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Samantha Strauss did not know who Belle Gibson was when Belle Gibson was at the height of her powers.
The act of writing is notlying, but it is fictionalizing, says Strauss.
In all adaptations, you gotta have the freedom to create.
They also feel like main characters to some extent.
This Belle is based on fact, but shes our invention and our creation.
I always wanted to stop myself from forgiving her for what she did.
As opposed to the heart of it, which is the people she could have so profoundly hurt.
Millas an amalgamation of a few wellness influencers, but also someone who was created in the writers room.
That polarization also spoke to social media and how it puts us into different silos and different camps.
What aboutJessica Ainscough, who was a wellness blogger?
We left room to really create that character in conjunction with Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays her.
Everyone knows people who have cancer in real life.
I know quite a few who wanted to go down alternative-medicine paths.
Lucy came from a lot of that.
The authors had done a really beautiful job talking to as many people as they could.
We stayed away from talking to anyone too close to Belle.
The journalists had done such a good job, and theres a lot that exists on the public record.
We spoke to oncologists and people in the world of publishing.
We decided we didnt want to diagnose Belle because that felt really reductive.
How dare you, why are you glorifying that woman?
I thought,Wow, thats such a visceral reaction.
I really hope this isnt a glorification of Belles behavior.
I think across six episodes, its pretty monstrous, unforgivable behavior.
I dont think shes going to go on a reality TV show.
Certainly in Australia, she cant profit from what shes done financially.
It felt important to say that.
We liked the idea of the form of the show speaking to the premise of the show as well.
It went on for 40 minutes.
She also says she hopes she doesnt have cancer.
I wonder if she really believed she did have it, despite not having any evidence.
It makes you unimpeachable.
You are a victim, but you are therefore a hero.
She had grown up with a mum who seemed sick in lots of ways.
Our version of Belle, at least, saw that people are kinder to you.
It created an easier life for her.
But at the end when shes really pressed on it Ihopeshe hopes she doesnt have cancer.
I hope that she is well, that she will be well.
We wanted to leave her in that place of fragile hope at the end.
In the first episode, the idea that Belle could have Munchausen syndrome is raised and she dismisses that.
I used it to give up smoking.
I mean, this is a very intelligent woman.
That just encapsulates wellness right there.
But in real life, there was a Dr. Phill.
Belle did pay him a lot of money for the treatment.
That character had a great bedside manner.
Hes what you want in a doctor, in that sense.
But hes a scam artist too.
Maybe if she went to a doctor, she wouldnt necessarily hear that.
So he is scamming her, but hes giving her something she needs at the same time.
The Australian accent is so difficult.
Her rigor is second to none.
I suggested this and she looked at me like I was a crazy person.
And she did it.
Shes a wonderful singer in real life.
But we couldnt let that scene be too good.
After Millas funeral, Belle seems to get ringworm from picking up Millas cat.
Theres also a flashback that shows her yanking a huge tapeworm out of her mouth.
Did those things really happen?Belle posted about having a tapeworm, that it was that long.
We invented the ringworm for the show.
And were not saying whether or not she actually has ringworm.
Thats up to speculation, whether any of that scene is real.
Clive doesnt comment on it.
I hope they dont, but were aware that they will.
Theres a lot to Google that we havent included in the show.
The do your own research problem.
Originally, the final line of the episode was, do your own research.
Do you know what Belle Gibson is doing now?I dont know.
Shesurfaced a few years ago.
She hasnt reached out.
She hasnt called us.
We havent called her.
Our version of Belle craves the spotlight.
But she hasnt craved the spotlight.
