Luckiest Girl Alive

Luckiest Girl Alive

Picturestart, Made Up Stories, Orchard Farm Productions

Netflix

Release date

October 7, 2022 (Netflix)

Directed by

Mike Barker

Screenplay by

Jessica Knoll

Based on

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Produced by

Bruna Papandrea, Jeanne Snow, Erik Feig and Lucy Kitada

Starring

Mila Kunis as Ani Fanelli

Chiara Aurelia as young Ani Fanelli

Finn Wittrock as Luke Harrison

Scoot McNairy as Andrew Larson

Jennifer Beals as LoLo Vincent

Connie Britton as Dina

Thomas Barbusca as Arthur Finneman

Justine Lupe as Neil Rutherford

Dalmar Abuzeid as Aaron Wickersham

Alexandra Beaton as Hilary Hitchinson

Nicole Huff as Olivia Kaplan

Alex Barone as Dean Barton

Carson MacCormac as young Dean Barton

Gage Munroe as Peyton Powell

Cinematography

Colin Watkinson

Edited by

Nancy Richardson

Music by

Linda Perry

Mila Kunis discusses her character Ani Fanelli in Luckiest Girl Alive

“When the draft came to me, I was immediately taken by how I could understand Ani’s reasoning. I understood her rationale. I wanted to dig deeper into her. So when I signed on, I signed on with the idea of encouraging Jessica to rewrite certain aspects and lean into the psychological aspects of her character. Jessica was game, and that was the most exciting part for me.”

Chiara Aurelia discusses Young Ani in Luckiest Girl Alive

“Ani was a really exciting character for me to be able to dive into. The story goes to some dark places, but I think it’s wonderful that we don’t shy away from that"

“Something I learned is that the most terrifying part of sexual assault can actually be the shame and the feelings that come afterward. Jessica guided me through filming the sexual assault scenes, but it was more about the feelings that came later. It’s the aftermath that hurts. Living with that pain.”

“I think it’s really important, especially as a young actress, that I take on roles that tell a story that isn’t usually told. The horrific and tremendously difficult trauma that Ani faces over the course of this movie is something that isn’t talked about very often. These are real things that happen every day. I’ve known a lot of women who have gone through experiences like this. Hopefully, we can spread some more awareness about the subject matter, and open conversation into how difficult life can be sometimes, especially as a woman.”

Finn Wittrock who plays Luke Harrison in Luckiest Girl Alive

“With great screenplays, most of the acting happens off the words and the dialogue and there’s something about Jessica’s writing — a language, a dialogue — that’s very dependable which is something that I feel, as an actor, holds you up.”

“I think it’s important to talk about trauma and what it can do to you and how it can affect every relationship in your life.  I think so much of our culture is kind of about escaping your past and escaping the part of you that you don’t want to be — you can make yourself whatever you want, it’s a very American idea. But I think we’re learning that you only have so much control over yourself and that, eventually, you have to deal with the pain you’re going through.”

Connie Britton discusses Dina Fanelli in Luckiest Girl Alive

“I loved the character of Dina, because she’s so complicated. She’s a flawed character, particularly as a mom. I always approach the characters that I play with so much empathy. She makes mistakes as a mom, but for me, it’s interesting to discover what’s behind that because understanding Dina is an important element to understanding the bigger picture of Ani’s life and her journey.”

“Dina has been very influential in Ani’s life. The journey that Ani is taking has been very much shaped by how her mother raised her, what values she gave her, what she instilled in her to believe and then specifically, how she deals with the trauma that happened in Ani’s life.” 

“Dina desperately wants her daughter to be all of the things that she wasn’t able to be. She has her own ideas of what she thinks are the most important things in life and not only does she try to instill those ideas in Ani, but she tries to set her up so that she can live that out in a way that Dina hasn’t been able to experience.”

Scoot McNairy discusses Andrew Larson in Luckiest Girl Alive

“Growing up, there was always that teacher who was the cool teacher, a little bit more lenient than the others, and that’s Mr. Larson. He’s just one of those teachers that the kids feel comfortable trusting and confiding in.”

“Ninety percent of women I’ve met have opened up that they’ve been sexually abused, which means that almost every woman out there in some way, shape or form has been manipulated by a man or abused in some way by a man. And putting a spotlight on that and raising awareness is really important to me. I don’t think it’s going to change overnight, but making films like this and telling stories like this is one of the reasons I wanted to be a part of this film.”

Justine Lupe discusses Nell Rutherford in Luckiest Girl Alive

“The first thing that drew me to this project was definitely the relationship between Ani and Nell, this beautiful female relationship that’s nuanced but also incredibly supportive.” 

“It’s rare to see a representation of women loving each other unconditionally in spite of their trials and tribulations and flaws, and I feel like both of them are incredibly accepting of each other.”

“But then as an actor, I think it’s a really important story to tell, which I think the script does in a graceful way with a lot of nuance and humor. It touches on subjects that are almost taboo and hard to talk about, and does so in a way that is extremely impactful.”

Jennifer Beals discusses Lolo Vincent in Luckiest Girl Alive

“I wanted to be part of a story that talks about how important it is to share your story even if it’s incredibly painful because, in doing so, you not only help heal yourself, you help heal others.”

“Lolo is smart and funny and ferocious. I think she’s somebody who has been through so much but has decided to be glorious. I think Lolo sees a bit of herself in Ani, she recognizes her incredible talent and wants to foster that, she doesn’t want her to get lost.”