Olivia Wilde publicly responded to social media trolls who likened her appearance to The Lord of the Rings’ Gollum.

After attending a screening of her new movie The Invite at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 24, Wilde’s red carpet interview with San Francisco Chronicle sparked online commentary around her facial features, with some social media users drawing comparisons to the physically deformed fictional creature.

In a Sunday, May 3, Instagram Story shared by Wilde, 42, her brother Charlie Chockburn was heard asking his older sister, “Olivia Wilde, do you care to address recent rumors that you’re a resurrected corpse?”

A giggling Wilde, lying in a bed wearing a hoodie and surrounded by blankets, responded, “Listen, that is a fisheye lens and I admit, is that my best angle or was that my best ever look? No. No, it’s startling, it’s a startling image.”

The post included a screenshot of Wilde’s face during the interview, positioned next to an image of Gollum from one of the fantasy trilogy’s films. “It was a fisheye lens and I don’t know why [I] was so close to the camera, I didn’t have to be,” Wilde continued. “That’s not the truth. Do you have any more questions?”

Wilde’s comments drew loud laughter from Cockburn, 33, before the amused Don’t Worry Darling actress and director concluded to the camera, “I’m not dead.”

Related: Olivia Wilde Teases New Relationship With Caspar Jopling in Sexy Photo

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Did Olivia Wilde just confirm her relationship with Caspar Jopling? One of her sexy photos from the Sundance Film Festival points to a soft launch for the couple. “I Want Your Sex & The Invite ♥️ Park City 4vrrrr,” Wilde, 41, captioned a series of Instagram pictures on Wednesday, January 28, from the annual festival […]

Wilde further captioned the post, “Leave it to your little brother to give you the maximum amount of s***.”

In the days that followed Wilde’s San Francisco Chronicle interview, which discussed how essential San Franscico was as a backdrop within The Invite, starring Wilde, Seth Rogan, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz, her appearance drew significant online commentary. In addition to Gollum comparisons, questions regarding cosmetic procedures and weight-loss methods arose via social media.

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One social media user wrote via Instagram, “My thoughts and prayers are with @oliviawilde and her injector.”

Related: 5 Things to Know About Olivia Wilde’s Possible New BF Caspar Jopling

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Olivia Wilde may have a new man: art dealer and Ellie Golding’s ex-husband, Caspar Jopling. On Thursday, September 4, Wilde was spotted making out with Jopling outside London’s The Pelican restaurant in photos obtained by Page Six. Jopling was previously married to Golding from 2019 up until they announced their split in February 2024. The […]

The media attention comes on the back of Wilde seemingly confirming her new romance with art dealer Caspar Jopling. In an Instagram post shared on January 28, Wilde was seen snuggling up to a man, whom Us Weekly reported at the time was Jopling, 34. In the cozy snap, Wilde was captured with her eyes closed as Jopling, who is Ellie Goulding’s former husband, hugged her tight with his arms wrapped around her back. (Goulding, 39, and Jopling share one son, Arthur, 4. The exes announced their split in February 2024.)

Wilde and Jopling were first linked after photos published by Page Six in September 2025 showed the pair kissing outside a London restaurant.

Real Housewives of Rhode Island star Kelsey Swanson is officially a one-man woman.

“I’m only in one relationship now,” Kelsey told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of last month’s RHORI premiere. “You’ll see as the season progresses where that goes, but I am in a relationship. [I have a] boyfriend, I will label it that, but not married, and no kids.”

The Sunday, May 3 episode of RHORI offered more insight into Kelsey as she moved on from an “unconventional” 10-year relationship which turned her into “a lady of leisure.”

Kelsey and her ex were able to date other people while they were together, but during Sunday’s episode she explained that he was dating “more people than she initially” thought.

“I want [a] real solid relationship, like I have to make a move now, for me,” Kelsey said in her confessional on Sunday. Her ex said that she was making “the right decision” for her future.

“He didn’t even fight it,” she said. (Aside from her ex, who didn’t make an appearance on the Bravo show, Kelsey introduced viewers to William “Bill” L’Europa, who was referred to as her boyfriend during Sunday’s episode.)

Kelsey told Us that the “hardest” part of her post-breakup transition was moving out of her ex’s mansion.

“I handle change very well, believe it or not. It’s just thatI didn’t want to handle it,” she said, “I didn’t want to have to. Especially the timing of everything just sucks. I think I handled it well. It was just a s***** situation to be in.”

