CEBU, Philippines – Lifetime’s “The Brittany Murphy Story” promises to show how the late “Clueless” actress Brittany Murphy’s Hollywood dreams turned into a nightmare. Yet for Amanda Fuller (“Last Man Standing”), being selected to play Murphy was a dream come true.
Fuller, who has appeared in other biopics, talked with Variety about the unique challenges she faced while filming the movie, which she had to jump into two days after being offered the role.
The biopic aims to expose how Murphy died as controversy has surrounded her death for nearly five years.
Murphy died from pneumonia and anemia in December 2009 at the age of 32. Her death was ruled accidental, but the actress’ father later attempted to reopen the case on the suspicion that she was poisoned. Murphy’s mother Sharon, who lived with her daughter, has denied these claims.
The biopic will also feature Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack, who was found dead five months after Murphy passed away. Autopsy results also concluded that pneumonia and anemia caused his death.
With the controversy in mind, Fuller talked about her attempts to preserve Murphy’s true memory, her experience filming the movie on a tight schedule, and her preparation and research process.
What attracted you to the role?
When someone asks if you want to play Brittany Murphy, who you idolized as a child and grew up loving and who you wanted to be, you can’t say no. Even if it’s the most terrifying thing someone asks you to do.
What type of research went into the part of playing her?
I could have spent a lot more time to prepare. For one, I wish I would have had months of preparation. It was kind of me just immersing myself in all her movies, TV appearances and interviews. I reached out to everyone who I knew, who knew her.
Was her family involved at all in the research?
No. Her dad and her mom were not involved. I don’t know if they were reached out to or not. It is a touchy subject and I wouldn’t want to pry into that very sacred relationship that Sharon had with her. But I wish I had access to her mom and could ask her everything.
What was one of the most challenging parts of filming this movie?
We shot in 16 days so that was a challenge. Also it’s one thing to play someone else, but Brittany Murphy was so specific with her mannerisms, laughs and her physical gestures. Trying to embody that in some way without making it a caricature, all of that was definitely a challenge.
How do you think fans will react to the movie?
I hope that they’ll see sort of the truth of what her troubles were, and some of the wrongs the media had during the time of her life and death. I want them to have some sort of remembrance of why they loved her in the first place.