Adapted fromGillian Flynn’s 2012 novel of the same name,Gone Girlcaptivated audiences with its tumultuous storyline and charismatic main character. The film follows the disappearance of Amy Dunne with a staged crime scene and a morbid scavenger hunt that implicates her husband as the murderer, only for a substantial and wholly unhinged twist midway. The novel itself was undoubtedly inspired by true crime and the unsympathetic media coverage of cases, particularly the notion of killer couples and the news always pointing towards the husband. In fact, there are interesting parallels between the 2002 Scott and Laci Peterson tragedy andGone Girl’s plot, except in that case, the husband was convicted for his wife’s disappearance and murder. But the storyline wasn’t the only thing inspired by reality, the portrayal of protagonist Amy Dunne byRosamund Pikein the film was inspired by none other than the lateCarolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr.
RELATED:8 ‘Good For Her’ Classics for When You Need a Revenge Hit
Who Is Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy?
Before Carolyn became America’s princess in 1996, she was the director of publicity for Calvin Klein and eventually directed the brand’s runway shows. Her penchant for fashion never left her as the public became enthralled by her effortless yet elegant outfits and hairstyles when she entered the limelight as John’s wife. She was as stunning as her style was, andaccording toNewsweek, her high school classmates even voted her the “Ultimate Beautiful Person.” Despite the tabloids' obsession with her, during the six years of her marriage she never once held a press interview. Even her wedding was a discreet event, disclosing only one seemingly candid picture afterward. Her elusiveness coupled with her allure only intrigued the media more, causing a ripple of rumors like her being a manipulative wife or that the couple’s marriage was unstable. But her close circle has said otherwise. In aninterview withVanity Fair,Carole Radziwill, who is married to John’s cousin, described Carolyn as “fierce” and “confident” with “a great combination of [a] kind of seriousness and wild child.” However, the beloved couple passed away tragically in a plane accident over the Atlantic Sea in 1999.
Why Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Is the Perfect Inspiration for Amy Dunne
Gone Girl’s hook, line, and sinker of the film is the complex and calculating character of Amy Dunne. As the film progresses, the dark reality behind Amy and Nick’s (Ben Affleck) relationship is brought to light, further implicating Nick in the public eye. From her disappearance to the gradual unraveling of her plans and persona, Amy has the ultimate hold over her husband, the media, and us. Although there isn’t any evidence of Carolyn being as manipulative as Amy is, there are undeniable parallels between their appeal to the media. In fact, there’s a subtle reference to Carolyn’s title as America’s princess when Amy is labeled as America’s sweetheart by news reporters. Whether Carolyn enjoyed the attention or not, her face was plastered across magazines and cover pages, not unlike Amy herself. Both Carolyn and Amy were idolized in the public space despite the fact they never came forth to say anything, although Amy eventually did. The media constructed a narrative for both the fictional and very real figures and as Rosamund mentions in herinterview withVanity Fair,Amy “should be created from the outside in,” acknowledging the impact of public images for both.
Amy’s sardonic and spiteful monologue about the “cool girl” is also reminiscent of how Carolyn was perceived. The cool girl description of “hot,” “game,” and “fun” slightly echoes Carole’s own description of Carolyn as fierce and confident. Both embody what little girls aspire to be at the time. While Carolyn herself was portrayed as the standard of beauty, Amy had to carefully construct a persona to achieve the expectations set in the 2010s. But as Rosamund toldVanity Fair, they are also both presented as the “dream girl … the one you can’t out of you’re head because she is perfect.”
It is their outward brand that was consumed by the masses, encapsulated by their appearance and lack of voice, while their inner selves remained unknown and untouched. DirectorDavid Fincheralso toldVanity Fairthat he sourced before and after photographs of Carolyn — when she was 18 years old and when she was 20 years old — which alluded to “someone self-made.” It was the idea of reinvention that caught his attention, similar to the way that Amy created her own self to survive her world and build a life. Both women had reputations that were larger than life, with Amy having a distinct counterpart in her parents' “Amazing Amy” series based widely on a fanciful version of her childhood. The similarities between the two women are indisputable and invigorating, so it isn’t a surprise that the portrayal of the novel’s protagonist would be influenced by the cryptic but beautiful Carolyn.
How Rosamund Used Carolyn Kennedy to Portray Amy Dunne
According toVanity Fair, when Fincher encouraged Rosamund to research as much as she possibly could about Carolyn, Rosamund hit a dead end. Since Carolyn never gave interviews, Rosamund could not find anything in her own words and had to rely on curated images instead. She described the experience as being given a “cipher to study:” She could only gauge what Carolyn presented to the world and not her actual self. This is what inspired her to build Amy from the “outside in.” The Amy we saw onscreen placed utmost importance on her appearance and the way she presents herself, whilst her internal self remained secondary.
Thus, Rosamund focussed on the mood Carolyn depicted on cover images of oldVanity Fairmagazines and particularly, her body language. She emulated Carolyn’s aloofness in the way she often partially hid her face in magazines and the unknowable grace she moved with. Amy herself became a slightly disconnected character, flowing seamlessly in conversation and facial expressions, but we always knew there was something alien going on underneath. The actress also uses this subversion of appearance in herrole as Marla Grayson inI Care A Lot, using the contemporary expectations of femininity to hide her true self. Rosamund didn’t allow us to fully understand and appreciate Amy’s character until she wanted us to, performing the perfect balance of Carolyn’s enigma and charisma.
