How NY Times ‘ Henriques got to play herself in HBO movie

Diana Henriques

Finlay Greig of INews.com interviewed former New York Times business reporter Diana Henriques, who played herself in the new HBO movie about Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff.

Greig writes, “Soon after, however, she was contacted by the film’s producers, asking if she’d be willing to audition to play herself.

“‘I said I’d sleep on it. The last time I’d learned lines was as the lead in my eighth grade play. It was a bit surreal. I wondered how I’d explain it if I flunked the screen test to play myself.

“‘You’re telling me I can’t give a convincing portrayal of Diana Henriques after all these years!’”

“But her audition was a success. And it was De Niro who broke the news to her.

“‘I did the second screen test and I asked ‘what happens now’? Bob leans over and says: ‘Don’t worry kid, you’ve got the part.’”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.