Lifetime's College Admissions Scandal Movie Casts One of Felicity Huffman's Former Co-Stars
The College Admissions Scandal has found its leading ladies.
On Monday, Lifetime announced that Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner will star in the network's upcoming movie, which mirrors the real-life scandal that involved Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.
Loughlin, along with her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, is accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters, 19-year-old Olivia and 20-year-old Bella, admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits for the crew team, even though neither of them participated in the sport. They have pleaded not guilty on all charges.
Meanwhile, Huffman pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud after she was accused of paying $15,000 to help get her eldest daughter, Sofia, into an elite college by cheating on the SAT.
While the actresses aren't portraying Huffman and Loughlin in the flick, Miller does have a real-life tie to Huffman, as the pair co-starred on the ABC series American Crime in 2015.
Felicity Huffman and Penelope Ann Miller on 'American Crime' in 2015
Additionally, Huffman and Miller have posed together at other events as recently as 2016. In one instance, the women were all smiles at a style lounge event.
According to Lifetime, the film will follow "the story of over 50 wealthy and elite families that tried to cheat the college admissions system," with Miller starring as a mother and interior designer named Caroline and Kirshner taking on the role of Bethany, a mother who owns a successful financial services firm.
"When charismatic college admissions consultant Rick Singer (Michael Shanks) offers a side door into the prestigious institutions of their dreams, Caroline and Bethany willingly partake with visions of coveted acceptance letters in their heads," the network teases, referencing the alleged real-life mastermind of the scandal. "But when Singer cooperates with the FBI and pleads guilty, the mothers who risked everything for their kids, must face the consequences of their crimes and the loss of trust and respect from their families."
In regard to the real-life scandal, a source recently told ET that Loughlin is "wondering each day if she's made the wrong decision" after reportedly rejecting a plea deal.
"She is trying to live a normal everyday life and to take this time to stay strong but it isn’t easy. Lori doesn’t have the support she once had. She is feeling a 'fall from grace' having had a persona as a wholesome mom and now being seen as a pariah," the source said. "People keep giving Lori a hard time for being out and about and looking carefree, but she realizes that she might end up in prison and this might just be her last months of freedom for some time."
Meanwhile, a source told ET that Huffman "worries non-stop because she knows she has made the worst mistake of her life."
"Felicity and [her husband] William [H. Macy] are doing their very best to stand a united front," the source said. "This experience has been humbling for Felicity. She is completely aware of her mistake and wants nothing more than to get past this time."
The College Admissions Scandal is set to debut on Lifetime this fall.
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