Exclusive Interview
‘Cruel Intentions’: Sarah Catherine Hook Breaks Down All the Sexy Nods to Original Film (VIDEO)
Caroline and Kathryn Merteuil aren’t related — that we know of — but the latter would be proud of how the former handles herself at Manchester University in Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions series. With ice in her veins, a wardrobe to die for, and eyes on her future, Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) has the students (and staff) of Manchester in the palm of her hands.
Over the course of the series, there are plenty of homages to the great Kathryn Merteuil, Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s iconic character from the 1999 film. Hook spoke with Swooon about Caroline’s delicious nods to her predecessor and how the show put its own twists on them.
Let’s start with the most notable: the cross necklace. In the film and the show, the choker symbolizes purity, even though the women wearing them are anything but innocent. At times, Caroline actually tosses the cross necklace to her back when she’s in backless attire, pushing the envelope further in a sexy twist.
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“I had a lot of backless moments, and I was just like, it’d be really cool if we just swung it around and had it draped back. It actually, I felt, just totally brought the whole thing to life,” Hook explained. “It’s obviously giving that nod to the cross from the film but then giving it our own little special thing. Even on the poster, it’s in the back, and it’s just our own little decision to change it up a bit.”
The hottest scenes in both the show and film are the ones that aren’t even about sex. The heat is derived from the loaded words and searingly light touches. In a clear homage to a passionate (and downright naughty) scene between Kathryn and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) in the film, Caroline and Lucien (Zac Burgess) have a moment on the couch in the first episode where they dance around their attraction to each other, flirting with going over the edge and giving in.
“Zac loves that scene. It’s so cute,” Hook gushed. “Anytime he’s asked what’s your favorite Caroline-Lucien scene, it’s that one. It is really beautiful, honestly, just the lying down portion. It was funny because when we first were staging it and rehearsing it, Sara Goodman was like, ‘We are not repeating what they did in the movie. We will not go there.’ They wanted the nods, but they didn’t want to copy. That was really important to everyone on this job. I think that would have probably been too much, so we got to make it our own thing.”
She continued, “Zac and I really played with just the light touches. That is where our chemistry comes into play the most. I would say, I think it was Zac’s idea to pull me from the necklace and kind of draw me in, which it just had that gorgeous shot. I’m really proud of that scene. I think it turned out really well, actually.”
In a surprising switch, the Kathryn and Cece (Selma Blair) kiss from the film gets a spin in the show. Caroline actually kisses Annie (Savannah Lee Smith). “That was a bold choice on her behalf. I think it was just another way of her controlling all situations,” Hook said of Caroline’s motives. “It was to control Annie, but also to not let Annie and Lucien get too far. Because of her true feelings of with Lucien, I think she started to sense that something more might be happening here, and it was just supposed to be a fun game. You’re not supposed to fall for this chick, so it was kind of like Caroline taking taking control of the situation.”
If Kathryn got a look inside of Caroline’s closet, she’d probably share some compliments before snagging some items for her own wardrobe. Hook revealed that Caroline’s style is inspired by Kathryn and Glenn Close‘s Marquise de Merteuil in the 1988 Dangerous Liasions.
“We really wanted to nod on the lace,” Hook said about Caroline’s fashion. “Honestly, it just looks beautiful, and it looks regal and chic and sharp. That’s where we just really wanted to lean into that at, crossing the sharpness of the film, and then the soft, more romantic, classical vibes from Dangerous Liaisons and just combining both of those worlds.”
Watch the full video above for a full Caroline vs. Kathryn breakdown.
Cruel Intentions, Season 1, Streaming Now, Prime Video
