Following her Golden Globe-nominated performance in “The Great,” Elle Fanning is returning to television this spring to delve into a notorious true crime case.
Hulu has unveiled the first trailer for “The Girl From Plainville,” due out March 29. The eight-episode series is based on a 2017 Esquire article by Jesse Barron and stars Fanning as Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter following the death of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III.
A Massachusetts native, Carter was 17 at the time of Roy’s death. Investigators uncovered what’s been described as “a barrage” of text messages in which she encouraged Roy, 18, to take his own life. She was released from prison in 2020 after just under a year behind bars.
Watch the trailer for “The Girl From Plainville” below.
In addition to Fanning, the series stars Colton Ryan as Roy. Norbert Leo Butz and Chloë Sevigny play his parents.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in January, screenwriters Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus praised the level of research Fanning undertook to portray Carter.
“The physicality that Elle found in playing Michelle — she studied all of the courtroom tapes, she studied the documentary [HBO’s ‘I Love You, Now Die’] — she really threw herself into making sure that the movement and the way she spoke was authentic, as well,” Hannah said. “So I think that in tandem with the change physically really brings it all together.”
Added Macmanus, “She wanted it to be an honest portrayal of not just these families and what they went through, but from what people are going through in general on a day-to-day basis when it comes to their mental health.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
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