Cruel Intentions reboot cast had ‘strict instructions’ to avoid copying iconic 90s film-Rishma Dosani-Entertainment – Metro

The cast of the new Cruel Intentions TV show have opened up about following in the footsteps of the iconic film, revealing they were warned not to ‘copy the original’.

The original film was first released in March, 1999, with Roger Kumble serving as director, leading an all-star cast including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe and Selma Blair.

While it focused on a bet made between rich high school student Kathryn (Gellar) and her equally twisted stepbrother Sebastian (Phillippe), the updated series centers around elite Manchester College, with Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien (Zac Burgess) battling for control of the campus.

Following a fatal hazing injury, Caroline uses her stepbrother to seduce the Vice President’s daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), to ensure that their time on campus is not affected.

Unpacking their efforts in an interview with Us Weekly, Burgess shared that TV bosses gave them ‘strict instructions’ to steer clear of replicating the OG version – which he found an easy task as he still hasn’t seen it.

‘We got pretty strict instructions which were, “Do not copy the original.” And I had not seen the original at that point and I think for me – if I was to watch it – I’d be unconsciously influenced,’ he explained.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Philliippe starred in the original Cruel Intentions(Picture: Columbia)

Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess led the way in the new series (Picture: Prime Video)

‘I sit in a bit of a unique position. I haven’t seen the movie. So, I was a little bit fortunate that it was more of a purposeful choice.’

Smith, whose character was based on Witherspoon’s Annette, also hadn’t watched the teen drama before taking on the role, sharing that she was ‘maybe two or three’ when it premiered.

‘I remember in the breakdown for my audition, our showrunners Sara [Goodman] and Phoebe [Fisher] specifically said, “Do not replicate!” So of course, I was dying to watch the movie, but I held off because I did not want to replicate anything,’ she recalled.

It wasn’t quite the same experience for Hook as she had been a fan of the 1999 flick before taking on the role of Caroline, which was modelled on Gellar’s Kathryn.

Hook said she was ‘discouraged’ from copying anything SMG did in the original (Picture: Prime Video)

Gellar’s efforts as conniving Kathryn have gone down in movie history (Picture: Columbia)

‘I was really discouraged to do anything Sarah Michelle Gellar did. But of course, I think her gorgeous performance was just running rampant in my brain and I couldn’t avoid it,’ she said, naming her inspiration instead as Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons.

‘Sarah Michelle Gellar is so good at just delivering such biting lines, and her delivery is so cutthroat whereas I think mine had a more relaxed energy. She’s more bored and a quiet observer.

‘There’s more of a quietness to Caroline than there was with Sarah Michelle Gellar and ultimately that’s where we were trying to find a new, different version.’

Sean Patrick Thomas also couldn’t avoid the movie – mainly because he was actually in it, but playing a totally different character.

Savannah Lee Smith stars as Annie Grover, a play on Annette Hargrove (Picture: Prime Video)

Reese Witherspoon played the original character (Picture: Columbia)

Sean Patrick Thomas appears in the original film and the new series (Picture: Columbia)

In the movie, he starred as music tutor Ronald Clifford, who had a secret romance with Blair’s Cecile Caldwell, while in the series he plays Professor Chadwick who teaches CeCe Carroway (Sara Silver).

‘I feel like the character is much more savvy, a little less naïve,’ he added. ‘It’s not the same character. The way this character’s written — he’s more on top of things than his opponent was in the movie.’

Cruel Intentions was released on Amazon Prime Video earlier today, with fans rushing to take in the ‘updated’ version of Roger Kumble’s scandalous efforts, which raked in more than $76million at the global box office and.

Cruel Intentions was released today (Picture: Prime Video)

The official synopsis reads: ‘Cruel Intentions follows the elite students of Manchester College, a Washington, DC-adjacent university, where reputation means everything, fraternities and sororities are the gold standard, and two ruthless step-siblings, Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy.

‘After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Greek Life system, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation – even if that means seducing Annie Grover, the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.

‘Hearts will be broken, loyalties will be tested, and secrets will be revealed in this modern-day royal court that is Manchester College.’

Cruel Intentions is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.

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