While documentaries might depict real life in some cases, it doesn’t mean that they are honest.
Rosemarie DeWitt Olivia DeJongeThis I discovered firsthand as I was preparing for my role in HBO Max’s version of 2004 true crime documentary. The Staircase This series was inspired by a North Carolina novelist Michael Peterson as he defended himself from accusations of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of their staircase in 2001.
The HBO Max dramatization Toni Collette plays Kathleen, while DeWitt and DeJonge plays her sister Candace Zamperini and daughter Caitlin Water respectively. Both women turned against Michael (Colin Firth(after the murder.
The actresses had access to footage never seen before, giving them insight into their characters.
DeWitt said that documentarians had their own point of views on Candace. He also had one on Michael Peterson. DeWitt said that they chose which parts to include and which to exclude. This was ultimately what made it possible for me to play. [Candace], I thought she was kind of villainized in the documentary.”