Ever since Lifetime announced they were making the film Prosecuting Casey Anthony the rumor mill has been churning as to who might land the lead role of the Florida mom found not guilty of the first degree murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony in one of the most famous trials of the last 30 years. Kristen Stewart, Alyssa Milano and Jennifer Love Hewitt were reportedly up for the role, but all three of these high-profile American actresses lost out to little known Canadian actress Holly Deveaux!
The 19-year-old Toronto-born actress has a limited resume (as would be expected for a teenager) that includes a lead role on the Canadian childrens television series Baxter as well as guest spots on Lost Girl and Haven. But before you get too excited about Holly’s big break you should know that her role in the film will actually be rather limited.
From the Orlando Sentinel:
Deveaux will be limited in what she can portray because all of Casey’s dialogue in the film comes from public records, [Prosecuting Casey Anthony writer Alison Cross] said. The movie will rely heavily on news footage to give the picture a documentary look, and it won’t use re-enactments of Anthony’s life, Cross said.
“It’s not our intention to make a movie that tries Casey Anthony for the third time,” Cross said. “She was tried in court and she was tried by public opinion.”
Maybe Holly Deveaux won’t get a chance to show off her acting chops much in the film, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t check them out in her demo reel from 2011!
Far bigger roles will be that of the attorneys in the case: former prosecutor Jeff Ashton (who wrote the book Imperfect Justice, which the film is based on), defense attorney Jose Baez and prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick.
Jeff Ashton will be played by Parks and Recreation and West Wing star Rob Lowe (who seems to have become a Lifetime favorite after his role as Drew Peterson in the network’s hugely successful Untouchable movie).
The Office‘s Oscar Nunez will play Anthony’s defense attorney Jose Baez, and Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V) will play Drane Burdick.
Filming reportedly began yesterday in Winnipeg due to financial reasons and will wrap in just 20 days to accommodate Rob Lowe’s busy schedule.
To finish things off, here are a few more side-by-side photos of Casey Anthony and holly Deveaux:
