Rupert Friend, a man so far primarily recognisable for being the guy in the big wooly hat who appears in paparazzi shots of girlfriend Keira Knightley, has signed on for what could well be his break-out role. He'll play the wooer, or possibly wooee, of Michelle Pfeiffer in Stephen Frears' Cheri.
In the title role, Friend will play a young man sent by his mother (Kathy Bates), a well-known courtesan in 1920s France, to be taught the ways of women by her fellow courtesan Lea de Lonval (Michelle Pfeiffer). But he falls for de Lonval and they embark on a six-year affair that comes to a bitter end when Cheri has to marry a wealthy young woman.
The plot sounds so much more charming when you say courtesan and not pricey hooker, doesn't it?