Is The Beast in Me Based on a True Story?

In Netflix’s ‘The Beast in Me,’ a twisted cat-and-mouse game ensues between Aggie Wiggs, a grieving writer, and Nile Jarvis, a real-estate mogul with a shady past. Aggie has been facing a seemingly insurmountable writer’s block since the passing of her son in an accident a few years ago. Meanwhile, Nile is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his first wife. When their paths cross, a fire ignites in Aggie’s heart to get to the bottom of the truth, while she is also forced to confront her own demons. The more she finds out about Nile, the more conflicted she becomes about his true nature. Created by Gabe Rotter, the psychological thriller series delivers a complex tale of two people who discover that they may be more alike than they initially assumed, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The Beast in Me is a Fictional Tale That Went Through Many Iterations

‘The Beast in Me’ is an entirely fictional story that originated about six to seven years ago. Gabe Rotter first wrote it as a spec script, which looked a lot different than what finally found its way to Netflix. Initially, Rotter had envisioned the lead character as a man. However, second opinions on the story led him to consider a gender swap, which ultimately led to the creation of Aggie’s character. Following the change, Rotter received a great deal of interest in the script, and after passing from one producer to another, it finally landed on the desk of Jodie Foster. The Academy Award-winning actress was immediately impressed by the story and was initially supposed to star in it. However, she eventually decided to work from behind the scenes, and for the lead role, she approached Claire Danes.

Much like Foster, Danes, too, was easily taken in by the story. She found Rotter’s pilot incredibly captivating, describing it as “classic, surprising, and faintly Hitchcockian.” What further spurred her interest in Aggie was how close she felt to Danes’ previous characters, Carrie Mathison in ‘Homeland,’ and the titular character in 2010’s ‘Temple Grandin.’ The actress described all three characters as people who don’t care what others think about them, who “don’t censor themselves or apologize for their power.” Danes was also interested in the emotional depth of the character, and to understand the grief of the role, she turned towards books that explore the same themes.

For a while, the project was in limbo until Danes brought in Howard Gordon to serve as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. The duo had previously collaborated on ‘Homeland.’ While Gordon praised Danes’ “fierce intelligence” and “vulnerability,” which gives more depth to her performance, the actress said that she felt comfortable working with him because of the already-established trust between them. Then, Daniel Pearle was brought in to revamp the script, and he worked with Rotter to give the story a touch-up while staying true to its core. This process led to some significant changes in the characters, particularly that of Nile Jarvis.

The Beast in Me Explores the Darkness of Its Characters With a Humanising Touch

Reportedly, Gabe Rotter’s initial idea for the character was to be a Tony Soprano-like mobster. He briefly switched it to a rap mogul, but eventually decided to make Nile a real estate developer, “in the Durst-Trump mold.” While the character had been established on page, bringing him to the screen was an altogether different task. The show’s creators revealed that casting for Nile was one of the most challenging parts of the process, but once they found Matthew Rhys, everything fell into place. “For me, the heavy lifting in the show was really, really making that character by turns dangerous, charming, and even vulnerable,” Gordon told Netflix Tudum. Rhys brought forth the delicate nuance required to maintain the character’s charm and danger, proving to be a perfect casting choice. His presence brought a much-needed balance to the complex dynamic between Nile and Aggie.

Over the course of eight episodes, the duo experiences a range of emotions, and their dynamic shifts from “equally matched adversaries, best friends, and soul enemies.” Danes described it as a “surprising love story” where romance takes a backseat, and the two characters are drawn to each other because of their darkness, becoming “perverse” friends. At the end of the day, the show, whose title is inspired by a Johnny Cash song, explores the complexity of being human. The show’s creators aimed to challenge the audience’s perception of how easily they jump to conclusions and make assumptions about people they know nothing about. However, once the subject comes closer, a different picture emerges, and the question of “ humility and the compassion to listen and to revise the narrative” becomes the foremost concern. Through this approach, the show, despite its fictional nature, remains grounded in reality.

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