May 25, 2012

Erin Cressida Wilson

by MovieMaker Staff | Published October 23, 2006

Ty Burrell and Nicole Kidman in Steven Shainberg’s Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. Credit: Picturehouse Films.

Whether she’s writing for the stage or the screen, Erin Cressida Wilson has a talent for revolting against the norm. Cressida made waves with her first screenplay, Secretary, which told the story of a twisted sadomasochistic relationship with equal parts sensitivity and humor. Now, Wilson and Secretary director Steven Shainberg have teamed up again for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, which details the highly fictionalized account of how the legendary photographer found her passion for capturing the grotesque. Fur, which stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey, Jr.. opens in limited release on November 10th.Aside from her cinematic work, Wilson is also an accomplished playwright, with works including â€œThe Erotica Projectâ€ and the 2003 musical â€œWilder.â€ Though sex seems to be a running theme throughout most of her work, the larger issue that Wilson often visits is that of repression. Whether it is Diane Arbus freeing herself from the confines of her upper-class New York existence or Secretary’sLee Holloway finding self-confidence by exploring her kinkier side, Wilson’s work never fails to celebrate the liberation that goes hand-in-hand with living outside the norm. Next on Wilson’s plate is an adaptation of the best-selling novel Can You Keep a Secret?, produced by Kate Hudson (who is also rumored to star). Here’s hoping she’ll give the chick flick genre a much-needed facelift with some of her trademark irreverent wit.