While Elle essays the role of Carter, who was infamously convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Colton takes on the mammoth task of bringing to life the story of the late teen Roy, who died by suicide in 2014. As the show premieres in India on Lionsgate Play, Colton sat down for a chat with ETimes to discuss the complexity of people dealing with mental health struggles, the media and public being complicit in setting a tainted narrative and the importance of giving victims grace and their grieving families reminders of hope.
Excerpts:
Colton Ryan, how excited are you for ‘The Girl From Plainville’s release in India?
Colton Ryan: I’m terribly excited for it to come to India! ‘The Girl from Plainville’ is not just a story for Americans, it is a very topical moment. We are all dealing with (the effects of) technology and are all going through it together.
You play Conrad Roy III the victim of this tragic story. At the heart of this though is a love story. Do you think we need better love stories to imitate in reality?
Colton: I wouldn’t say that the core of this story is a love story, but love is a part of it that makes the whole thing a little murkier.
We have read about the case, and watched the news coverage and documentaries, what is it about the series that is so different? Does it give Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy a voice beyond their text messages?
Colton: I think it just takes them out of the black and white of it all, the definitions of good and evil. It gives the whole story the attention it deserves and a lot of three-dimensionality. I think we all think we know the real story, we all have a lot of unresolved feelings about it, but I’d say give it a watch because you may come out feeling differently about it.
Playing the dead man in a mystery usually has very little rewards for the actor from an audience perspective. What made you sign on for this?
Colton: Personally, there was only one reward, which was that I got to know Conrad Roy – Coco – more. I just fell in love with him. I realised that the same experience that I had of not knowing him and thinking I did, was probably the same experience that a lot of people were going through. I truly think, giving him the grace to be known, is what he deserves. I don’t think you can sum it up as a reward. It was all very profound and moving for me.
While playing Conrad, did you tend to take a side or could you also empathize with Michelle?
Colton: This is me, Colton, but it’s different when I am in production and out there doing it. All I am focused on is being the champion for Coco. It even changed my relationship with him as I watched it back.
Elle Fanning, up until now, has had the innocent likeable persona onscreen. For her to be playing the edgy, dark character, was it an alarming experience for you, to see your co-star in a totally different space?
Colton: It was only alarming working with Elle when she came in as Michelle, the one that we all know. This series spans many years from when she was 15 years. When Elle showed up on sets looking like Michelle from the courtroom pictures, that was a little eerie and transformative.
We were in a school gym and I saw this blonde girl talking to all my friends and I remember wondering ‘who is that girl there?’ She then came up to me and tried to give me a big hug and I shuddered and I was like, ‘Oh my god! It’s you!’
I think it’s a testament to how deeply she disappeared into this role from what she is known as. It is pretty remarkable to be in good company like that.
When a death by suicide gets as much media attention, how do you hope these cases are handled? Mostly when a boy dies by suicide in a relationship, the girl is vilified, what are your thoughts on this?
Colton: It was one of the major contributing factors to why I wanted to do this show. I think Michelle was only given that face-value narrative. It was very hollow. No matter what you see, it wasn’t honest or consequential to what actually happened and the tragedy that befell these two children. I think you are right. Women are vilified in the media all the time and unfortunately, it is the kind of culture we live in. This (case) wasn’t very long ago. This show makes you take a pause and reflect on how we have all been complicit. It makes us ask, ‘did we act appropriately? Did we do the right thing?’
What would you say is the relevance of this story, especially at a time when so many people have died by suicide during the lockdown? How do you hope this changes the perspective of families and friends grieving from loss?
Colton: All I can say from the perspective of getting to know Coco is that you aren’t your ending. He lived a very full life even at 18 years old. I think he deserves for people to know that and any family that has gone through this, deserves that grace and reminder as well. I am just proud that in this series you get that and get to know him a little more than you think you did.
Written by Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus, “The Girl From Plainville” follows the story of Conrad Roy III, a young man grappling with anxiety and loneliness in a world he doesn’t feel he fits into. When he first meets Michelle Carter, he sees in her someone who understands his struggles and sees the real him. But his relationship with Michelle takes a dark turn as he sets his sights on ending his life and becomes dependent on her support to see it through.
