Naomi Watts has said she hopes the success of new Netflix true crime drama The Watcher will help to change the narrative around the real-life victims in the case.
Derek and Maria Broaddus, depicted as Dean and Nora Brannock in the Ryan Murphy series, really were hounded by threatening letters after moving into an affluent neighbourhood – but the besieged family received little sympathy from their neighbours or online commentators.
Rather, the couple were the subject of scorn in their community, with some residents of Westfield, New Jersey accusing them of sending the letters to themselves. (Suffice to say, they denied the claim.)
The impact of this horrifying saga is still very much felt today by the Broaddus family, who wanted little to do with the television series and requested their names be changed in the dramatisation (via The Cut).
Watts, who plays Nora, acknowledges the distress felt by the real victims and hopes that The Watcher drums up the compassion that was sorely lacking when the story first made headlines.
“It was a very distressing experience for them and hopefully people can conjure empathy for that reason,” she told RadioTimes.com. “I would certainly not want to be in their shoes.”
The Academy Award-nominated actor revealed that she hadn’t heard about The Watcher true story prior to joining this series, but quickly “devoured” New York Magazine‘s exhaustive account of it after getting a call from co-creator Murphy.
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Watts continued: “I just imagined myself in their shoes and I thought it would be something that lots of people could relate to. Dreaming for that moment to come – that beautiful house – they’ve finally got it in their clutches, and for it to go so horribly wrong.
“It’s something I think we can all identify with.”
While inspired by the disturbing events that the Broaddus family endured, Watts explained that The Watcher does take “artistic licence”, with some characters and events being exaggerated creations by Murphy.
Previously, Watts’s co star Mia Farrow said she hoped that the real victims don’t see the show.
The Watcher is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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