Viewers may relate to toxic relationship in ‘Tell Me Lies’
There’s a scene in the first episode of Hulu’s
“Tell Me Lies” in which the character Stephen DeMarco — played by Jackson White — leaves the dorm room of freshman character Lucy Albright (Grace
Van Patten), where he comforted her after a tragedy. He has spent the night selling himself as a sensitive, charming guy who is very interested in Lucy. As he walks farther away, the music changes and so does Stephen’s expression. He returns to his dorm where his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Diana (played by Alicia Crowder), is waiting for him.
And this is one of many moments where viewers may want to throw pillows or scream at the TV while watching “Tell Me Lies,” a 10-episode series now streaming on Hulu with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays.
It’s about a young couple who can’t seem to stay out of each other’s orbit. The series shifts time between their college days and years later when they’re about to meet again after years apart. The relationship is especially hard on Lucy, who is often confused by Stephen’s intentions, makes excuses for him and waits for his calls or text messages. The show’s writing and White’s performance highlight Stephen’s manipulation tactics.
“Tell Me Lies” is based on a 2018 novel of the same name by Carola Lovering but does not follow the book to the letter.
“I wanted to stay true to the emotional core and the emotional heartbeat of the show, which is really this feeling between these two people and that addiction and that infatuation and
Lucy’s isolation within that,” said showrunner Meaghan Oppenheim.
“But in terms of the plot, I added a lot that is not in the book.”
Emma Roberts’ Belletrist book club co-founder, Karah Preiss, read “Tell Me Lies” first. “When I finished it, I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucy and Stephen,” Preiss said in a recent interview.
She recommended the book to Roberts, who read it next and felt the same way. They decided to adapt it for television and took it to Hulu, who Roberts says “saw what we saw” and ordered it straight-toseries.
Roberts and Preiss are co-executive producers. Roberts believes a big part of the appeal is that most people have found themselves in a unhealthy relationship of some kind.
“Whether it’s romantic or friendship-wise, we can all relate to having a toxic relationship in our lives where it’s not good for you, but you’re not mature enough to verbalize that to yourself, so you kind of keep going down the rabbit hole.”
“Anyone can have a Stephen,” said White. “The Stephen is the person that gets under your skin and stays there for whatever reason, chemically,
situationally, they fit with you in the wrong way and unlocks a part of you and it stays there. It’s the person you can’t shake. That’s Lucy and Stephen.”
Playing someone both charming and calculated was exhausting, admits White.
“There’s so much going on with this guy. It’s like putting on a backpack full of bricks,” said White shortly after filming wrapped. “I finally feel like I can walk around and not have this thing on my back. He’s someone who locks up, intellectualizes everything, compartmentalizes it, and then moves on and puts on something else. I am the opposite. I’m like an open book. I’m talking about everything. So it was really an exercise in staying still and quiet.”
Beyond Lucy and Stephen, Van Patten thinks the cast members who make up their group of fictional friends — including Catherine Missal, Spencer House, Sonia Mena and Brenden Cook — are also compelling to follow in their own right.
“There’s a lot to kind of latch onto. I feel like everyone’s going to find their character that they’re invested in and relate to the most because it’s kind of laid out for everyone to choose their player.”