In 2007, a 20-year-old Amanda Knox was accused of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in the town of Perugia, Italy. The murder trial garnered headlines around the world with the media and the local police painting a picture of Knox as an emotionless, sex-crazed young woman who was guilty of killing Kercher along with her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.
The nickname “Foxy knoxy” took on a life of its own in the press when referring to the young college student, emblematic of the slut-shaming Knox was on the receiving end of.
But now, Knox is telling her side of the story in a new Hulu series, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, streaming on Hulu.
Both Knox and Sollecito were wrongfully convicted in Italian courts, despite there being evidence linking burglar and known criminal Rudy Guede’s DNA to the crime scene. It wasn’t until 2015 that the Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and acquitted Knox after she had already served almost four years of her original 26-year sentence.
Knox became a household name and years after her acquittal is still explaining the truth behind her story to people who focused more on the media narrative than the actual facts of the trial. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, a new biographical miniseries on Hulu, does just that; based on her 2013 memoir Waiting to Be Heard, the show highlights how the public’s perception of Knox ultimately led to her wrongful conviction.
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox premiered on August 20 and highlights Knox’s experience being tried in Italy. Grace Van Patten, known for starring in Hulu’s Tell Me Lies, plays Knox in the series.
Knox said she had a heavy hand in the making of the show behind the scenes; she’s even credited having co-written the eight and final episode which will stream on October 1.
Monica Lewinsky serves as one of the executive producers on the series. When interviewed in the Hulu special, Lewinsky explained that she saw similarities to Knox’s story and her own.
In addition to showcasing the way Knox’s story was framed to the public, the show also highlights the many cultural differences Knox was up against during her arrest in Italy that aided in portraying her negatively. Not to mention, she didn’t have a lawyer or interpreter when she was questioned by police and pressured to deliver a confession. One investigator told Knox he knew she was guilty from the beginning because “she smelled like sex,” another investigator asked her how many orgies in an unprompted line of questioning, and she was generally perceived to slut-shamed throughout the entire ordeal.
