Elle Fanning appeared as the spitting image of Michelle Carter, the woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter over the suicide of her then-boyfriend, in a first photo from The Girl from Plainville.
Fanning, 23, stars in the upcoming true crime series for Hulu about the gripping and tragic 2014 death by suicide of Conrad Henri Roy III who was encouraged to end his life via text by Carter.
The Girl From Plainville co-stars Chloë Sevigny as Roy’s mother and Stranger Things and Mad Men actress Cara Buono as Carter’s mother and Colton Ryan as Conrad Roy.
Art imitating life: Elle Fanning appeared as the spitting image of Michelle Carter, the woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter over the suicide of her then-boyfriend, in a first photo from The Girl from Plainville
In an image released by Hulu, Elle is spotted in character from a courtroom scene alongside her lawyer Joseph Cataldo, played by actor Michael Mosley.
Wearing the same deep plum toned printed blouse that the real life Michelle Carter wore to one court appearance, the actress looks forlorn.
Just as Michelle was seen on that day in court, Elle is makeup free with tanned skin and blonde hair with stark, thick eyebrows.
The series, The Girl from Plainville, is based on an Esquire article of the same name about the 2017 conviction of Michelle Carter for her role in Roy’s death and their romantic relationship leading up to the tragedy.
Perfect casting: In an image released by Hulu, Elle is spotted in character from a courtroom scene wearing the same deep plum toned printed blouse that the real life Michelle Carter wore to one court appearance
‘The first time that I met [Fanning], I was really struck by how eerily similar they actually looked just naturally. It was something that around the table when we all met, we all talked about,’ showrunner Patrick Macmanus told EW of her casting.
Conrad Henri Roy III, a Massachusetts-born 18-year-old, was found dead in his car by carbon monoxide poisoning in Massachusetts on July 13, 2014.
One year later, his girlfriend Michelle Carter, then 17, was officially charged with manslaughter after police uncovered a series of shocking text messages appearing to ‘coerce’ him into taking his own life.
Her controversial court case was the subject of a 2019 two-part HBO documentary, I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs. Michelle Carter.
As part of her process, Elle reportedly studied various courtroom tapes as well as the doc, to learn Carters mannerisms.
Tragic: Fanning, 23, stars in the upcoming true crime series for Hulu about the gripping and tragic 2014 death by suicide of Conrad Henri Roy III who was encouraged to end his life via text by Carter
‘[Elle] did not want this to feel sensational,’ Macmanus said. ‘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.’
Although he and Carter lived just over 30 miles apart near Boston, the two met while both were visiting Florida in 2012.
The two carried on a relationship via text from that point on despite rarely seeing each other, even though they lived within an hour’s drive.
After Roy began sharing his suicidal thoughts with Carter later in 2012, she initially tried to convince him that he ‘so much to live for,’ according to the New York Times.
‘[Elle] did not want this to feel sensational,’ the showrunner told EW. ‘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.’
She urged him to seek professional help in June 2014, when he again told Carter that he was thinking of killing himself.
But just a month later, she began sending him text messages urging him to kill himself and trying to convince him that his family and friends would eventually accept his death.
‘Everyone will be sad for a while but they will get over it and move on,’ she wrote in a text message shared in court.
Although Carter’s defense blamed her text messages on mental changes brought about by a new anti-depressant she had begun taking for, she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentence to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Carter was released three months early in January 2020 due to good conduct.
On screen: Carter’s controversial court case was the subject of a 2019 two-part HBO documentary, I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs. Michelle Carter
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