I was in college in 1989 when the movie Steel Magnolias came out. For those who don't know the story, Julia Roberts plays a character named Shelby who has Type I diabetes.
Actor and writer Robert Harling wrote the play based on the true story of his sister, Susan Harling Robinson, who died from complications with diabetes.
In the popular film "Steel Magnolias," part of the story's conclusion involves a character named Shelby dying from Type 1 diabetes shortly after giving birth. Inspired by real life, the mother whose daughter passed said she demanded to remain on set for the life-support scene.
The plot revolves around one of them, Shelby Eatenton, a young woman with diabetes who becomes pregnant after her wedding. Her disease worsens as a consequence of her pregnancy and she dies. Awards: Nominated for an Academy Award in 1989 for Best Supporting Actress (Julia Roberts).
And it was for Roberts' character, Shelby, that Ryan was originally cast. When Ryan was also offered the title role of Sally in When Harry Met Sally, she asked to be let out of her Steel Magnolias contract in order to play her.
In the movie, Shelby has been told by her doctors that if she has a baby that it will put too much strain on her diabetic body and she could die in labor. But she wants a baby SO badly and can't adopt because of her medical condition. So she becomes pregnant and her mom is extremely upset.
Many are suprised to know she also has type 1 diabetes. Berry's acting career has allowed her to don many different roles including 'Catwoman' and Bond girl Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson.
Being pre-diabetic means that she had blood sugar levels considered higher than normal, but they weren't yet high enough to receive a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. If prediabetes is left untreated, it can turn into diabetes within a matter of years.
Did Dolly Parton really do Julia Roberts hair in Steel Magnolias?
Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah studied hair stylists so their hair styling scenes would look authentic -- a particular necessity in the first beauty shop scene, during the course of which Parton styles Julia Roberts' hair for her wedding.
Life expectancy estimates for individuals with type 1 diabetes in these reports ranged from approximately 65 years of age to 72 years of age. The CDC currently estimates the average US life expectancy is 76.1 years, the lowest figure since 1996.
Know your risks. Women who have type 1 diabetes can have a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby, but it's important to monitor diabetes complications that could worsen throughout pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, vision loss, and kidney disease.
What other actresses were considered for Pretty Woman?
Many actresses were in the running for the part as casting director Dori Zuckerman recalled. Laura Dern, Demi Moore, Marisa Tomei, Anabelle Sciorra, Lorraine Bracco, Michelle Pfeiffer, Valeria Golino, Patricia Arquette, and Mary Steenburgen all either came in or considered.
What did they call Shirley MacLaine in Steel Magnolias?
Steel Magnolias, based on the 1987 play of the same name, explored the relationships and sisterhood of a group of women in a small Southern community. MacLaine, 85, played Louisa “Ouiser” Boudreaux, the grouchy one of the group with a hardened heart of gold.
The accents in the Steel Magnolias film, however, don't necessarily directly reflect Harling's hometown. Perhaps the biggest shift from the sounds of Natchitoches is the accent Julia Roberts uses for Shelby. Roberts, originally from Georgia, takes on the stereotypical American Southern dropped-R accent.
The Holyfields relate that their friends used to say “Shelby drink your juice” to one another, to encourage each other to “drink up and pick up the pace.” They named Shelby the poodle after the phrase, and then the cocktail—which features the classic Kentucky ginger soda Ale-8-One—after her, following her death.
Steel Magnolias is a stage play by American writer Robert Harling, based on his experience with his sister's death. The play is a comedy-drama about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. The title suggests the "female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel".
"We really did make fast friends, all of us," she told Garden and Gun, "and have been ever since. I don't know what it is about the subject matter in the movie, but going through that makes you friends for life."
As the film's creator describes, Robert Harling grew up moving "from southern town to southern town, to southern town, eventually ending up in Louisiana." This nomadic childhood made it hard to make friends from place to place. His best friend was his sister, Susan–or as we've come to know her, Shelby.
