So, Mindy Kaling is having a bit of moment. The comic actress got her first big break on "The Office" where she started as a staff writer, took on the role of Kelly Kapoor, and eventually worked her way up to co-executive producer. She's published a memoir "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)," and this fall she's got a new show on Fox, "The Mindy Kaling Project" which just got picked up with a full season order. And now her talents are attracting Oscar nominees.
Anne Hathaway is attached to star in "The Low Self-Esteem Of Lizzie Gillespie," co-written by Kaling and her "The Office" co-writer and producer Brent Forrester. The romantic comedy follows a woman whose low-self esteem leads her to date a bunch of losers, but her life turns around when a hot piece of man meat starts pursuing her. It's an interesting concept that twists the standard formula on its head, but we hope (and think) that it won't just be a case of hot guy repairing the self-confidence of a woman, and that perhaps she finds out all of those internal feelings herself.
The project won't immediately be on Hathaway's plate, as a director needs to be found, and we'd reckon she'll have approval on that as well. But her involvement certainly establishes that Kaling's skills are getting her noticed in some pretty respectable offices around town, so good for her. And as for Hathaway, by the time 'Lizzy Gillespie' rolls around she might be a two-time Oscar nominee (and perhaps a winner?) with "Les Miserables" headed to theaters soon. Certainly, she doesn't have to worry about her own self-esteem at all. [THR]