Spoilers later! In the final episode of the Good American Family series, the story sustained by Kristine Barnett “Interpreted by Ellen Pompeo,” about Natalia Grace falls apart in the face of a series of tests that expose the inconsistencies of her version.
Incriminatory messages on Facebook between Kristine and her husband Michael Barnett (played by Mark Duplass) and testimonies of experts who prove that Natalia was a minor when she was abandonedthey cause a total dump of perception.
Even Kristine’s biological children depart from her, after years when she managed to convince her environment and the courts that Natalia was an adult posing as a girl to take advantage of the family.
Despite the volume of evidence, the judicial system prevents most of the trial evidence, forcing Natalia to refer only as “a person born in 1989”.
The legal verdict does not favor the young woman, but in the public sphere the effect is another: Doubts about Kristine’s version multiplyeven among their relatives.
For Pompeo, this outcome marks the most critical moment of his character.
“For me, She is in denial. It is simply: how did everything go out so bad? I never see her collapsing with a ‘everyone discovered my lie’, but with a ‘Why did everyone abandon me? Why did this girl get the compassion that they denied me? I have helped so many people, so many children. I’ve only wanted to help, ‘”explained the actress in an interview with Deadline.
In his opinion, this episode represents “The lowest point of victimhood”, Where the character falls into self -pity after being displaced and discredited.
Pompeo highlighted the emotional complexity of the paper. In his analysis, Kristine begins the series with advantage: no one else has access to information, which facilitates his role as a victim.
“At the end of the program, we see that Everything he said about Natalia were lies, exaggerations or distorted interpretations. Although he continues to adopt the role of victim, he no longer has tools, ”he said.
He added: “Everyone saw Natalia in court, they saw their documents, listened to doctors and professionals to deny the Kristine version.”
One of the key turns of the character, according to Pompeo, occurs when Vala figure admired by Kristine, also turns her back.
“Val’s acceptance made him feel that he had reached a certain status. His rejection is a crucial moment. At that moment, he has nothing left. He is alone at a party, still convinced, but without creating it at all. It is more difficult to hold that mask”He admitted.
Although the series is based on a real story, Ellen Pompeo He clarified that He did not seek to know Kristine Barnett personallynor felt forced to faithfully represent the person behind the character.
“I did not feel the pressure of understanding the real Kristine. The script by Katie Robbins and Sarah Sutherland already offered a solid structure. How does a woman get to that point? That is the question I had to answer as an actress”, He explained.
However, he admitted to having seen Barnett interviews and pointed out the “duality” between his public image and the subsequent representation in the media.
“She seemed selfless, she let her son Jacob speak. That does not match what was said later. Or is a great actress or has a duality important in your personality. “
For its part, Imogen Faith Reid interpretation was also subject to great care. Pompeo and the team avoided falling into stereotypes.
“We did not want to portray it as evil. This type of stories about Ukrainian girls adopted has already been done before. We could not repeat that approach,” Pompeo said.
To justify the adoption within the narrative, the first episodes had to show a situation “murky” to motivate Natalia’s rescue, but not so much so that the characters flee immediately.
“We had to convey the idea that Children are not bad. It is the adult world that imposes darkness. We wanted to insinuate the abuses of the adoption system, without caricaturizing, ”he explained.
Con Good American Family concluded, Ellen Pompeo contemplate your professional future beyond Meredith Greycharacter who performed for almost two decades in Gray’s Anatomy.
“I hope to have the opportunity to interpret another interesting character. I have nothing defined, but I am reading scripts. This series allowed me to explore another identity: voice, movements, costumes … I have to help the audience out of this glorious Meredith Gray hole. It is my responsibility”He said.
