TALK ABOUT TRUE CRIME WITH CHLOE.

In 1997, 14-year-old Canadian Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home. This Wednesday—in Hulu’s adaptation of Rebecca Godfrey’s book Under the Bridge—her story will be told. The ensemble includes Emmy-nominated Riley Keough, Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone, and breakout star Chloe Guidry (she/her) as they take viewers into the hidden world of the young girls accused of Reena’s murder—revealing startling truths about the unlikely killer.

Here, we chatted with Chloe about the complexities of her character, the responsibility that comes with telling Reena’s story, and what she hopes the show will bring awareness to for all who tune in.
 

Without giving too much away, tell us about your character Josephine Bell.
She’s very complex, and there was a lot to unfold with her. On the outside, she appears as this powerful, manipulative mean girl. But inside she has a lot of feelings, feeling weak at times which she never wants to feel based on her past. I believe she needs to have power over everybody so that weakness inside of her doesn’t show. Ultimately, she wants to move away and be a hitman for John Gotti. She has many delusions, but she’s also just a little girl that wants the love and belonging in her life that she saw Reena had.

Did the cast feel a responsibility when bringing this very real person’s life to the screen?
Initially there was a lot of pressure because we wanted to make everything right, but at the end of the day, we all made the characters our own. Although it’s based on true events, I wanted to use my own life experiences to express and create my character. This is definitely a sensitive topic, and people should be allowed their opinions, as I’m sure there will be plenty.

What was it like to be able to share more of Reena’s story years later, as well as personally dive into the characters who were involved in her murder?
I actually read the book before I got the script, but also conducted my own research on Reena to better understand her and what happened. Diving into the characters—you really had to live in their shoes. You had to like whatever they liked, you had to wear whatever they wore. As to telling more of her story years later, I think that it’s relevant just because there’s still a lot of hate in the world. We need to bring awareness to how we treat people because our words and our actions do have consequences on people’s lives. I hope that this show stays with viewers long after they finish watching.

Before this project, were you interested in true crime?
My dad and I have watched so many documentaries. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been intrigued by complex people and why they act the way they do. I loved that this was based on a true story, so that I could dive alongside those characters and understand them a bit better.

The cast and crew is truly stacked and talented. Are there any other actresses you’d love to be in a future project with?
Of course! Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Aniston, Anne Hathaway. I love them all so much.

We also think you and Madelyn Cline would make a great sister duo. Thoughts?
Omg, I get that all the time [laughing]! That’d be fun. She’s a great actress and I love her as well.