‘Fatal Attraction’ Co-Star Alyssa Jirrels On Exploring a Legacy of Trauma, Therapy, and That Shocking Twist Ending

Just so you know, there’s no boiling bunny in Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction re-imagining.

That was, of course, a relief to Alyssa Jirrels who plays Ellen Gallagher, the daughter of Dan (Joshua Jackson) and Beth (Amanda Peet) Gallagher whose lives are all torn apart thanks to Dan’s infidelity with Alex Forrest (Lizzy Caplan). In the original film, the unbalanced Alex (originally played by Glenn Close) breaks into Dan’s (Michael Douglas) home and cooks Ellen’s new bunny. But the series avoids such trauma for grown-up Ellen.

Don’t worry. Jirrels’s Ellen has all kinds of trauma of her own to process.

Here, in an interview with Awards Daily, Jirrels talks about her process in defining the character without the shadow of the original film looming over her. She talks about the inherent contradictions and complexities within the character and why that was so fascinating to play. She also talks about working closely with Joshua Jackson and what she learned through the process. Finally, she talks about the choices she made throughout filming to ensure the shocking twist ending would make sense to viewers.

Jirrels’s performance initially provides a strong supporting presence as her character reacts to the world and the legacy of childhood trauma around her. Yet, as the series progresses, she subtly shifts into more of a dominating, compelling presence as Ellen becomes a unique character all of her own.

Her Ellen will not be ignored.

Fatal Attraction season one streams in its entirety on Paramount+.