Dolly de Leon joins Heidi Fleiss biopic on ‘Hollywood Madam’

Updated: March 18, 2026

Dolly de LeonPhoto from Dennis Trillo’s Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Filipina actress Dolly de Leon is reportedly joining the cast of a biopic on Heidi Fleiss, popularly known as the "Hollywood Madam" who ran an upscale Los Angeles prostitution ring.

Fleiss began managing a prostitution ring in 1987 under the guidance of Elizabeth "Madam Alex" Adams, even accepting clients for a time until she started her own successful ring with prominent and wealthy customers.

She was arrested in June 1993 for several charges, including attempted pandering and was convicted. However, the ruling was overturned in 1996 though that same year, she was convicted of federal charges of tax evasion.

Last August, Emmy-nominated actress Aubrey Plaza was tapped to portray the madam in the biopic "The Heidi Fless Story" under the helm of "Chambers" series creator Leah Rachel in what will be her feature film directorial debut.

Rachel is also writing the script alongside Travis Jackson and actress-comedian Rachel Sennott, centering the story on Fleiss going around Los Angeles doing whatever it takes to get her case dropped before going to trial with the help of an aspiring young writer.

Entertainment outlet Deadline recently reported that singer-actress Alana Haim would play the said writer, and later that De Leon would portray the Philippine-born Madam Alex (who died in 1995 from open heart surgery complications).

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Shooting will begin in Los Angeles early next year, Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett producing for Pinky Promise alongside Plaza for Evil Hag Productions.

Plaza broke out in the comedy show "Parks and Recreation" and movie "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," going on to star in "Legion," "Emily the Criminal," and "The White Lotus" where she was nominated for an Emmy.

Haim is a Grammy-nominated singer with sisters Danielle and Este for the band bearing their surname and has starred in the Paul Thomas Anderson movies "Licorice Pizza" and "One Battle After Another."

De Leon received international acclaim for her scene-stealing role in 2022 Palme d'Or winner "Triangle of Sadness," which led to her being the first Filipina actress nominated at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs.

Her last Hollywood project was the second season of "Nine Perfect Strangers" with Nicole Kidman and already has lined up the last two seasons of Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed" with Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson.

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