Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Katharine Hepburn, Old Hollywood and Performed Authenticity: Priya Parmar's The Original
Episode 382
Published 1 week, 2 days ago
Description
This week, I talk with Priya Parmar about The Original, her fictionalized portrait of Katharine Hepburn’s early life and Hollywood reinvention, diving into how academic rigor, obsessive research, and creative intuition shaped the book.
We discuss:
- Priya’s transition from academic and PhD research into fiction writing—and how scholarship still shapes her creative process
- The accidental Google rabbit hole that led her to Katharine Hepburn’s hidden early struggles
- A fascinating look at 1930s Hollywood as a surprisingly progressive, image-conscious, and socially fluid ecosystem
- Fame, performed authenticity, grief, reinvention, and how public myths are intentionally built
- Behind-the-scenes insight into writing historical fiction about a real woman whose voice, image, and legacy are already iconic
Check Out Author Social Media Packages
Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon
Check Out My Stories Are My Religion Substack
Follow @imbookwild on Instagram
Other Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian