Diksha Sundriyal
In Apple TV+’s ‘Lucky,’ Anya Taylor-Joy plays the role of a woman whose life is upended after one wrong move pulls her back into the world of crime. The story begins with the eponymous protagonist on the verge of starting a new life with her partner. However, everything changes the next morning when he and the money they stole together are gone. Now, Lucky has the FBI chasing after her, while she also has to hide from the criminals whose money it was in the first place. Created by Jonathan Tropper, the crime thriller series delivers a high-stakes drama in which the protagonist must tap into her darkest instincts to survive against all odds.
A Radio Announcement Inspired Lucky’s Fictional Tale
‘Lucky’ is a fictional story based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Marissa Stapley. It is adapted for the screen by Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas. The idea for the story came to Stapley while listening to a story about an unclaimed lottery ticket on the radio. The announcers had been talking about the massive prize for the ticket winner, who had somehow still not come forward to claim it. They speculated about why a person couldn’t get their hands on a prize like that. In the beginning, the reasons seemed something simple, like the person having lost their ticket. It could also be that the person may have died before they found out they’d won. But then, the reasons turned a bit darker.
Sometimes people didn’t come forward because of their criminal past. While the money could help them leave their old life behind, it would also force them to expose themselves and risk getting arrested. This part stuck with Stapley, and she started thinking about a character who finds themselves in such a condition. While exploring the character’s criminal nature, the idea of a con artist seemed apt in this situation, which led to the creation of Lucky’s character. The author had always harbored a love for stories about con artists and elaborate heists. She referenced movies and TV shows like ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘Hustle,’ and ‘Lupin‘ as the influences that encouraged her to explore Lucky’s background as a con artist.
The Author Delved Into Human Psyche to Create a Complex Character
To get inside the mind of a con artist, Marissa Stapley indulged in extensive research on the matter. She watched YouTube tutorials to learn things like shortchanging and cheating at cards. Apart from watching many movies and TV shows about con artists, she also read several books on the subject. One of them was Tori Telfer’s non-fiction book, ‘Confident Women,’ detailing the stories of real-life con women. In its introduction, Telfer discusses the unspoken rule of society that people are generally expected to be honest with each other. What sets con artists apart is that they break these rules more easily than most people.
She noted that, despite this, these criminals receive more admiration than hatred for what they do because it allows people to explore the fantasy of doing the same thing and having the same power that the con artists enjoy. Stapley noted that this is what makes the movies about heists and cons so fun. Because, despite their criminal element, these stories give the audience a taste of breaking the rules that they cannot stray from in real life. She wanted the same thing with Lucky’s story. She wanted to write about a person who is really good at conning people but isn’t necessarily a bad person. Over the course of the story, the protagonist is pushed to her limits and forced to do morally questionable things, but she isn’t inherently evil.
The author wanted to ensure that Lucky never appears irredeemable. She wanted the audience to relate to her in the sense that a person’s worst moments shouldn’t define their entire life, and that there is always hope and the possibility of changing and turning things around. Above all, she wanted the story to be fun. She wrote the novel while her mother was battling cancer, so even with the criminal aspect of the story, she wanted an engaging distraction from her worries. She also revealed that while writing the character, she infused Lucky with her mother’s qualities, like her grit and resilience in the face of all odds. These details made the character more fleshed out and realistic.
The Show’s Creators Added Realistic Details to Make Lucky More Grounded
When Anya Taylor-Joy read the book, she related to the character’s non-criminal aspects. In particular, she connected to the fact that Lucky is the kind of person who is always on the move because she cannot sit around. Sure enough, being chased by cops and criminals means that Lucky is running around a lot in the seven episodes of the show. The actress prepared for the role’s physical demands by getting into shape a month before filming commenced. However, on set, she was advised not to make it look as if Lucky was used to running around.
She was told to be clumsy and flailing, to appear as if she were struggling, because that would be much more realistic for a normal person and would also dramatically raise the stakes for Lucky. Reportedly, due to the gunshots fired too close to her ears, she almost lost some hearing. Though she hasn’t been reported to have sustained any permanent injury or damage. For other stunts, Hayley Wright, Taylor-Joy’s stunt double from ‘Furiosa,’ was brought on board. For creator Jonathan Tropper, ‘Lucky’ was an exploration into a person’s identity in connection to their dysfunctional family.
Through the character, he wanted to touch upon the age-old question of whether a person can change in their adulthood, freeing themselves from the learned behavior of their childhood. This complicated dilemma haunts the character throughout the season. Through her struggle, the show’s creators wanted to craft a character the audience could sympathize with, if not connect with. As the situation grows dire, her actions force the audience to wonder whether they should keep rooting for her. It makes the character and their story more impactful, even though both are entirely fictional.
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