Written to script

SAMANTHA STRAUSS MAY well be one of Australia’s most successful screen stars you’ve never heard of. Fresh off the set of the latest Liane Moriarty screen adaptation Nine Perfect Strangers, starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, Strauss is preparing for the Australian premiere of the semi-autobiographical 10-part series she conceived, wrote and executive-produced, The End, starring Dame Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor, following its successful debut on Sky UK last year. She’s also working on a script with Shakespeare in Love and The Best Exotic Marigold Hoteldirector John Madden, the true story of Nancy Reagan’s close friendship with her astrologer; while she’s been commissioned to write a pilot with ABC America for the production company run by Tom McCarthy, he of Oscar-winning fame.