How Does Ted Bundy’s Former Girlfriend Really Feel About Zac Efron’s Extremely Wicked?
Ted Bundy’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall has broken her silence on Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Kendall’s 1981 memoir, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, is what the Joe Berlinger-directed Netflix movie is based on. The movie is told through Kendall’s perspective and it offers a unique view into the world of Bundy, who was played by Zac Efron. Kendall is played by actress Lily Collins.
The Phantom Prince had been out of print for decades by the time Joe Berlinger approached Elizabeth Kendall about the movie. With the success of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Kendall decided that now was a good time to reissue her memoir about her time with Ted Bundy. Within the reprint of the book, Kendall revealed her thoughts on the movie and how the project came to be. She says, “if the story was going to be told again, the only way we could influence the outcome was to work with the film and documentary makers.” She then states, “We decided this was the most empowering way to proceed.” Kendall’s daughter Molly also took part in the discussions.
As for how she felt about Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Elizabeth Kendall enjoyed it, which is pretty rare when someone’s life story is told on the big screen. The Ted Bundy story has been told many times, but not through the perspective of Kendall. When looking back on the movie, Bundy’s ex-girlfriend feels that it did a good job of capturing the serial killer’s life. She had this to say.
“It was well-directed and well-acted. We were left with the feeling that Zac Efron and Lily Collins got it right.”
While Elizabeth Kendall is happy with the way Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile came out, she does admit that there were some things that did not make it to the screen, along with some things that were dramatized. She says, “We realized that with the dramatization of a true story, things must be omitted, condensed, or combined to help the story fit within time constraints,” and that’s why they “decided it was essential that we tell our story in our own words as we experienced it.” This directly led to the reissue of her memoir. It also led to her participating in another Ted Bundy project coming up on Amazon titled Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile director Joe Berlinger is happy that Elizabeth Kendall enjoyed the movie. Berlinger notes, “I was delighted. Molly had reached out to me to tell me.” The director went on to say, “I’m very happy that they were satisfied with the portraits, in part, because there’s been some criticism of the movie.”
The criticism that Berlinger speaks of revolved around the casting of Zac Efron and making Ted Bundy “too hot.” But, as Kendall, or anyone else who knew Bundy knows, this was a part of the serial killer’s charm. Entertainment Tonight was the first to report on Elizabeth Kendall’s thoughts on Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
Article source: https://movieweb.com/extremely-wicked-shockingly-evil-vile-elizabeth-kendall-responds/