Elle Fanning is portraying Michelle Carter in the new true crime series “The Girl From Plainville.” Carter’s case made headlines around the world when she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend Conrad, after she sent over a thousand texts in the week leading up to his death, most of which encouraged him to take his own life. Elle tells Access Hollywood about taking on the role and the importance of getting the look, the sound and the story just right.

Elle Fanning was beyond focused when it came time to play Michelle Carter, the teen who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III (played by Colton Ryan), to end his life.

The court case was splashed all over the news in 2017, so Fanning had footage to study when preparing for Hulu’s “The Girl From Plainville.” However, that wasn’t what she spent hours watching. Instead, she binged “Glee,” which was Carter’s favorite show, so much so that it took over parts of her life.

“She was a huge ‘Glee’ fan. I had seen the show, but I watched a lot of it on set. Reading the pilot, in the last scene she’s singing ‘Make You Feel My Love,’ mimicking Lea Michele’s grief. Lea’s grief was real in the show; she’s also mourning her real-life boyfriend,” Fanning tells Variety. “I’ve never met her, but I know every mannerism that she does in that scene. I have a legal pad of notes. I wrote down every time she blinked, every time she moved her hand with each word to mimic the emotion. It was a real exercise. I felt really connected to her, because I feel like I’ve seen her grieve. It was very meta.”

At the end of the first episode of “The Girl From Plainville,” Fanning sings the song to herself in the mirror, pausing only to rewatch the “Glee” episode to make sure she was getting the motions down.

“As an actor, I was very eager to commit it, but I also knew how important it was for the story because I think the series turns and you start questioning Michelle’s motives in a way,” Fanning continues, noting that Carter overly dramatizes things in her life. “I think our show threads the needle of those Y.A. themes, but we’re trying to do the opposite. We’re trying to completely not sensationalize this story. But at the same time, Michelle is kind of being she’s the star in her own TV show or in her own Y.A. movie.”

The balance between fantasy and real life was something that Fanning, who has been acting for more than 20 years, can relate to.

I have added some new stills of Elle Fanning from The Girl From Plainville to the gallery so, you can go there to take a look and enjoy!

Elle Fanning attends the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony for Director Francis Ford Coppola on March 21, 2022 in Hollywood. You can go to the gallery to take a look to the photos!

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I have added some new portraits of Elle Fanning to the gallery. Go there to enjoy the photos!

Elle Fanning attends the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles. You can go to the gallery to take a look to the beautiful photos.

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“There’s a real version of her and also what the media did to her, that really villainized her in a way,” says Elle Fanning about her unbiased approach to portraying Michelle Carter, the 17 year-old Massachusetts girl who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after encouraging her 18-year old boyfriend, Conrad Roy, to commit suicide in July 2014.

The Hulu series, which made its world premiere here at SXSW on Saturday and drops on the service on March 29, was a topic too juicy to pass up for co-creators Patrick Macmanus and Liz Hannah who were sent Jesse Baron’s Aug. 2017 Esquire profile.

Fanning, who was joined in the Deadline studio by the EPs, Colton Ryan (who plays Roy) and Chloe Sevigny (who plays his mourning mother Lynn) described her tightrope walk in playing a real person, whose life has been turned upside down by the media, and a character that is written specifically on the page. Carter was initially sentenced to two-and-half years in prison. In January 2020, she was released after serving 11 months of her sentence due to good behavior. In the wake of the incident she’s kept a low profile.

“You can’t judge,” explains Fanning about portraying Carter, “Part of the reason why I like being an actor…is exploring the psychology behind, Michelle in this case, what could bring her to do the things that she did.”

“I felt very close to her and the young people in this story,” said Fanning who despite being a millennial and growing up with social media, is “still discovering” its impact.

The Girl From Plainville actress and EP added, “We’re seeing the effects of this now, and how modern this story truly is and how that effects your mental health (which) was something, I wanted to dive into.” [Source]

I have added some new portraits of Elle Fanning to the gallery so, you can go there to take a look and enjoy!