Jean Smart gives her character, columnist Elinor St. John, a wit and edge that is truly gripping. The character is based on British novelist Elinor Glyn, known for her scandalous romance novels and columns in early editions of Cosmopolitan and Photoplay Magazine. She is also recognised for coining the term, "It Girl," following the release of her novella "It and Other Stories" in 1927, according to the "Women Film Pioneers Project" from Columbia.