The Oscars are almost here, and ahead of Hollywood’s most prized night, I thought I’d lower the tone slightly by diving into the murky depths of La La Land’s underbelly. While the Academy Awards celebrate the industry at its most polished, all diamonds, designer gowns, and tearful speeches about artistic triumph (let’s just hope Timothée repents for his recent comments on the high arts), the history of Hollywood is just as often defined by scandal, ambition, and spectacular misbehaviour.
Hollywood isn’t always known for its glittering treatment of women, and these books reveal some dark truths alongside plenty of frothy gossip, salacious secrets, and hilarious (and sometimes sinister) tidbits. Behind the studio gates and red carpets lies a long tradition of power struggles, exploitation, reinvention, and survival, and the women at the centre of these stories are often far more interesting than the carefully managed images the studios tried to sell.
