You might think Monica Lewinsky and Amanda Knox have little in common. But when the former White House intern turned anti-bullying advocate began considering options for a TV deal following her involvement in Impeachment: American Crime Story, she thought of the similarities between her story and Knox's account of being wrongfully convicted of murder in a foreign country. Here was "another young woman who had suffered in the media, had been feasted on, on the world stage," Lewinsky, executive producer of the Hulu's The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, tells ABC News. So she teamed up with Knox to help reclaim the narrative.
Knox, who also serves as executive producer on the upcoming eight-part limited series, notes "we were both interrogated" and "viciously turned into caricatures of ourselves in the media." That background fueled the women's desire to tell Knox's story not just to the point of acquittal, but beyond. "It's anchored in the long consequences of the trauma and how a person rebuilds their life—and their faith in humanity—by taking risks," Knox tells the Hollywood Reporter. "I've spent years feeling like I was silenced," she adds. "It's a relief to finally be heard."
"I hope that what people take away from this is seeing what happens to people when the headlines quiet down, when you're with your family, trying to find a way forward, figuring out who you are now," Lewinsky tells the Reporter. "People forget there are actual human beings behind all these headlines. With some of that understanding, maybe it won't happen—or happen as badly—to the next person." Knox is portrayed by Grace Van Patten in the series, the first two parts of which will be out Wednesday. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly until Oct. 1.
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