Michelle Pfeiffer, an Orange County original, adds hometown authenticity to ‘Margo’
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Two of my favorite shows about Orange County capture its sense of place.
Neither was filmed here.
“Arrested Development” lovingly ribbed Newport Beach, even though Marina del Rey doubled as Balboa Island, Culver City served as Mariner’s Mile and a wild Cinco de Cuatro more accurately reflected Cuatro de Julio (especially this year).
“The O.C.” gave us melodrama at the private Harbor School, which seemed like a nod to Sage Hill, invoked the name of the public Newport Harbor High and filmed at a Catholic college in, well, Brentwood.
Authentic insights fueled those scripts. “Arrested” creator Mitch Hurwitz attended Estancia High in Costa Mesa and hawked cookies, not frozen bananas, at the Balboa Fun Zone.
“The O.C.” show runner Josh Schwartz learned about the place from fellow students at USC — he once called out that “direct pipeline” from Newport to Southern Cal — and executive producer Joseph McGinty Nichol, better known as McG, attended Corona del Mar High School.
Michelle Pfeiffer brings perhaps the most O.G.-O.C. cred to her Emmy-nominated turn as Shyanne in the Fullerton-set “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.”
Along with Diane Keaton, Will Ferrell and Steve Martin, Pfeiffer is one of the Capital A actors from this side of the curtain. Born in Santa Ana. Raised in Midway City. Graduated Fountain Valley High. Named Miss O.C. in 1978. Studied at Golden West College.
Shyanne (love the wordplay) is the single mother to the titular single mother played by Elle Fanning, and they do what they have to do to get by in a place where that is really, really hard. Thus, the money troubles.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting to play Shyanne my whole life. I know these women,” Pfeiffer told Yvonne Villarreal in April. “Yes, she’s from Fullerton. I’m from Orange County as well. I love her take-no-prisoners, unapologetic in every way [persona].”
“Margo” filmed at Fullerton College, the Fox Theatre, B&B Donuts, Rutabegorz and other North O.C. locations, as Jessica Peralta chronicled in her interview with Rufi Thorpe, who authored the book that inspired the Apple TV series.
“I have never lived in Fullerton, but we have a close family friend who does, and so I have spent a fair amount of time there and have always found it charming and slightly anachronistic,” Thorpe, who is from Corona del Mar, told Peralta.
Writing in The Times, Carla Meyer did a recent by-the-numbers take on “Margo” ahead of next month’s Emmy Awards, where the show is up for eight statues.
“Collective seasons of ‘The O.C.,’ ‘Laguna Beach’ and ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ have never captured the Orange County experience like Pfeiffer does in ‘Margo.’
No argument here. Pfeiffer is Pfeiffer.
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KEEP IN TOUCH
Thanks for letting me fly the plane — those John Wayne takeoffs really throw your head back — for the last couple of weeks. Carol Cormaci will resume TimesOC newsletter duties next week. Get in touch with her at carol.cormaci@latimes.com