The first episode of RHORI featured Kelsey sharing the house’s specs during her confessional.

“Living in a 16,000-square-foot home, the house literally has everything that I need. Four kitchens, 79 TVs, the closet — the best part,” she said at the time. “My boyfriend’s family is probably one of the most prominent families in the state of Rhode Island, and he has allowed me to live a life of not being able to work.”

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During Sunday’s episode, Kelsey broke down in tears while moving out of her ex’s home. She cried, telling costar Liz McGraw that she’s “happy” and “sad” about the situation.

“Leaving this mansion, I am terrified. I lived with my parents until I met my boyfriend. I was 20 and I went straight from my parents house to his house,” Kelsey said in her confessional. “This is the first time where I’m taking that step and, literally, am going to be solo.”

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island premiere via Bravo on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET and stream via Peacock the next day.

Euphoria introduced Grace Van Patten‘s sister Anna Van Patten by having her character involved in a brutal group sex scene with multiple men.

During the Sunday, May 3, episode of the hit HBO series, Kitty (Anna Van Patten) joined the club after Angel (Priscilla Delgado) disappeared from rehab. She initially was meant to dance for the customers at the strip joint but then a group of four men hired her to join them in a private room.

Kitty was then seen taking ketamine before the men took turns having sex with her. Rue (Zendaya) watched the brutal situation unfold on the cameras in the back. She then tried to offer help to Kitty — even asking if she was forced to work at the club — but the new dancer blew off her concerns.

Things take a turn for the worst when a robbery took place at the club. The manager got shot and Rue ultimately realized that Laurie was to blame. Elsewhere in the episode, Maddy (Alexa Demie) took Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) under her wing, which resulted in her gaining tons of new subscribers on OnlyFans.

Euphoria, which premiered in 2019, originally followed troubled high school student Rue as she struggled to remain sober after rehab. The hit HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season after its premiere, but it took nearly three years for the next batch of episodes to air.

Season 3 was originally set to air on HBO in 2025 before facing several obstacles, including creator Sam Levinson’s commitment to his short-lived series The Idol. The dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which took place in late 2023, also prolonged the delay.

Since season 2 concluded, the cast went through a loss when Angus Cloud died at age 25 in July 2023 following an accidental overdose. The show is expected to address the fate of his character, Fezco, while Eric Dane‘s Cal made an appearance in the trailer one month after the actor’s death following a battle with ALS. He was 53.

“Some people ask why it took so long between seasons 2 and 3. There were obvious factors — the strikes, trying to make a schedule work with our very in-demand cast, but the real time was in trying to figure out how to find a way to pay respect to those who we lost,” Levinson said in a speech at the season 3 premiere in April 2026.

Related: ‘Euphoria’ Tragedies: Most Shocking Deaths Through the Years

The Euphoria cast and crew have mourned the deaths of some of their colleagues over the years. Euphoria, which premiered in 2019, originally followed troubled high school student Rue (Zendaya) as she struggled to remain sober after rehab. The hit HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season after its premiere, but it took […]

He continued: “When Angus died, it was tough. I loved him deeply, and I fought hard to keep him clean. The year he died, in 2023, he was one of 73,000 people in America who died of a fentanyl overdose. I learned a whole lot that year, but what I realized more than anything is that death is what gives life meaning. You can’t be arrogant about existence. You’re forced to reckon with the fact that life itself is a wonder, a gift, a profound blessing.”

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Levinson also explained how the show will pay tribute on screen.

“There are a lot of scenes where people are either talking to him on the phone,” he told Variety about the decision for Fez to still be part of the story. “I thought that if I couldn’t keep him alive in life then maybe within this show that I can control and keep him alive there. I think the whole thing was to honor him and also I can’t wait for you to see the last few episodes. I think he would be cracking up at his story line. I think he would love it.”

Euphoria airs on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

The Met Gala curse has become a popular online theory suggesting that celebrity couples who attend the event together are doomed to break up shortly after. Over the years, several high-profile splits have fueled the speculation, giving the idea a life of its own across social media.

However, the pattern may be more coincidence than curse, as many couples who have walked the Met Gala red carpet together have gone on to stay happily together. Nevertheless, the speculation continues to trend online.

Yellowstone‘s Marshals spinoff shocked viewers with a dangerous ranch fire that resulted in country singer Riley Green‘s character Garrett suffering from second degree burns.

