Grace Van Patten has been a meeting, cooperation and ultimately an honorable character for Hulu’s “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox” following screening for the final episode of the series on September 29th.
“It’s her version, and I think that’s what sets it apart,” says Van Patten. “She was finally given the opportunity to tell her story.
When the show was recorded, Amanda Knox became a suspect in a murder in 2007 when it was discovered that her roommate had died while studying in Italy. The incident was the subject of many news stories as Knox became a sensation in the public eye.
Van Patten says he’s been wanting to play Knox ever since watching Netflix’s doc “Amanda Knox.” “This is a crazy full circle moment for me. I watched a Netflix documentary in 2016 and was so fascinated by this story, I couldn’t believe she hadn’t had the opportunity to tell her story.
Despite his passion for characters and real-world appearances, Van Patten admitted that he didn’t know much about the incident before watching the documentary. Instead, Van Patten had a unique opportunity to hear the story through Knox’s eyes while preparing the character.
“This is a very polarized case, so I’m really grateful that I went to something I don’t know much about,” VanPatten said. “People have a very strong opinion of it, and I am very grateful that I was able to approach it objectively, speak to Amanda, do as much research as possible, and shape my opinion through watching as much as possible.
However, the actress did her due diligence in objective research into the project. “I was definitely researching, reading and watching,” she said. say. ”
When she first met Knox on Zoom, she said, “I felt like I was black. I was so nervous that I couldn’t think of any questions,” but then when the two met in person they got to know each other by sharing a Swan Paddle Boat at Echo Park in Los Angeles. “We were really tired for an hour (that is); I asked her questions for an hour and held my breath and tried to ease it. Her kids were there. Her two children and her husband, and I really had her as a mother, and I really got to know her.
After getting to know Knox, Van Patten said she was hit hardest by her vitality and that she led it to her performance. “The thing I felt most in her body was trying to get in touch with a little child, herself or something. She was very childlike and very unconscious, and even in the midst of being scrutinized about who she was, she never changed who she was.”
Knox became a true collaborator on the project, offering Van Patten a compass and even appearing on set to ensure that the important scenes were portrayed in sincerity. The series spans the four-year case of Knox as a whole, and in the finale, Van Patten plays the modern-day Amanda Knox, tackling the legacy of an unfortunate situation.
Despite most of the world that remembers Knox as a young college student, Van Patten said the finale version was “amanda I knew, met and talked about, so her version felt like she was the most familiar to me.” “I think there’s less pressure because talking to that version of Amanda allowed me to understand her a little more than what she’s telling me about how she’s been in the past, but I really enjoyed filming this last episode.
