“Uglies” star Joey King talks about producing a Netflix film

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for Ugly on Netflix.

Ugly Star and producer Joey King was first seen on Scott Westerfeld’s Ugly book series when she was 11 years old, and now, more than 10 years later, her proposal to make a film adaptation of the first book will bring the result to Netflix.

Ugly is set in a futuristic society where teenagers aged 16 and over are required to undergo plastic surgery to look “pretty”, meaning free of facial blemishes and with a toned body. Tally Youngblood (King) dreams of the day she can undergo the surgery and have a symmetrical face, until her new friend Shay (Brianne Tsu) runs away with the mysterious man David (Keith Powers) to the supposed community called The Smoke and Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox) sends her after Shay, blackmailing her that she will never have the surgery unless she brings back her missing friend. When Tally finds The Smoke and meets David, she is confronted with a whole new world and way of thinking that challenges everything she thought she knew about her community and society.

“I was 11 when I read those books, and they had such a big impact on me at that age that they really helped me through my teenage years. I was about 17 or 18 when I pitched. Ugly “I sent it to Netflix to do as a movie,” King told Deadline. “It wasn't until I was 22 that we actually shot them, and now I'm 25 and they're finally coming out. So I've been working on this book for a really, really long time, and I think it's really cool because I've gone through so many changes as an actress and as a person in this industry, and for this to be something where I can really just nod to my younger self is really special. It's crazy how long it's taken us to get here.”

In the following interview, King talked about how the film fits into the category of dystopian films for young adults, how Divergent And Maze Runner – The Chosen Ones and she hopes that it will still resonate with audiences almost 20 years after the books were published.

Can you tell us more about how you Ugly how high the pitch was and how do you think it will resonate after all this time?

King: It's crazy to look back on the journey that got me here, but also how meaningful it is to my 11-year-old self. I'm really excited because when I read the book, I was the target audience for it. I just had an interview with a woman today who saw it with her 11-year-old and her 13-year-old, and they were so moved by it, and that's really who it's for. It helped me so much in my teenage years, and so I hope it's really helpful for anyone going through their years of formative awkwardness, agitation, anger, all of that rolled into one. And it's like my last time playing at this young age, and I'm really excited about how important that message was to me.

How is it different from The Hunger Games And Deviating, but what does it contribute to this conversation and this genre?

King: It's funny because everyone says, “Oh, this really brings back the dystopian world of young adult fiction?” and it's kind of funny because the timing wasn't necessarily intentional. Of course, it was something that was very relevant at the time. The book is coming up on its 20th anniversary soon, which is absolutely incredible. I love the world of science fiction and dystopian young adult fiction and I think it's just something that's a little bit nostalgic and special. Hopefully the younger generation can appreciate it and people who grew up with those other films can find joy in bringing the genre back.

How was producing for you? Were you there at the casting?

King: I learned so much from it as a producer because it was one of my first times really tackling it. There was a lot to learn, but I was very involved in the casting process, which was a lot of fun because I got to meet some of the most wonderful people, Brianne, Chase and Keith, and saw the whole thing of how it was done, from the development process to the script writing process to all the iterations that happened before we actually got on set. I really stood there and watched that process, and I feel like I learned so much from it that now as a producer I feel more comfortable having more questions and more opinions, and I learned so much from seeing that all happen.

How were your conversations with the author Scott Westerfield?

King: He's so wonderful. I'm a huge fan of books and when I met him, I talked about my passion for Tally and the whole story. I'm sure he's heard all this before. Everyone saw themselves in Tally growing up. I think every young woman who read that story thought, “I want to be Tally when I'm older.” To be able to tell him how much that book meant to me and to have him in it with a cameo was all really, really surreal. My sister Kelly is the one who introduced me to the books growing up. When he was on set, I freaked out with my sister and having Scott there was really special.

DEADLINE: How long did it take to film the hoverboard scenes? Can you share any stories about the shoot?

King: It was so much fun. We got to go along harnesses and hoverboard tracks. It was very, very cool, and it was also very cool to see it come to life in the movie because it's so different than filming because, of course, it's just a lot of green screen. As someone who read the book, I always kind of thought about that part and wondered, “How the hell are we going to do this?” It was so much fun to do it on set with Brianne.

DEADLINE: Have you spoken to Laverne about the dynamic between her villain character and Tally? What was it like talking to her as a scene partner about all of this?

King: Laverne is such an icon and she was so excited to be a part of this film, which was incredible and special. And we had some great, deep conversations about her role and how she wanted to play it. It was really cool to see her bring this character to life and have this juicy, villainous story arc, and I loved her involvement in it. I love how she played it, and to work with someone like Laverne was really, really special. I'm such a fan of hers and she was a joy and always brought positive energy to set, which is great because she played the villain.

DEADLINE: What sides of Tally do Chase's character Paris and Keith's character David bring out in the love triangle?

King: If you're a book fan, you know how complicated this triangle is. Peris is ultimately her best friend. But of course there's sparks there and there's so much love between them. David represents a whole new way of thinking for her in a new world and is just connected to the parts of her that are more in line with her new self and her new thinking. It's really contradictory because Tally is very loyal in the way that she will always love Peris, but she has to let go of the things that are holding her back in her past. It's very contradictory.

DEADLINE: Tally keeps her scar despite having surgery at the end. What does that say about her strength and the fact that she went from being ugly to being pretty, compared to Peris letting go of his?

King: Tally is one of those people who goes through a lot of development over the course of the film. When we first meet her, she's completely on board with the surgery, so she's OK with the life that's being presented to her and the government as it is. And then she evolves to the point where she wants to make her own decisions and not follow Dr. Cable and her plan anymore. It's just another indication that Tally is so strong and has so much power inside her and is willing to do whatever it takes to fight back and really fight for a future where people can choose. And that scar being there is such a huge symbol of what's to come.

DEADLINE: There are still some loose ends to that ending. Would you want to come back for sequels with the four books in the series?

Who knows? You never know. I'm really excited to see how people react to this film and I really hope that the message gets through and that people enjoy it. I can't wait to see how they react to this film and how they relate to the characters.

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