Andy Ostroy On The New Movie “Adrienne,” His Wife’s Legacy, Future Plans, Long Island & More

Feature documentary Adrienne will debut via HBO on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 8:00 PM EST / PST. Directed by Andy Ostroy, the late Adrienne Shelly’s husband, the film is a celebration of the life and work of the acttress, filmmaker, wife and mother, while also a personal exploration of grief. Shelly starred in over 20 films including Hal Hartley’s indie classics The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. Known for her early ingenue roles, Shelly strove to tell her own female-centric stories and wrote and directed several movies, including the hit feature (and Sundance Film Festival favorite) Waitress.

Yet Shelly would not live to see the release of Waitress, experience its critical acclaim, nor experience the smash Broadway musical based on her work. She was murdered in late 2006, leaving behind her devastated husband and 2-year-old daughter Sophie. Through candid conversations with family, friends and colleagues, Adrienne takes viewers on Ostroy’s poignant journey to share Shelly’s life story and honor her legacy, while giving a rare window into how a family navigates unfathomable tragedy. After making its debut on HBO, the movie — which features actors Paul Rudd, Keri Russell, Cheryl Hines, Nathan Fillion, Lew Temple, Jessie Mueller and Jeremy Sisto — will be streamable via HBO Max.

On November 30, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Andy Ostroy via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond Adrienne, we spoke about The Adrienne Shelly Foundation — which has awarded over 100 production grants to women filmmakers, including 2021’s Best Director Academy Award-winner Chloe Zhao — and other future plans for Ostroy. More on Adrienne can be found here, here and here.

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Tags: Adrienne, Adrienne Shelly, Andy Ostroy, HBO, HBO Films, Waitress

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."