Keri Russell finds the recipe for success

11-08-2007 07:15

Having effectively been the darling of this year's Sundance Film Festival, Keri Russell is set to pull off a similar trick with movie audiences worldwide.As the heart and soul of 'Waitress' she has garnered huge acclaim.So too has the film as a whole, but the writer/director who made it all happen has tragically not been able to enjoy the validation and satisfaction which would surely have come with its success. In November last year Adrienne Shelly's husband found the talented filmmaker hanging from a bed sheet in a New York apartment - she had been murdered, allegedly for the crime of having complained about the noise in the flat below her.If Keri is indeed the heart and soul of the tale of a waitress who takes solace from her useless husband in baking fantastic pies, it is Adrienne's spirit and energy the actress is conveying. Keri still refers to her late friend and colleague as the "ringleader" even now.The 31-year-old actress, like the rest of the cast, jumped at the chance to be involved in the project the moment she saw the script.She was taking on a huge responsibility in handling Adrienne's vision of Jenna, who is trapped in a loveless marriage with husband Earl (wonderfully played by Jeremy Sisto) when she becomes pregnant.