Rachel Brosnahan is adding director to her resume as she is going to helm a documentary about her late aunt, designer Kate Spade.
Deadline reported on Thursday, November 6, that Brosnahan, 35, is going to make her feature directorial debut exploring the life and legacy of Spade. The project will be produced by Brosnahan’s production banner Scrap Paper Pictures, Fisher Stevens’ Highly Flammable and Connor Schell’s Words + Pictures.
“Rachel is a remarkably talented storyteller and she has the most personal of connections to Kate Spade’s powerful story,” Words + Pictures’ founder Connor Schell said in a statement to the outlet. “We are thrilled to be working with her as she directs her first film.”
Kate’s widow, Andy Spade, will also serve as an executive producer. (Kate and Andy tied the knot in 1994 and launched her brand Kate Spade New York together the previous year.)
Additional details for the doc have yet to be released.
Brosnahan was close to her aunt throughout her life. When Brosnahan took home the Golden Globe for her performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in January 2018, Kate celebrated the news with her daughter, Frances Beatrix.
“My daughter and I jumped up and down when she won,” Spade told Page Six at the time. “She deserves this recognition, as she’s put her heart and soul into the role. We are insanely proud.”
In June 2018, Kate died by suicide at age 55. She was survived by Andy and Frances Beatrix.
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy,” the Spade family told The New York Times in a statement at the time. “We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”
Since Kate’s tragic passing, Brosnahan has honored her aunt on multiple occasions.
“Can’t believe it’s been 5 years. I’ve been thinking about Katy a lot lately because 10 years ago, when I was making my Broadway debut, she let me crash in their extra bedroom while I figured out my living situation,” the actress wrote via Instagram in June 2023 alongside a throwback snap of her and Kate when she was a kid. “She included me in family dinners every night while we were in rehearsals and would keep extra food for me in the fridge for when I came home from tech and previews. She would always ask about the play and came with bells on (and the most fabulous outfit) to our opening night. She told me she sobbed through the bows because she was proud.”
Brosnahan continued, “But I’m not alone in that experience. That was the magic of Katy. She loved so hard she was often moved to tears, and laughter that moved through her entire body and joy that radiated out her pores. She spread stardust over everyone she came into contact with. I was lucky to be in her orbit. It’s strange to be in New York without her. Its strange to be back on stage without her. But also, she’s still here.”
Read the full article here