During the Sunday, May 3, episode of the hit CBS series, Kayce (Luke Grimes) saw a fire break out in a barn on his property. He rushed over as Garrett was helping the horses in the stable escape but then things took a turn. Garrett was caught under a beam that fell and he subsequently suffered second degree burns.

The rest of the episode showed Garrett’s loved ones concerned about his health — and his lungs — after a doctor noted that there was internal damage in addition to external. It remains to be seen how much of a health scare Garrett is going through.

Marshals marks Green’s acting debut — with him appearing in multiple episodes this season.

Related: Who Does Country Singer Riley Green Play on ‘Marshals’? Role Explained

Yellowstone‘s Marshals spinoff has already featured guest appearances from country stars — but who does musician Riley Green play? During the Sunday, March 8, episode of the Yellowstone spinoff, Cal (Logan Marshall-Green) and Andrea (Ash Santos) shared a drink at the local bar — the Four Sixes — country singer Ashley Cooke performed her song […]

“I’m so excited to be joining the cast of Marshals. Being on set with my buddy Luke Grimes made the experience even more memorable,” Green said in a statement in February. “This is my first go around in the acting space and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to this world.”

Green plays former Navy SEAL Garrett, who arrives at the ranch hoping to lean on his friends Kayce Dutton and Cal to help “put the demons of his past to rest,” according to the official character description.

“It happened really organically. It was through Luke Grimes, who’s become a real good buddy of mine,” Green told People in April about how his role on the show came to be. “He’s starting his music career and was starting to come to Nashville and doing some cowriting and stuff. I was trying to help him out in that world a little bit with some people that I knew. He was like, ‘Man, you should try acting, you know? I think you’d be good at it.’ I was already kind of putting thought into that.”

Green recalled everyone being “so welcoming” to him on set as he balanced acting and performing.

“A lot of my music career, other than writing new songs and adding things to a set, there’s a lot of monotony of playing the same songs over and over again, showing in and out during a tour,” he shared. “This is something that’s brand new every day.”

After meeting with an acting coach, Green was taught not to “worry so much about the lines” and instead focus on responding “to what the other person says.” Green also teased how his character has “a lot of vulnerability,” in addition to his extensive military experience.

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“He’d been through a lot and had a lot of problems and that’s not the easiest thing to just jump into,” Green noted. “I certainly think there would have been characters that would have been easier for me to sort of tap into that were more similar to me.”

He continued: “This guy was somebody that really had a lot of deep emotional problems from things that had happened to him in the past. And when you haven’t lived those, you really kind of just rely on feedback from other people in the room.”

Marshals airs on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

Each year, the annual Met Gala encourages Hollywood’s finest to make an unforgettable appearance that coincides with the theme of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

From “Camp: Notes on Fashion” in 2019 to “Punk: Chaos to Couture” in 2013, stars bring their A-game to the fundraiser.

Outrageous looks have almost become an essential part of the stylish night. With the imaginations of fashion’s most creative designers behind them, stars have sported everything from backless chaps to pope attire.

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The “China: Through the Looking Glass” collection in 2015 brought forth some seriously wild looks. Sarah Jessica Parker arrived in a Philip Treacy headpiece that featured a mohawk and a custom H&M dress that she helped design. Rihanna turned heads in a bright yellow Guo Pei Couture number that had a train over eight feet long. And you could hardly see Solange Knowles’ head peeking out of her structured Giles dress.

Possibly the funkiest theme of all was 2019’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion.” Katy Perry made headlines for wearing a Jeremy Scott ensemble featuring a 3-D chandelier that even lit up. From Tiffany Haddish’s Michael Kors sparkly suit to Cardi B‘s Thom Browne mattress dress, it’s nearly impossible to narrow down the wild looks.

These are just a few of the wacky and cool outfits that have stood out through the years. But to see all the wildest, greatest and completely absurd looks to grace the Met Gala red carpet, keep scrolling.

If you’re of a certain age, there’s a very good chance you’ve read William Golding‘s classic 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, which has been required reading in many schools. The book, about a group of young boys stranded on an island after a plane crash, has inspired many other works since, including Showtime’s Yellowjackets. It’s also been adapted a few times on screen, most notably via films in 1963 and 1990. Now, Lord of the Flies is back as a four-part miniseries set to premiere on Netflix in the U.S., and if you’ve read the book, you know what to expect. Not content to simply let things play out exactly as they do in the novel, though, creator Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and director Marc Munden (The Secret Garden) take some creative risks that don’t always work.

