinary. I still can't get my head around it. 'I think it gets put into laser focus, you know, with when you have your own kids losing one child.' Joel Selwood, Adam Selwood and Scott Selwood embrace during Troy Selwood's Funeral Service at GMHBA Stadium on February 14, 2025 in Geelong. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images Having met all types of AFL players in his time, Bartel shared what he believed might be holding back the game's first ever openly gay male player from coming out. Describing modern AFL locker rooms as 'open-minded', Bartel suggested clubs are better placed than ever to support such a player. And it's just as likely an accomplished star feels forced to mask their sexuality as someone on the fringe. 'One of the factors I think might be holding back a player, a male player of coming out is that'll be all they'll be referenced as for the rest of their life… he might be a four-time Brownlow medal winner, five time Premiership player, won every award in the game, 300 games, a legend. But if they were the first player, that would be how they'd describe them,' he said. 'And I think it diminishes what they've done incredibly well in the game. Not that it should, but I reckon there'd be some who might be thinking, you know, do I want that always attached to me? And again, that's only an opinion of someone who's never walked a mile in that person's shoes.' Retiring in 2016 after 305 games, Bartel has since become heavily involved in AFL media across TV and radio as an analyst.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Sam Claflin battled body dysmorphia
Sam Claflin suffered a form of body dysmorphia because of the "pressure" he felt to achieve the perfect Hollywood physique. The Hunger Games star admits he never saw himself as a "leading man" when he embarked on an acting career and he felt like he had to go to extremes to get in shape to fit in among his peers. He told The Telegraph newspaper: "I was always really short until I was 18, so I never thought of myself in any way as a leading man ... "I assumed I'd become a character actor. When I was cast in Pirates [Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides], I thought: 'What on earth am I doing here?' ... "There is this Hollywood assumption that it's the men with the six packs who sell the movie. So there was a pressure that that was what I needed to look like. "As a result, I developed a form of body dysmorphia. It wasn't quite an eating disorder, and I'm not blaming anyone but myself, but it was definitely because of the industry I'm in." Sam went on to insist he's become much better at talking about his feelings as he's grown up and he eventually realised he wanted to prioritise having a family over his Hollywood career. The actor - who has two children with his ex-wife Laura Haddock - added: "We're men and we are not allowed to talk about our feelings. "But I've got much better. These days, I'm definitely not afraid of speaking about how I feel. And I also realised I didn't want a career in Hollywood. I wanted to come home and become a dad." Sam previously admitted he pushed himself too far in a "desperate" to be nominated for an Oscar. He told GQ Hype: 'I went through a stage of desperately vying for an Oscar but doing things that were really not me. Physically, emotionally transforming myself. "[2018 film The Nightingale] was too far the other way. I think that was the turning point in my life. I don't think I could do that again.' However, Sam realised his acting career and vying for awards masked deeper issues. He said: 'One of the reasons I became an actor is that I always want people to like me. I think it's only recently dawned on me that I try so hard to make other people happy that I don't know who I am. "I'm from Norfolk [in the UK] but I've just adopted an accent that no one can really put a flag on. It's an amalgamation of other people's accents. Over time I'd sort of lost, I don't know … What makes me happy?"
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Jason Momoa believes it's his 'destiny' to tell the story of Hawaii
Jason Momoa believes it's his "destiny" to tell the story of Hawaii. The Aquaman star explores his Hawaiian heritage in new Apple TV+ series Chief of War - which tells the story of the unification of the islands at the turn of the 18th century - and he is convinced the stars have aligned to bring him to a place in his career where he could show the lives of his ancestors onscreen. He told PEOPLE: "I feel like this whole thing has chosen me in a way, like this is my destiny," he says. "I have no idea how I got to all this, but we're here, and I'm very grateful. I'm living my dream doing what I love to do. To play my ancestors is such a responsibility. It's scary and exciting." Jason added: "My dad is a coach at an outrigger canoe club, which is where I learned how to surf. "Just this morning, the sand pulled back and revealed massive petroglyphs [ancient carvings] right in the place where I grew up. It's kind of insane. I've never experienced that before." The actor also got the chance to write and direct while working on the show and he has insisted he's finally get the chance to show a different side to himself. He told the Metro newspaper: "It's my heart and soul. This has been in me my whole life. I'm ready. Put it on me. " I feel like I've been mismanaged and people don't really know who I am, since the beginning, so now I finally get a chance to [show] 'No, I can direct and write'." Jason went on to applaud bosses at Apple for taking a chance on a show about Hawaii's history, adding: "It's a bold thing to do. "I think Apple had a lot of trust in us, because there's nothing to prove it against. No one's ever heard the language. There's a lot of actors that have never been seen before. It's a lot ... "There's a lot of change and a lot to bring back of a culture that was … Our language is banned from us and we're getting it back. A lot of our art … We're part of America and I don't think anyone really knows anything about us. "[We] really have to celebrate Apple for just taking on something that's this big, and putting the trust in me ... "
