Joey King’s new Netflix film may be called “Uglies,” but yes, director McG is aware that every single actor in it is objectively attractive. And yes, he and his team cast it that way for a reason.
Based on Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 book of the same name, “Uglies” tells the story of a dystopian society where every single resident undergoes mandated plastic surgery at 16 years old — though it’s presented as something they get to do, not have to do — to become the perfect version of themselves.
Post-surgery, the people are known as Pretties, and live in a city where they party all the time. Until then, they live in a dorm across the river and are known as Uglies. Uglies are largely ignored by society because they aren’t perfect.
King plays Tally Youngblood, a girl who’s known to her best friend as Squint because she apparently has squinty eyes. Said best friend is Peris (Chase Stokes), who she calls Nose, because of…well, you get it. Until they’re a Pretty, everyone has something “wrong” with them.
In “Barbie,” a similar phenomenon happens, but it’s called out directly; when Margot Robbie’s “Stereotypical Barbie” laments that she’s “not pretty anymore,” narrator Helen Mirren cuts in and jokes “Note to the filmmakers: Margot Robbie is the wrong person to cast if you want to make this point.”
“Uglies” doesn’t make this same 4th-wall breaking joke, but yes, McG knows that he has a conventionally attractive cast — it was intentional.
“That’s precisely why we did it, is because we’re saying it’s never enough. And Joey King, beautiful. Brianne Tju, Chase, Keith [Powers], Laverne [Cox], you can’t get much more beautiful,” he explained to TheWrap. “And we’re saying that’s not the point. There’s always somebody or something there to nitpick.”
He continued, “I think, if you spoke to some of the most universally regarded beautiful people in the world, they’re some of the people with the most intense body dysmorphia. Nobody’s immune from this toxicity that’s out there of ‘It’s never enough. You can always have a thinner waist, bigger hips, fuller lips.’ Take your pick. You see it out there every day, and this movie is meant to be the antidote to that way of thinking.”
The director also felt that, despite being written in 2005, “Uglies” is more relevant than ever, thanks to social media. Seeing the “depression” and “anxiety” social media has caused was a huge factor in creating the movie adaptation.
“I think kids out there can’t just post a snapshot. Everything has to go through a Facetune, or some sort of filtration to try to achieve a beauty ideal that’s unreachable,” he said. “And I think that’s very, very damaging to not just kids, but everybody.”
“This movie is, if nothing else, simply saying you are perfect just the way you are. Beauty is within and then here’s the ultimate trick: turns out, when you really love someone for who they are, they become attractive to you,” he added. “You love that nose, you love those hips, you love those thighs and those cheekbones, everything about it, short, tall, thick, thin. It doesn’t matter. When you connect with somebody on a deep, deep personal level, they become attractive. It’s the darnedest thing.”
“Uglies” is now streaming on Netflix.
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