Scott Westerfeld’s iconic sci-fi dystopian novel is finally getting the screen treatment with Netflix’sUglies. The movie takes place in a dystopian world where everyone is forced to get mandatory cosmetic surgery at the age of sixteen, with the explanation being that everyone will look beautiful, taking discrimination out of the picture.Ugliesprimarily focuses on Tally Youngblood, who is initially eager to join the rest of society, though finds her trust tested when a friend runs away and she learns some harsh truths.
Along Tally’s journey, she will not only meet new characters, but also find her prior friendships tested, including her best friend, Peris, who underwent the “pretty” operation before her, and David, with whom she forms a romantic connection. Peris is brought to life inUgliesby Chase Stokes, best known for his role as John B Routledge inthe Netflix teen thrillerOuter Banks, which will air the second part of season 4 in November. David is played by Keith Powers, who not only has featured in similar YA fare withBefore I Fall, but was also a key player in Netflix’sWhat/If.
Why Netflix’s Uglies Movie Took So Long To Release
Scott Westerfield’s young adult novel Uglies has had its movie adaptation in development since 2006, so why hasn’t the movie come out yet?
Alongside Powers and Stokes, the ensembleUgliescast includesWe Were The Lucky Ones' Joey King,I Know What You Did Last Summer’s Brianne Tju andInventing Anna’s Laverne Cox. Deftly exploring themes of self-appreciation with action-packed storytelling, the movie is an entertaining translation of Westerfeld’s novels to the screen and leaves the door open for the rest of the franchise to be adapted.
Ahead of the movie’s release,Screen Rantinterviewed Chase Stokes and Keith Powers about what they would say to young viewers who question if they are not enough. They also discussed what it was like working with Joey King and what surprised them most about their characters. Stokes also details the inspirations he took for the different versions of Peris that appear throughoutUglies.
Powers & Stokes Want Kids To Know They Are Enough
Screen Rant: What would you say to kids that are watching Uglies and are going through that feeling of, “Am I ugly?”
Keith Powers: I would say you’re enough, you know what I’m saying? I would say to continue to be unapologetic, have that tunnel vision. Don’t compare yourself to other people. I think that’s something even we still do. I think that’s something you’ll always do, but you just have to be aware of it and then center yourself again. So that’s what I would tell them.
Chase Stokes: Yeah, enjoy the journey of life. Sometimes we get caught up in all the superficial BS that this generation is unfortunately presented with, and especially at that age, there’s so much visibility to so many things that we all are not present with. So just enjoy your journey and stay on that path.
King Is “Like The Little Sister That Is Wiser Than All Of Us”
What was it like working with Joey King? Because I love her work.
Keith Powers: She’s fun. She’s a really talented actress, one, of course, but just as a lead and being number one on the call sheet, she creates a safe space for us and is grounded and authentic. And she’s hilarious.
Chase Stokes: Joey’s one of those people who, she’s like a little sister to all of us, but even though she’s the little sister, she’s wiser than all of us.
Keith Powers: That’s facts.
Chase Stokes: She’s such a fun person to be around. She is one of those people that you meet her, and you’re like, oh, maybe we met in another life? I feel like I know you, or I’ve known you for a long time, and she’s such a seasoned actress, and she’s so good at what she does, so it was a real blessing to work with her.
What Surprised Powers & Stokes About Their Characters?
Screen Rant: Did you guys read the book?
Keith Powers: I didn’t read it when it came out. I read it after I read the script.
Chase Stokes: Same. Yeah, it was a later journey,
Keith Powers: But it’s weird because we had both seen it and knew about it when it came out.
Chase Stokes: We were talking about it being the poster at the Scholastic Book Fair.
Is there something that surprised you about your character as you were reading the script, or the book?
Keith Powers: What surprised me is the obstacles he faced within the film, like, what? Like, what happens, you know. I think that’s what surprised me. I was like, “Oh, snap. That’s going to be a tough one to get to.” But it just intrigued me more to want to do it.
Chase Stokes: I think, with Peris, he’s just a character that goes through so many different moments, and to be able to do that as an artist seemed like a fun challenge to take on. So I was very lucky and very fortunate that they saw that I could do it, and hopefully, I brought the fans of the book… hopefully I did justice to their character.
Peris definitely has different layers and different versions throughoutUglies. Did you pull inspiration from different things for each of those iterations?
Chase Stokes: Yeah. Our initial experience with Peris is very in line with where I was at 15 years old. So that was kind of that draw. And then, when he’s a Special, it was a lot of Metallica and death metal. And honestly, I use this reference in other projects as well, but a little bit of Kurt Cobain as well, just that sort of feeling of, he talked a lot about feeling dead inside and longing for more. And I think we see that a lot in Peris in the last chapter. Then the middle was just like, Okay, let’s go through Instagram and find some [jerk].
AboutUglies
In a futuristic world that imposes a cosmetic surgery at 16, Tally is eager for her turn to join the rest of society. But when a friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted.
Uglies
Cast
In a futuristic society where everyone undergoes compulsory cosmetic surgery at 16 to become “pretty,” Tally eagerly awaits her transformation. However, when her friend goes missing, she embarks on a journey that challenges her beliefs about beauty, conformity, and rebellion, ultimately questioning the foundations of their world.
