Allegra Coleman
Allegra Coleman was a hoax (fictional and imaginary) model invented by writer
Martha Sherrill in
1996 in
Esquire Magazine and "played" by model
Ali Larter. The magazine article was intended to be a parody of celebrity profiles. The article describes an upcoming movie with
Woody Allen, her tempestuous relationship with
David Schwimmer (including a scandal involving nude photographs supposedly taken by
papparazzi), and her friendship with
Deepak Chopra. The hoax was revealed by
Esquire editor Edward Kosner in a press release to the news wire services.
Sherrill later wrote a satirical novel on
Hollywood life which featured Allegra Coleman as a prominent character. The novel,
My Last Movie Star, was published by
Random House in
2003.
Response to the affair was perhaps less vigorous than the magazine's publishers might have hoped for, given that the article was, in essence, a publicity stunt. Some responses were focused on the ethics of the affair; Schwimmer's friends, for instance, are reported to have complained of the invasion of privacy involved in using the actor's fame in this way. Otherwise, response was mixed. Writing in
Salon, David Futrelle commented that the affair seemed to hearken back to
Esquire's mid-60s heyday. However, a writer in
suck.com noted that the Coleman "satire" was essentially indistinguishable from the normal run of the magazine's celebrity reporting: if its intent was to lampoon America's cult of stardom, it had managed to lampoon itself as well.
Ali Larter has gone on to star in a number of films.
Allegra
Cole was the name of a major character in the 2005 film
Hitch played by
Amber Valletta.
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Article in Salon