What Is ‘Lord of the Flies’ About?

The first thing this new version of Lord of the Flies does right is that it doesn’t give in to temptation and update the source material for the modern age. The miniseries isn’t set in the 21st century, with whiny kids missing their cellphones. The BBC is involved, which means it’s not Americanized either. Lord of the Flies isn’t interested in slowly establishing the characters before hitting viewers with the inciting incident. From the first scene, the plane crash has already happened, with the focus on a survivor lying in the muck.

Each of the miniseries’ four episodes revolves around a different major character. The premiere revolves around Piggy (David McKenna), a short kid with asthma and the smarts to lead everyone, if only the others would listen. In the second episode, the plot shifts to Jack (Lox Pratt), the angry blonde kid and head of the boys’ choir, who quickly assumes leadership of the hunters. Episode 3 belongs to Simon (Ike Talbut), a boy torn between two sides and mentally breaking down, while the finale centers on Ralph (Winston Sawyer) as he struggles to hold on to his role as chief.

This approach allows for an understanding of how different personalities adjust to being stranded when they’re much too young to process the situation. Some rise to lead, while others crumble and let selfish desires take over. Piggy is the brains of the group, but isn’t respected because of his appearance. Increasingly, it’s him and Ralph against the insanity spreading in Jack’s group. How many of them will make it out alive?

‘Lord of the Flies’ Doesn’t Try to Modernize the Story

How do you add something new to such a well-known story, especially when the choice has been made not to modernize it? In some respects, you don’t. Munden and Thorne seem to recognize this and allow this tale to mostly play out as is, since throwing in too many ideas would cut a classic off at the knees. Golding’s story stands on its own, and its powerful themes about societal breakdown remain timely today.

Still, this Lord of the Flies adaptation is more than a simple, straightforward retelling; it’s a work of art. Munden contributes an impressive cinematic flair that becomes its own character at points. Shots twist or go fuzzy in the chaos. Colors brighten or become more saturated when one character starts to fall apart. When the group of survivors is being introduced, the camera often finds them, one by one, in uncomfortable close-ups on numb faces, like end-of-the-world school photos.

The score, created in part by the iconic Hans Zimmer, has the same unnerving personality. It’s never too aggressive, but it doesn’t allow the viewer to relax either. It begins with simple woodwinds and strings, putting the audience in the story’s era, before becoming more frantic, reaching a crescendo of horror in later episodes. These artistic touches are a treat for the eyes and ears, but they also feel a bit too overwrought at times, mostly as a consequence of the overall series length.

‘Lord of the Flies’ Phenomenal Young Cast Keeps the Miniseries Afloat

Image via Netflix

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Golding’s novel is just 224 pages long, which means that Lord of the Flies works perfectly as a two-hour film. As a four-hour miniseries, the story is strained midway through, with repetitive scenes and meandering shots leading up to bigger moments. There’s one crucial scene where the new adaptation goes in a direction it should’ve avoided. Rather than being sudden and terrifying, it’s drawn out too long, with prolonged goodbyes that diminish the immediate shock of the original moment, removing the pain of immediacy where things can go to hell in an instant. It’s the only time when the miniseries makes a misstep, becoming too modernized after rejecting it elsewhere.

Thankfully, this divergence can be somewhat forgiven due to the young cast’s phenomenal performances. Talbut’s wide eyes convey Simon’s breakdown, while Sawyer displays the calm and steadiness that make Ralph a chosen chief. Yet Lord of the Flies is especially buoyed by two cast members. Lox Pratt’s Jack is awful in the best way possible. He’s a horrible jerk, a selfish kid who deserves the worst, yet he’s also shown to be scared and weak when he’s not showing off. It’s easy to see why Pratt was cast as Draco Malfoy in the new Harry Potter TV series. McKenna’s Piggy is the tragic heart of Lord of the Flies, and the miniseries is at its best every time it finds him. The character is wise beyond his years, a lonely soul forced to grow up all too young, all conveyed without the necessity of dialogue.

Another adaptation of Lord of the Flies arguably isn’t necessary, especially if you’re already familiar with the story, but this new interpretation is a solid way in for the uninitiated. Its cinematic style is effective, and its performances are outstanding. If its four episodes had been a bit shorter, and a few changes to the source material had been reversed, Lord of the Flies could have achieved greatness; instead, it settles for being pretty good.

