Loretta Durkin is discovered by Oliver Putnam while holding auditions for his musical and the two of them also have some romantic chemistry. The character is portrayed by Meryl Streep.
Loretta Durkin grew up as a fan of Broadway after watching her first musical as a young girl but a career in the business was harder to come by as she faced several rejections.
That is until she showed up uninvited to the auditions for “Death Rattle” directed by Oliver Putnam. The audition goes amazingly well and Oliver casts her in his play.
Her first read-through doesn’t go as well but Oliver persists with her. Once Ben is presumed dead, Loretta suggests that they don’t need to remain platonic and professional anymore but the show is completely dead following Ben’s murder.
A star deserves to shine
Loretta and Ben do not seem to like each other as is made evident at the afterparty in Oliver’s apartment shortly before Ben’s murder. When Oliver decides to turn the play into a musical, Loretta shows up to support him.
She has brought on Ben’s brother, Dickie, as her new agent and he secures her an audition for a television drama. Loretta is excited to do the musical but when she gets the television role she is left in a tough spot.
Oliver forces her to commit to the musical but later lets her choose whatever she desires. She delivers a heartfelt performance to win over Donna and Cliff and then tells Oliver that she’s going to stay with him in the musical followed by a kiss.
A revealing date
During Oliver and Loretta’s date, she mentions that threatening phrase they found in Ben’s dressing room, and when Oliver asks her about it she says that she did call him that on opening night in an altercation.
She is shown arguing with Ben that night as he manhandles her and according to her, he claimed that she was obsessed with him. Loretta also talks about her struggles as a stage actor and Oliver comforts her.
He later finds a book filled with evidence that suggests Ben was right about Loretta’s obsession.
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