It's hard to believe Amanda Knox was arrested for murder almost twenty years ago.
Even today, the image of Knox that comes to mind is of a young American college student, wearing jeans and flowing skirts, walking the ancient streets of Perugia, Italy, during a study abroad program.
After her roommate Meredith Kercher was brutally murdered, Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were blamed and jailed for a crime they didn't commit. During that time, the media closely examined their relationship, and sometimes, their behavior seemed strange.
Grace Van Patten, a 28-year-old rising actor known for her quiet confidence and emotional control from her role in the Hulu series *Tell Me Lies*, had always wanted to play Knox.
She first expressed her interest in 2016, when Netflix released the documentary *Amanda Knox*. The film looked at how women are expected to behave in public, inspired partly by Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaign. Van Patten told her agents, “If there’s ever a chance to play Amanda Knox, that would be the dream role for me.” Nearly a decade later, that chance came — and she now stars in the Hulu original series *The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox*, which premiered on August 20.
The show follows the events of Kercher's murder, Knox’s response, and the serious consequences that followed, all in eight tense episodes.
Van Patten talked to *Variety* about the truth behind Knox, learning Italian in under two months, and the important lesson she took from the experience.
I know this project came together quickly, with you getting the part after some cast members dropped out.
How did that feel?
I was nervous at the time, but looking back, I’m grateful.
If I had more time, maybe I wouldn’t have pushed myself as hard. I had about two months to learn Italian every day, speak to Amanda, and do my own research — reading, watching, and listening to everything I could about her.
What was your knowledge of this case before you got the role?
I was about 11 when it became a big story.
Her name stayed with me, and then a Netflix documentary came out in 2016. That was my first real look into the tragedy. I’m sure I wasn’t told all the details as a kid, but I remember the documentary clearly. It was fascinating to see how much more there was to her story. She's a unique person, and I was confused about how all this happened to her. The documentary came out around the time I just started acting. I called my agents and said, “If there’s ever a show about Amanda Knox, that would be the dream role for me.” It feels like a full-circle moment that this job came up. It feels right.
It's amazing how much a pair of contact lenses helps in this series.
You look a lot like Amanda at times.
I really don't recognize myself, and that's something I've never felt before when watching my work.
It was nice, in a way, because I feel like I can watch the show without being hard on myself. It's not me. I can watch it more objectively.
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Was that feeling immediate, like during your hair and makeup tests?
For sure, the blue eyes really made a difference.
The haircut, a little contour on the nose. I was trying to make my face feel more like hers without doing an impression. I was more specific with her mannerisms, like a small laugh. That always helps get to the essence of someone.
I wonder if being thrown into this part helped the character. Amanda is someone who was suddenly put into the chaos of a global crime sensation. The thing about Amanda is that she is who she is in every moment. Learning this personally, it felt sad that she was made out to be a villain because of certain traits and quirks. All of that was used against her in a crazy moment where even a 20-year-old wouldn’t know how to act. I played someone who was very present and impulsive, fully being who she is. So yes, the speed probably helped me subconsciously.
Talk about the first time you met Amanda.
I remember shaking.
I was so nervous, waiting on Zoom. I didn’t know what she would think of all this—or of me. Obviously, I knew she was a producer and wanted to be part of the process. What I didn’t know was how much she wanted to talk about her real life experience. When she popped up on Zoom, it was a very emotional moment. I can’t explain it, but I felt instantly connected to her and protective. She couldn’t have been more open or vulnerable.
About halfway through, I had to stop and realize how crazy our situation was.
She’s Amanda Knox, and I’ve known of her and read about her forever. She’s talking to this random actress about to play her. She answered my million questions, and it felt like an instant collaboration. She’s someone who could very easily have a distrust in humanity, someone whose story has been created for her most of her life. The fact that she was willing to trust me felt really great.
Courtesy of Disney/Andrea Miconi
Did you get a sense of what her relationship is now with that part of her life?
Does she still have nightmares? Is she healed in any way?
I don’t want to speak for her, but from what I’ve witnessed, I’m really inspired by how she lives now.
She’s someone who has gone through having her roommate murdered, being accused of it, spending four years in prison, and then being out of it and still being scrutinized. That’s a recipe for disaster, but she’s somehow stayed positive and hopeful and hasn’t given up on taking her life back. You really see that in this show.
You have great chemistry with your love interest—or ill-fated love interest in Amanda’s case, Giuseppe De Domenico.
I’m sure he helped with your Italian?
The whole cast did, they were encouraging and supportive.
But Giuseppe, who plays Raffaele, is so believable. He was just so present and focused and dedicated. He’s just such a beautiful person.
Courtesy of Disney/Adrienn Szabó
We are all obsessed with your show “Tell Me Lies,” and now with this Knox series, your profile is getting bigger.
Did anything in Amanda’s story feel foreboding about your own relationship to fame?
I don’t think it compares to what Amanda went through, but that’s something that’s always put me off about celebrity.
The fact that people get into a job because they love acting or directing or whatever it may be, and you’re faced with a kind of scrutiny and lose your personal life. You have zero control over what’s being said about you.
I remember shooting the first scene where Amanda is let out of the prison van for her first trial date.
It’s the first time she’s seeing this sea of people who are angry at her or obsessed with her. The extras were really giving it on the day, and I couldn’t believe that someone had to go through this, that this was something that really happened.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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