Lord of the Flies is now streaming on Netflix.

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Release Date

2026 – 2026-00-00

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Network

BBC One

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Directors

Marc Munden

Writers

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Jack Thorne

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Cast

• 
• 

  David McKenna

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  Nicholas (Piggy)

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Pros & Cons

• The plot stays in its era and isn’t modernized.
• Marc Munden adds an unnerving cinematic flare to many shots.
• The score, made in part by Hans Zimmer, becomes chilling when needed.
• The performances, especially from David McKenna and Lox Pratt, are superb.

• The episodes are a little too long, causing the story to drag in the middle.
• One death scene is altered and too drawn-out, thus lessening the impact.

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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Lord of the Flies.

Thorne is the type of writer who likes to shake things up while he embraces the chaos of never knowing what’s next until it presents itself. That approach to his career has done him well throughout the last 25 years, and has led to a wide variety of projects, genres, and mediums — with everything from the award-winning Adolescence and Netflix’s Lord of the Flies to three Enola Holmes movies, the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and The Beatles’ upcoming cinematic universe (featuring one biopic each for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) for director Sam Mendes.

Thorne sat down with me for an in-depth conversation digging deep into his process of adapting Lord of the Flies and the choices and changes he made. He also discussed why the conversations surrounding Adolescence felt special, how there were never plans to continue that story beyond what they have already released to the world, how impressed he was with Owen Cooper’s stand-out performance in Adolescence as well as the young ensemble in Lord of the Flies, putting his trust in Mendes for The Beatles films, and why Ang Lee is one of his heroes.

‘Lord of the Flies’ Is a Story With Deep Personal Significance for Writer Thorne

“That has been the book, all my life. It’s one that’s lived with me in lots of different ways.”

Image via Netflix

COLLIDER: Lord of the Flies feels like one of those stories that we all know the story of, whether we’ve actually read it or watched the previous movies. When did you first become aware of the story, and what did it mean to you before doing this?

JACK THORNE: I read this as an 11-year-old. I didn’t study it in school, but my mom was a supply English teacher at Portway English Department. My copy of Lord of the Flies had Portway English Department stamped on the inside cover because my mom stole it, which I think is apt for Lord of the Flies. It was really my mom’s stolen copy. When I read it, I remember the sensation of feeling like the writer had gotten into me somehow. I felt like Simon. I felt profoundly like Simon. I was an autistic kid. I wasn’t particularly adept at dealing with other people and being in social situations at all. I did look for the other in quite a lot of my life. I did reach for the other. And so, I remember this feeling of feeling like I was Simon, and then Simon gets killed. I didn’t understand what had happened, but there’s the line about his silvery body drifting out to sea and I remember going, “Oh, shit.” I’ve never forgotten that feeling.

I tried to make Lord of the Flies before. I tried to make it about 15 years ago for Channel 4, but we couldn’t get the rights. Joel [Wilson], who’s a very close friend of mine as well as an executive producer for this project, it was his company that made it. We were having Sunday lunch at his house, and he said to me, “What’s the one book?” And I said, “Lord of the Flies.” That has been the book, all my life. It’s one that’s lived with me in lots of different ways, with lots of different ways of telling it.

Were there aspects of the Lord of the Flies story that couldn’t make it into the films because of time that you knew you wanted to include in this, because you did have more time?

THORNE: Yeah, lots. The films are both very interesting, but there’s so much in every page of [William] Golding’s book that I wanted to spend time with. That was particularly true of Jack. It’s not just the difference between time in film versus TV. It’s the difference in terms of the vocabulary of television and what that chapter format can do, which I’m always obsessed with when I’m starting a project. I like to work out the story and know what I’m going to tell, but then figure out what the chapters are. That thing of spending the second chapter with Jack, which was the big revelation for me at the start of the journey, when we were working out how to pitch to them, and understanding Jack came from the book. Golding was talking about Jack’s emotion after the argument at the fire and Jack walking away from the fire and the fire having gone out. The way Golding described Jack’s face and emotion, at that point, I was like, “I don’t think I understood it properly. I need to revisit the book from the beginning again.” Just that thing of being able to spend time with and give insight to those characters felt like the treat of doing it on television.

Thorne Wanted To Explore the Tenderness in ‘Lord of the Flies’

“That was the discovery I made reading it as an adult.”

