Samara Weaving looks shockingly different in Hulu's latest original series Nine Perfect Strangers. The series features an ensemble cast of familiar faces, but one of them is far less familiar than it should be: appearing alongside the likes of Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, and Luke Evans, eagle-eyed viewers may have (barely) recognized Weaving in the role of Jessica Chandler. The actor is known for her roles in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Babysitter, and most recently, Snake Eyes.
Among Nine Perfect Strangers' impressive cast, it's not easy to identify Weaving at a glance. Her character, Jessica Chandler, is a social media influencer and lottery winner who has headed to the 10-day Tranquilium House retreat in order to work on her marriage. While there, it becomes evident that Jessica also has a social media obsession and body dysmorphia — the latter of which wasn't included in the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty that the series is based on.
In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Weaving revealed the exact extent of her transformation. As well as a liberal helping of fake tan, Weaving also had fake teeth and a wire pulling her face up to make her skin appear tighter (hinting her character had received a facelift). Weaving's transformation into her character is so extensive, a number of her Nine Perfect Strangers co-stars apparently failed to recognize her when she first appeared on set as Chandler.
Weaving's transformation serves a purpose beyond simply confusing her co-stars, though. Her character's body dysmorphia plays a part in that transformation — Jessica dedicates so much energy to her appearance, and this also directly feeds into the character's obsession with social media. Jessica's feelings about her own appearance require her to seek her validation online, and Weaving's on-screen transformation offers viewers a visual representation of that. While it might seem to be a superficial transformation, it actually raises an important point about the way social media and its influencers are often portrayed in the media. With jokes about social media being common in film and television, it's all too easy to consider influencers as vain and superficial — but Nine Perfect Strangers uses Weaving's transformation to address the reasons behind social media obsession.
Social media and vanity are not only important parts of Jessica's character, but her struggles are also something that links her to the rest of the titular strangers. Each character is far more complex than they seem to be, but Jessica's physical appearance is tied so closely to her insecurities that Weaving's transformation was integral to her portrayal of the character. Making the actress practically unrecognizable for the role only highlights Jessica's body dysmorphia, lending her a depth that goes far beneath the surface, something which Nine Perfect Strangers seeks to do for all of its characters.
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August 31, 2021 at 12:02AM
