At eight, Sean Connery saved Griffin Dunne from drowning. At thirteen, desperate to hook up with Janis Joplin, he attended his aunt Joan Didion’s legendary LA launch party for Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. In his early twenties, he shared a Manhattan apartment with his best friend and soulmate Carrie Fisher while she was filming some sci-fi movie called Star Wars and he was a struggling actor selling popcorn at Radio City Music Hall. A few years later, he produced and starred in the now-iconic film After Hours, directed by Martin Scorsese.

In the midst of it all, Griffin’s twenty-two-year-old sister, Dominique, a rising star in Hollywood, was brutally strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend, leading to one of the most infamous public trials of the 1980s. The outcome was a travesty of justice that marked the beginning of their father Dominick Dunne’s career as a bestselling author of true crime narratives.

Now Griffin joins us live in London to share stories from his incredible life in the movie business; and introduce us to the loveable, infuriating, funny and moving characters who have filled it.

Speakers:

Griffin Dunne has been an actor, producer and director since the late 70s. Among his work, he produced and acted in After Hours, directed Practical Magic and the documentary The Center Will Not Hold about his aunt, Joan Didion. Griffin and his dog Mary live in the East Village of Manhattan.

Hadley Freeman is a staff writer for The Sunday Times newspaper. Previously, she spent more than two decades as a columnist and writer for The Guardian. She was named Broadsheet Columnist of the Year in the 2024 Press Awards, and her last two books, House of Glass and Good Girls, were best sellers.

This event will be livestreamed, and a link will be made available here one day prior to the event.