Lucio (the King) in a scene from the movie “Ripley”.
Netflix limited series Ripley It features a cat named King, whose presence on the show means more than viewers might think.
Its events take place in the sixties of the twentieth century, Ripley -Director Steve Zaillian's black-and-white adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's classic 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley – Stars Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, a New York City con man who has fallen on hard times.
But Ripley's fortunes change when, by a stroke of dumb luck, he is hired by a wealthy shipping tycoon, Herbert Greenleaf (Kenneth Lonergan), to travel to Italy to persuade his wandering son Dickie (Johnny Flynn) to return home.
After becoming obsessed with the younger Greenleaf's lavish European lifestyle, Ripley develops a sinister plan to steal Dickie's identity. Dakota Fanning also stars Ripley Like Marge Sherwood, a fellow American is skeptical of Ripley's actions.
King – a Maine Coon cat – plays Lucio Ripley. The big cat appears in the miniseries' ominous intro scene watching Ripley drag a body down a flight of stairs. Then the cat returns in the fifth episode.
In an interview with Hollywood ReporterZaillian emphasized why the majestic cat was such an essential part of Ripley.
“I wrote the cat in the scripts, and I did so with some trepidation,” Zaillian said. THR. “I had the idea that the only witnesses to Tom's crimes were animals who couldn't testify and people who might not feel comfortable testifying. The cat, of course, was the trickster.
Zaillian says finding the right cat to play Lucio was not easy
Discuss its use of the king in Ripley with THRSteven Zaillian said the cat needed to be recast twice before the titular cat got the role.
“Cat owners would bring cats into the office and think you want them to do tricks,” Zaillian recalled to the trade publication. “But what we wanted was a cat that could be calm and comfortable around people and cameras.”
All eight episodes of Ripley It is streaming on Netflix. The series debuted at number seven on the Global TV Top 10 list for the week of April 1-7, attracting 2.3 million viewers, equivalent to 16.9 million hours of viewing.
The Talented Mr. Ripley It was previously adapted into the 1999 film of the same name starring Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood.
The 1999 film — which also stars Cate Blanchett and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in supporting roles — earned five Academy Award nominations, including a Best Adapted Screenplay nod for the late writer-director Anthony Minghella and Best Supporting Actor for the Act.
