Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss Gets A Biopic Film (Photo Credit – Instagram/Prime Video)
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Heidi Fleiss, popularly known as Hollywood Madam, used to run a prominent prostitution ring in Hollywood from 1987 onwards, which became an incredibly sought-after affair for the elites of the entertainment industry. Her meteoric rise, scandalous career, and eventual legal troubles made her a household name in the 1990s, capturing public fascination like few others. Now, her extraordinary life is being brought to the big screen in a biopic titled The Heidi Fleiss Story, with Aubrey Plaza stepping into the role of Fleiss. From her controversial empire to her later ventures, here’s everything you need to know about the woman behind the headlines.
Heidi Fleiss’ Early Days With Madam Alex
Heidi began working in prostitution when she met established stalwart Madam Alex aka Elizabeth Adams at the young age of 23. At that time, Madam Alex was a police informant, and Heidi personally worked as a prostitute to familiarize herself with the business. Heidi Fleiss climbed to the top of Madam Alex’s empire after realizing that a number of prostitutes under her were middle-aged and approaching retirement. This prompted Heidi to recruit a number of younger women she knew, which revitalized the prostitution ring.
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Building Her Own Empire & Legal Troubles
In 1990 Heidi eventually broke away from Madam Alex and started her solo venture, and she made her first million dollars just four months into the business, as per The Guardian. The high-class nature of her clientele also resulted in her venture gaining a lot of media attention, especially after she was arrested in 1993 on charges of pandering.
Heidi was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison upon being convicted of tax evasion, though she only served 20 months of jail time before being released to a halfway house. Her high-profile trial and conviction made her one of the most talked-about figures of the early ’90s.
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Life After The Hollywood Madam Era
Fleiss eventually moved to Nevada and slowly shifted away from her infamous Madam career after getting tired of dealing with legal and regulatory problems. However, she continued to capitalize on her notoriety by starring in reality TV series such as Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Rehab with Doctor Drew.
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On the business side, Heidi Fleiss became an investor in renewable energy, considering it an integral technology of the future. According to People, Fleiss says she has moved on from sex work and now dedicates her time to caring for over 20 exotic birds she inherited from an elderly neighbor.
🎬 “the heidi fleiss story” starring aubrey plaza will begin shooting on october 1st in la pic.twitter.com/jXxC7109FB
Aubrey Plaza Excited To Play The Real-Life Hollywood Madam
Aubrey Plaza is set to portray her first non-fiction role in a biopic about Heidi Fleiss, titled The Heidi Fleiss Story. Speaking to IndieWire, Aubrey Plaza spoke out about her excitement for the role of Heidi Fleiss, something that Plaza had been looking forward to for a while. As she put it: “I got it in my head that I wanted to play her a couple of years ago and I’ve never played a real-life person before. It’s a different kind of scale, challenge, that I’m really excited about, and I just think she’s an incredible person, incredible character. The story is insane. She’s done something that probably nobody else has ever done, and she’s still going. I think she’s the ultimate badass icon, and she deserves the royal treatment. We shall give it to her.”
aubrey plaza on getting ready to play heidi fleiss
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“i got it in my head that i wanted to play her a couple of years ago and i’ve never played a real-life person before”
Aubrey Plaza’s role in Heidi Fleiss’s biopic is sure to be a major career milestone for her, given how she’s branching out of her comfort zone in order to portray a real-life story. When asked about whether she’d had any contact with the real-life Fleiss, who’s still alive today, Plaza said she hadn’t spoken to her yet, but she wanted to, saying: “Spiritually, I feel her. I’ve heard she’s very excited about it. We’re in early stages.”