Image via Netflix

You’ve previously said that this story is a remarkably tender portrait of young boys, and I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anybody describe Lord of the Flies in that way. If you went into writing this with that perspective, did it feel like that shaped the way you told the whole story?

THORNE: That was the discovery I made reading it as an adult. As a child, I was like, “I’m Simon. The world hates me. This book makes sense to me.” As an adult, when I read it, I could see bits of Jack that I refused to look at as a kid. And I could see bits of Ralph that are less kind than I expected. I honed in on that and saw the tenderness. I think there’s one character [Golding] doesn’t like, which is Roger. I think he actually quite liked Jack in some ways. I think he certainly likes Ralph, and I think he loves Piggy, and he loves Simon. I just wanted to understand that perspective and get inside what I saw as his tenderness as a writer.

As you decided to do these chapters and focus each one on a different one of the boys, did you immediately know the order you wanted to do that in?

THORNE: No. Where Ralph sat was the trickiest decision of all. Simon was the obvious one. Simon had to be chapter three, and the death of Simon had to be chapter three. With Jack, it felt like chapter two would be interesting. There was something about the hunt and the going out of the fire that felt very Jack. And then, with Piggy and Ralph, they could belong on either side. Ralph is the lead character of the show and not giving them an episode until the last episode felt like a brutal decision that I wouldn’t have made if I was coming at this as an original writer. But then, it was about following the book because the book was telling me, and Ralph is the end of it. Golding does something really interesting with Ralph, towards the end of the book, in that he tells us about his home life, just briefly, just a little bit. It’s the moment when Golding is pointing a spotlight at him in lots of ways, as he’s trying to survive and trying to work out the cost of survival. So, Piggy starts it and Ralph ends it.

You’ve talked about how this is a story about the moments when these young boys lose themselves and become stuck in a situation they can’t control. It also feels like you’re watching a story specifically about how they deal with that situation at the age they’re at because they likely would have dealt with it differently if they were older and had more or different life experiences. Do you feel like that influenced the casting of these characters? What did you think of this cast? What was it like to see what you saw in your head brought to life by them?

THORNE: Really inspiring and really difficult. There were moments when I wanted to leave the room because it was not what I wanted it to be. Luckily, I was surrounded by colleagues who are made of stronger stuff than I am and had faith in the process. The interesting thing was that there were certain actors where you just went, “Oh, there’s Simon.” When we saw Ike [Talbut] for the first time, we went, “Oh, there’s Simon.” There was this chemical reaction to him. Similarly, with David [McKenna], who plays Piggy, we just went, “Oh, that’s Piggy.” And then, we spent time with him and realized how wonderful he is. That kid stole everyone’s heart.

With the other two, the fascinating thing about the process is that Winston [Sawyers} and Lox [Pratt] auditioned for both parts quite a number of times. We were swapping them around because we were like, “These are two sensational actors. How the hell do we decide who they should play?” The beautiful thing about the process was that, at the end of it, we weren’t taking four kids or eight kids. We were taking 40 kids. With so many of the other parts, they were so close to playing a Jack or a Maurice or a Roger. (Director) Marc [Munden] used them in such sensational ways, really spending time on their faces.

How did the experience compare to watching Owen Cooper tackle Adolescence?

THORNE: We started filming on Adolescence with Episode 3. That was literally, “Let’s boil the poor boy in acid and see how he does.” Luckily, Owen was and is sensational. It was so interesting watching Phil [Barantini] direct Owen because what Phil did was give all his notes to Owen and no notes at all to Erin [Doherty]. So, in that crucial scene, Erin just literally had to riff off of what Owen was giving her. Because she’s so wonderful, she could take whatever he gave.

With Lord of the Flies, we had young actors who were younger than Owen, quite considerably younger than Owen, pre-pubescent boys in the literal sense, playing opposite boys. Owen was a young man, but these were boys. That is so hard. It was boys playing opposite boys with 30 extras around them, all of whom were young people too, and none of whom wanted to keep still. The fact that they were able to do this, I can’t get over how good these actors are, in terms of the detail they found in their performances. That’s down to them and that’s down to the brilliance of Marc Mudnen.

Thorne Didn’t Set Out To Become the Voice of Boyhood Masculinity and Violence

“I’m fascinated by that age because I know its importance.”

