Australian actress Abbie Cornish, 41, is taking on the role of Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith, who tragically passed away in 2007, in an upcoming biopic.
The feature film, Trust Me, I’m A Doctor, was announced this week and will be based on the book of the same name.
Abbie Cornish has previously appeared in a variety of projects including Somersault, Bright Star and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but taking on the role of Anna Nicole Smith will be a new adventure for the 41-year-old.
The actress has spoken about what this role means to her, saying: “Playing Anna Nicole Smith is such a dream.”
“I am honoured to have been chosen by our amazing producers and talented writer/director, Thane Economou. And I am so excited to work with our incredible cast and crew. I am blessed to stand alongside the charismatic and gifted [co-star] Kal Penn and tell the tale of this moment in history.
“There are so many layers and chapters to Anna’s life story that I look forward to embodying on screen with all of my heart and soul. Truly grateful.”
Trust Me, I’m A Doctor will be based on a memoir by Dr Sandeep Kapoor, Trust Me, I’m A Doctor: My Life Before, During and After Anna Nicole Smith.
Dr Kapoor was a physician who was implicated in Anna’s death, which was as a result of an accidental overdose on 8 February 2007 when she was just 39-years-old.
The biopic will be set in the early 2000s and follow the final days of Anna’s life, and will be told through the perspective of Sandeep who will be played by Kal Penn, 47.
Following Anna’s death, Sandeep found himself in the spotlight after he and Anna’s psychiatrist, Dr Khristine Eroshevic, were charged with allegedly providing her with excessive prescription drugs.
However, they were acquitted in 2010 as a jury found there wasn’t enough evidence to convict them.
Also starring in the film will be Linda Hamilton, who will be portraying Dr Kapoor’s lawyer Ellyn Garafalo, alongside Kal Penn who is also an executive producer on the project.
“We all know the tragic story of the iconic Anna Nicole Smith, but very few of us – myself included – knew much about her young doctor: flamboyant, old school, blurring the lines between patient and acquaintance, and ultimately arrested and charged following her death,” Kal said in a statement to Deadline when announcing the film.
“It’s a wild story brought to life in an especially tremendous script.”
Set photos from filming have recently been released, which showcase Abbie portraying Anna in a recreation of her outfit at a 2005 Pride parade.
Trust Me, I’m A Doctor is not the only movie or TV show created about Anna Nicole Smith’s life, as The Anna Nicole Story (also known as Anna Nicole) was released in 2013 and chronicled her life journey from being a small-town dancer to being a Playboy Playmate, to being married and to her eventual death.
It has also been confirmed that another biopic about Anna Nicole Smith, Hurricanna, has begun filming.
