Joey King Talks ‘Turning Up the Yassification’ on ‘Uglies’

Author Scott Westerfeld never thought his 2005 novel Ugly would be adapted into a film for one simple reason: “Nobody in Hollywood wanted to make a movie about ugly people.”

Still, he had a message for young fans of his book who were hoping to see Tally Youngblood’s coming-of-age story on the big screen. “One of you is going to grow up to be a movie producer,” Westerfeld recalls telling classrooms and bookstores full of preteen readers. “Now, 20 years later, someone who read the book when they were 12 is the person largely responsible for finishing it.”

That person is actor and executive producer Joey King, who plays the lead role of Tally in the Netflix adaptation of the novel, premiering Friday. In this dystopian world, everyone is considered “ugly” until they undergo mandatory plastic surgery at age 16 that turns them “pretty.” But that beauty comes at an unexpected cost — the surgery fundamentally changes who they are.

King read the book during her formative years, but the project wasn’t easy to pull off. “I didn’t know I’d pitch it to Netflix when I was 17 or 18, that I wouldn’t shoot it until I was 22, and it wouldn’t come out until I was 25. Life is funny like that!”

Still, her passion for the source material helped King navigate the years-long process of bringing the film to audiences. “That book meant so much to me when I was that age, and it really helped me get through my teenage years. It helped me with my perspective on self-acceptance and self-image. I’m really excited that I can just nod to my 11-year-old self and say, ‘We did it!’”

Although nearly two decades have passed since the book’s release, the subject matter of “Ugly” has never been more relevant, with the faces of the beautiful girls reminiscent of TikTok beauty filters and influencer formulaic fillers.

You could be forgiven for raising an eyebrow at the knockout that is King’s Ugly Girl, but she says that the characters’ perceptions of beauty are warped by society’s expectations. “The truth is, there’s no difference between Ugly and Pretty in our stories. The only difference is that they do something awful to our brains. They basically crank up your Yassification.”

Among the yassified is “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes, whose character Peris goes under the knife early in the film. “It’s a tough thing to see Pretties as sort of the original TikTok home and immediately want to throw up,” he says with a laugh. “It’s terrifying. What’s going on?”

Stokes says diving into the character was an exciting opportunity to show audiences that he can go beyond his famous “OBX” role. “When you’re in a situation like I was, when you’ve played the same character for so many years, it’s always fun to challenge yourself and do something outside of your comfort zone. And it’s definitely a character that’s not John B, from the beginning to the end of the movie,” he says. “Chase is more than just John B, and that’s just the beginning.”

Stokes predicts that young viewers will see a similar theme in “Uglies.” “I really hope that the younger generation will show themselves grace and give themselves a chance to take a break from social media or just the idea of ​​trying to be a physically perfect version of human existence and start delving more into themselves. I think we’ve kind of lost touch with those deep dives,” she says.

King hopes the film’s message about informed consent and body autonomy will resonate with young people who are coming across the story for the first time. “I think a lot of people, especially in an election year, can feel the weight of what that means: not being able to choose what happens to your own body. So I hope this film helps people remember that even with all the societal pressures or the things you see on TikTok or Instagram, there is always a choice and whatever you decide to do with yourself and your body, just make sure that it’s what makes you feel good.” You happy.”