SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers forUgliesonNetflix.
I was about 17 or 18 when I pitchedUgliesto Netflix to make as a movie, King told Deadline.
Its crazy how long it took to get here.
Joey King as Tally in ‘Uglies’Brian Douglas/Netflix
Can you talk more about gettingUgliespitched and how you feel like itll resonate still after all that time?
Im really excited, because when I read the book, I was the target audience for this.
How is it different fromThe Hunger GamesandDivergent,but how does it add to that conversation and genre?
Brianne Tju, Joseph Echavarria, Joey King, Keith Powers and Zamani Wilder in ‘Uglies’Brian Douglas/Netflix
Of course it was something that was very relevant at the time.
The book is almost at its 20 year anniversary, which is absolutely unbelievable.
What was producing like for you?
Were you involved in casting?
What were your conversations like with author Scott Westerfield?
King:Hes so wonderful.
Everyone saw themselves in Tally growing up.
My sister Kelly is the one who introduced me to the books growing up.
DEADLINE:How long did the hoverboarding scenes take to film?
Do you have any stories from trying to capture that?
King:It was so much fun.
We got to be on harnesses and these hoverboard tracks.
Getting to do it on set with Brianne was so fun.
DEADLINE:Did you have any conversations with Laverne going into the dynamic between her villain character and Tally?
What was it like with her as a scene partner and talking about all of that?
And we had some amazing, thoughtful conversations about her role and how she wanted to play with it.
But of course, there is a spark there, and theres so much love there between them.
DEADLINE:Tally keeps her scar, despite getting the surgery in the end.
DEADLINE:There are some open threads to that ending.
Would you want to come back for sequels with the four books in the series?
I cant wait to see how they respond to this one and how they connect with the characters.
