True crime fans, there’s a new series you aught to look out for: The Act starring Joey King and Patricia Arquette.
The series produced by Hulu tells the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee Blanchard which they described as, “A girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother.” If you dig deeper, it gets a little more complicated.
In 2015, Gypsy Rose was convicted of murdering her mother Dee Dee. She was found dead and it was caused by multiple stab wounds. Gypsy Rose claimed that she was the victim of her mother’s Munchausen syndrome by proxy—“a caregiver makes up a sickness or induces sickness for the person they are supposedly taking care of.”
In a report by Meaww, Dee Dee claimed that her daughter Gypsy Rose suffered through multiple illnesses like leukemia, muscular dystrophy, sleep apnea, eye problems, asthma, epilepsy, hearing loss, and chromosomal defects. She even claimed that her daughter only had the mental capacity of a seven-year-old. Dee Dee would also shave her daughter’s head in order to look the part. This went on for about two decades, they were able to receive a lot of support due to Gypsy’s “illnesses,” they went on multiple trips (one was a trip to Disneyland), they received housing, and had received money from multiple donors.
Joey King has always been vocal about her playing the role of Gypsy Rose. In an Instagram post that showed her shaving her head, she said, “My name for the next four months, is Gypsy Rose Blanchard. This story is very disturbing and I am honored to be able to portray it. What a wild ride this will be on The Act @hulu.”
The series comes out on March 20.
Photos courtesy of Hulu
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