What was the name of Hilda Hulmes lover-then-lodger?
Bill Perry, an engineer, first sought Hilda’s services as a marriage counselor. Hilda asked Bill to talk about his feelings, and they came to fall in love. Perry eventually moved into Ilam with the Hulmes “to live as a threesome.” In real life, this phrase was coined by Pauline in one of her diary entries and it was entered into testimony at the trial, to become one of the salacious tidbits reported worldwide in the international press. An early draft of the script (Heavenly Creatures, Draft #5, February 7, 1993, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA.) has several more scenes involving Bill Perry and his impact on the disintegrating Hulme household. In real life, Bill Perry played a much bigger role in the complete story than was depicted in the final North-American release version of the film (see 3.2.8) and the time line involving Bill Perry was quite different than depicted in “Heavenly Creatures” (see 3.1.27 and 7.3).