Image via Netflix

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You’ve become known for penning complex portraits of masculinity and violence, but you’ve done so with young characters who are still in boyhood, who have not yet fully entered manhood. What is it that most compels you to tell stories like this about characters at this age or close to this age? Do you think you’ll make it a trilogy and do another project, or do you want to do a comedy?

THORNE: I think I’ve hung up my boots for now. It was an accident. It wasn’t like I set out to do it. I was doing Lord of the Flies before I was doing Adolescence. As soon as Stephen [Graham] talked to me about doing Adolescence, I was in. Some people plan their careers. Other people have a chaotic relationship with their careers. I have a chaotic relationship with my career. I’m fascinated by that age because I know it’s importance. Because I didn’t really talk much at that age, I sat in the back and watched, so I feel like I saw many different colors of what that age was, just through sitting in the back of class and not being able to do it. I was desperate to have friends, and I was desperately bad at making friends. I was really bad at being 10. I was really bad at being 11. I was really bad at being 12, 13, 14 and 15. Those ages are concrete in my head because there was so much traumatic observation. Returning to that time and trying to find windows into it for my own sanity, but also because I think it’s really important, is something that hopefully I’ll continue to do, but with breaks to do other things.

The scene in Episode 3 that builds to the group of boys chanting, “Kill the beast, cut its throat, spill its blood,” is intense and animalistic. That murder is such a significant moment. What was it like to figure out how you wanted to handle that moment and how you wanted that to be seen?

THORNE: I can take very little credit for that. That’s down to the authorship of Marc Munden. I think film writers get too little credit, and I think TV directors get too little credit. I am in awe of the choices he made. It was the fourth thing we’ve done together, and I said to him, right at the beginning, “Make this yours.” That is an example of a moment when Marc just flew. I love what he did. I didn’t understand it when I first saw it. And then, slowly I found that clarity, and I was like, “This is incredible.” He went deep into the animal and found the animal. We also had an amazing choreographer, Polly [Bennett], who really led the boys and found a way of unleashing those kids. But that’s all down to the might of Marc Munden.

The end of Episode 4 is so interesting because they hit this wall of a reality check. Ralph is trying to hide from Jack, and then they find these adult men on the beach. It’s the moment when they realize the fun and games are over, and you see the fear and pain in Ralph’s eyes, and the other boys behind him don’t have the same emotion on their faces that he does. What was that ending moment like to see? What was it like to see how that played out?

THORNE: Winston is amazing in that moment. It’s largely the text from the book. We found a few more details in it, but largely we used Golding’s words at that moment. By that point, the kids were so deep in that Marc just trusted them to make their choices as they moved towards the boat. I loved how Thomas [Connor], who plays Roger, the worst of them all, just immediately disrobed and was like, “Okay, I’ll go do that now.” And then, the two that can’t move are Jack and Ralph, for totally different reasons. Lox is beautiful in that moment, as he’s standing there completely lost. His shoulders change from being ones of a warrior to being ones of a child again. And Winston is just looking up with total responsibility for something that he’s not responsible for. He’s grown and changed. I love that moment. I can take small credit for it because it’s about those incredible actors, and it’s about Marc.

The Conversations Surrounding ‘Adolescence’ Felt Very Special to Thorne

“Everyone that saw it wanted to talk to me about it. I got emails from friends from school that I hadn’t spoken to for years.”

Image via Netflix

What was it like for you to see the reaction to Adolescence, from the viewers, from the critics, and from all the awards show love? Have you been surprised by all the talk about people wanting another season of that? Was that something that had ever even occurred to you when you wrote it?

THORNE: No, we wrote it to finish with Episode 4. We were pretty sure it should end in Episode 4, and nothing has changed our mind about that. But it was amazing. It’s like nothing I’ve ever encountered before. When you make a TV show, you don’t actually hear from that many people. When you make theater, you’ve got a relationship with the audience that just builds and builds. There was a moment when social media was nice, and you had a relationship with the audience on social media. Now, you get emails from a few people – friends, colleagues, people who get it. Sometimes you get surprising emails. I’ve gotten a few surprising emails about Lord of the Flies, but you don’t get that many. You just sit there in your own silence and go, “Okay, well that was a thing.”

