What could be better for a young literary star than to be revealed as a fake? The producers of the Asia Argento–directed movie of fictional fiction writer JT LeRoy’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things are just thrilled by the recent further evidence of his falsity. “It’s our dream come true!” says executive producer Lilly Bright. “I had all these friends calling and saying, ‘We want to console you.’ And I was like, ‘Why? This is great.’ ” Prospects for the poorly reviewed film (out March 10) looked dire, but no longer. “A book will be on Oprah’s desk tomorrow,” Bright says. “She should at least know who her author’s being paired with. And this is a way-better story than Timothy [sic] Frey’s. He didn’t make up a whole other character and have a band and become Madonna and Winona Ryder’s best friend and keep it up for more than seven years.” Producer Chris Hanley says Argento, who once claimed to be pregnant with LeRoy’s child, “feels a little misled,” but is understanding: “ She grew up in movies, a world of pretend.” LeRoy will no longer be D.J.-ing at the Sundance party in his honor, however.

Next: McCarthy Era Continues At Conde Nast

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• Archive: “Intelligencer”
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