American Beauty (1999 film) "American Beauty" to the fledgling DreamWorks studio, which bought the script for $250,000, outbidding several other production bodies. DreamWorks financed the $15 million production and served as its North American distributor. "American Beauty" marked theater director Mendes' film debut; courted after his successful productions of the musicals "Oliver!" and "Cabaret", Mendes was only given the job after 20 others were considered and several A-list directors turned down the opportunity. Spacey was Mendes' first choice for the role of Lester, though DreamWorks urged him to consider better-known actors; similarly, the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes
Carolyn Marks Blackwood Carolyn Marks Blackwood Carolyn Marks Blackwood (born August 21, 1951) is an American fine art photographer, film producer, writer, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska, moved to New York State as a child, and finally to the Hudson Valley region in 1999. Blackwood co-owns Magnolia Mae Films with her business partner Gabrielle Tana, and is best known for her work on the Academy Award winning film The Duchess and on the Oscar-nominated film Philomena. In addition to her work on Coriolanus, The Invisible Woman, and the 2016 Sergei Polunin documentary "Dancer," she is currently active with the