Hulu’s The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is easily one of the best — and most stressful — shows airing right now.
The eight-episode series, which premiered on Aug 20, stars Grace Van Patten (Tell Me Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers) as Amanda Knox, a then-20-year-old American college student who was wrongfully convicted — and later acquitted — of the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Italy. Although the show is a fictionalized version of the events, it’s based on the real-life experiences of Knox, who serves as an EP alongside Monica Lewinsky.
As someone who’s been very invested in the case since the 2016 Netflix documentary came out, I knew I had to check this out, and I haven’t been disappointed. Here are 13 interesting behind-the-scenes facts about The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox that made me appreciate the series even more:
1.
First, Grace Van Patten was only 11 years old when the Amanda Knox case hit the media IRL.
3.
Monica Lewinsky was the one to first approach Knox about the idea for the series.
4.
Knox turned down multiple offers for a scripted series before The Twisted Tale.
5.
Van Patten had been wanting to play Knox for over a decade.
6.
The producers had to fight for the series to be eight episodes.
8.
Knox cried watching the interrogation scene.
9.
Van Patten’s real-life sister, Anna, played Knox’s sister on the show.
10.
Showrunner KJ Steinberg kept a photo of Meredith Kercher in the writers’ room, in her office, and by her bedside.
11.
The series was written and researched over a period of three years.
12.
Van Patten had to start filming Season 3 of Tell Me Lies just three weeks after The Twisted Tale wrapped.
13.
And lastly: Knox herself cowrote the series finale (Episode 8, “Libertá,”) alongside Steinberg.
Stream The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox on Hulu now.