Lizzy Caplan is taking on one of the most iconic 80s movie roles of all time as Alex Forrest in Paramount Plus's remake of Fatal Attraction.
Originally played by Glenn Close in the 1987 film, the story sees Alex embarking on an affair with lawyer Dan Gallagher (played by Michael Douglas in the movie and Joshua Jackson in the series) only for her obsession with him to spiral out of control after he tries to end their relationship.
The eight-part series promises a new take on the story, showing more of Alex's perspective and holding Dan to account for his behaviour to a greater extent than the film did.
Lizzy was excited for the chance to explore the character in more detail — but admits that following in Glenn Close's footsteps was a daunting prospect.
We caught up with Lizzy to hear more about taking on such a challenging role...
Lizzy Caplan interview for Fatal Attraction
Did you have any reservations about taking on such an iconic role?
"I have the utmost respect for the film, and for the performance that Glenn Close delivered in the role, so of course one thinks 'should I even attempt to do this?' But it felt like the film was more of a jumping-off point for the story that we wanted to tell, and I also think it's one of the few examples of a beloved piece of property that could use a deeper exploration.
"Reading about all the work that Glenn Close did for her portrayal of Alex Forrest, and all the deep dives she did into her mental illnesses, that didn't really get a spotlight shined on it in the film. But when you get to do eight episodes of something, you really do get to explore characters in a more deep way, so that felt appealing. Of course, it's a daunting task, but why not do something scary?"
What was your take on Alex?
"I see her as a very sympathetic character. Obviously she does some highly unsympathetic things, she's clearly very unwell, but I don't think it's really my job as an actress to pass any sort of judgement on her, I'm just supposed to figure out how to make her decisions make sense to her. I think she is a very lonely, very troubled woman, and I think her path could have gone differently had somebody helped her with some of her issues."
Do you think we view this story very differently now than we did in the 80s?
"We've been conditioned in a different way, as audiences, even over the last few years, where we do have more questions — for both of them. I don't think you could make that version of the film now, where it was that black-and-white, where she was fully the villain and he was fully the hero. I think it's a lot more nuanced than that, and we're not as content just labelling a woman 'crazy'.
"Dan is not repentant, beyond this woman being on his tail and that causing a lot of inconveniences. He doesn't apologise to his wife, he doesn't seem to feel that much guilt. If Alex didn't — in a kind way — misinterpret what he presented to her in terms of a relationship, I think he probably would have just gone on his merry way, gone back to his wife and child and pretended like it didn't happen without a care in the world. We were adamant that wasn't a version of Dan we were interested in seeing — Josh, in particular, was not interested in that."
Did you go back and rewatch the film after you got the role?
"I did another take on a very iconic, unhinged villainess in a show called Castle Rock [on Hulu], that was Annie Wilkes in Misery, and for that I watched Kathy Bates' performance a lot because I felt that Annie should have many shades of what Kathy Bates did. In my mind, you can't divorce the two.
"But for this, because our story is so different, I rewatched the movie a couple of times over the course of filming — it's just a very enjoyable watch, so that was great! — but this felt like more of a departure than the last one, so while I watched it for inspiration, I definitely didn't lift any Glenn stuff."
One of the film's most infamous moments is the 'bunny boiling' scene. Will the bunny feature in this version?
"There is a bunny — that's all I'll say! We do a deep-dive exploration of the bunny as well [laughs] — you get to know the bunny a bit more in ours than you did in the film."
There are several 'Easter Eggs' to the original film within the series. Did you enjoy creating those?
"There were little homages that we tried to do, and I'm sure there were many more that I wasn't privy to in shooting that I'll see when I watch it! The one thing I really wanted to do was have a perm — not a blond perm, exactly the same as Glenn Close, but a perm. And I went and got one, and then I got Covid — and Covid totally ate the perm! When I was on the other side of Covid, my hair was straight again, it was really weird. I'm just trying to bring awareness to this under-discussed Covid symptom! [laughs]
"I had to wait, because you can't just get another perm or your hair will fall out, so we kind of faked it, and then I got another one. So it is there, but it's very subtle!"
You star opposite Joshua Jackson in this. Were you a Dawson's Creek fan when you were younger?
"I was! Of course I remember Josh Jackson, and I have to say, the amount of texts that I got when his casting was announced from friends my age who were losing their minds! So from Dawson's Creek, Pacey was the one for sure — and then working with Adam Brody right before [on Fleishman Is In Trouble], it was like a parade of teen heartthrobs!"
- Fatal Attraction launches on Paramount Plus on Sunday April 30 in the US, and Monday May 1 in the UK