With Adolescence, everyone who saw it wanted to talk to me about it. I got emails from friends from school that I hadn’t spoken to for years – the few friends I did have – saying, “I just had a conversation with my 13-year-old that I’ve needed to have for a very long time,” or “I’ve just spoken to my 16-year-old, and they broke down in tears.” To be part of that conversation just felt so special. It was lovely. Stephen and I talked about wanting to make sofa shows because we both grew up on the sofa beside our mums watching tele. To have made a sofa show was hugely important to us and hugely gratifying too.

How did you end up involved with the Stranger Things stage play? You do theater, but you didn’t work on that series, so how did that happen?

THORNE: Because of Harry Potter, their idea was that I might be useful, in terms of working out how to translate stories to the stage. I think I was useful at the beginning when we were talking about it, and then Kate [Trefry] made it her own in a wonderful way.

What was that experience like? Did you see the show?

THORNE: Oh, yeah. The first preview was amazing. It was the same with Harry Potter. When you’re in a room that’s hearing the story for the first time, and you’re surrounded by people that are really passionate about the story, and the Stranger Things audience is massively different from the Harry Potter audience, but you’re seeing them feel their way through it and I love that. It’s like being at a rock concert for about five minutes. It’s very special. I loved it. What happens in the next few years, as AI becomes more powerful, is going to be very interesting, whether the live experience suddenly becomes much more important. That will be fascinating and seems likely. How we translate all our storytelling is going to be interesting.

You’re also getting to create a Beatles cinematic universe, with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr each getting their own biopics. Is that something you had ever imagined yourself doing?

THORNE: It’s amazing. The truth is, in (director) Sam Mendes we trust. He’s the heart and soul of it. I’m very lucky. Me and Sam worked on a play together, called The Motive and the Cue, that was very, very important to me and taught me a lot about the sort of writer I wanted to be. And then, he was kind enough to invite me in to be part of the Beatles. It’s been amazing.

What is the writing process like when those are the characters that you have in your head?

THORNE: I can’t talk about it more than I’ve talked about it, I don’t think.

Just regarding the process, does it feel more challenging when you are thinking of actual people, especially when they’re such famous people?

THORNE: It depends. Every project is different. The places you get stuck are different on every project, whether it’s fictional or non-fictional. Sometimes the story doesn’t break down in the way that you want it to when you’re in the non-fiction world, or in the based-on world, and sometimes it gives you treats that you’re not expecting. Each has its own rewards. I did a show last year, called Toxic Town, that was about a group of women fighting their council, and the interesting thing about it was, every time you needed something to be there, it was, but it didn’t behave itself.

I try to take those lessons into my fictional telling as well. The stories shouldn’t behave themselves because people understand the rhythm of stories. If you’re telling stories that are rhythmically similar to everything they know, then they know when to pick up their phones and look at social media and get absorbed in other things. They go, “Well, I need to concentrate at minute 10 and minute 25, and then probably by minute 52, and the rest of the time, it’s meat on the bones. The bones are what I need to really concentrate on, and I know when those bones are going to hit.”

One of Thorne’s Heroes Is Filmmaker Ang Lee, and He Hopes To Continue Emulating His Approach to Storytelling

“The thing I love about Ang Lee is that he moves between different spaces and learns from those different spaces.”

Image via Netflix

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It feels like you’re doing these different projects from such different approaches. With The Beatles, they’re real people who are also very famous. With Stranger Things, it’s for the stage. With Lord of the Flies, you’re working from source material. With the Enola Holmes films, your character is growing and developing while your actor is growing and developing. You aren’t stuck in just one type of thing.

THORNE: No. One of my heroes is Ang Lee. The thing I love about Ang Lee is that he moves between different spaces and learns from those different spaces, which helps him when he’s telling us whatever kind of story he’s telling. He’s got an understanding of the rhythm, but he’s also learning the rhythm at the same time, rather than settling into it. That’s what I want to do. I want to keep fresh and keep that sense of the new in me because I want to keep doing it, and I love it. When I talked about chaos, I literally don’t know what I’m doing next. I’m always like, “Oh, right, this. This is the thing.” I’ll get a call from [someone], and suddenly I’m like, “Oh, right, this is what I’m doing now.” I really like that. That excitement is still in me. Twenty-five years into my writing career, I’m really lucky that that’s the case.

Lord of the Flies is available to stream on Netflix.

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Release Date

2026 – 2026-00-00

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Network

BBC One

Directors

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Marc Munden

Writers

Jack Thorne

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Cast

• 
• 

  David McKenna

  Nicholas (Piggy)

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