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Trigger Warning: This article contains themes that some readers may find distressing.
Amanda Knox has spoken out against the Matt Damon-fronted film Stillwater, which was based on her own story.
British student Meredith Kercher was sexually assaulted and killed in the Italian city of Perugia, where she was living during an exchange scheme with the University of Leeds.
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Almost fourteen years to the day of Meredith's murder, the journalist and podcaster spoke to Radio 4's Emma Barnett about the film, the tabloids and getting recognised on the street.
Stillwater premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021, after being delayed due to COVID.
The film stars Matt Damon as an unemployed oil-rig worker, who sets out to prove his daughter's innocence after she's convicted of killing her roommate and lover. Abigail Breslin (of Scream Queens fame) plays Allison - the Amanda Knox character.
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The film was well-received by critics, earning a 75% approval rate from Rotten Tomatoes. Despite it's critical acclaim, Amanda has publicly distanced herself from the story.
Speaking to Woman's Hour, she bashed the creators for allegedly cashing in on her experience. "The most traumatic experiences of people’s lives are treated like entertainment for content mills," she said.
She dubbed herself a 'tabloid entity', stating that the producers "spent a long time on the Matt Damon character, but they didn't bother to reach out to me".
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She accused the writers of making it "all about" her, and de-focusing the story from "a real human being who was killed".
"It's amazing how human beings' identities are stolen for the film industry", she continued. "They've basically taken the most salacious (sexually inappropriate) version of the case against me and turned it into another consumable product."
Amanda further spoke out about her frustration on how she was generally portrayed as the case was playing out. "I’ve been an idea of a person that people can project their fears and fantasies onto," she said. "A woman accused of a violent sex crime; a sexually active girl."
An alleged acquaintance of Meredith's, Rudy Guede, received a life sentence for her murder in 2008. In December 2020, an Italian court allowed him to carry out the rest of his sentence doing community service. Amanda and Meredith's partner, Raffaele Sollecito, were both implicated in the murder at the time of Guede's conviction.
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The podcaster stated that Meredith's story had faded into the background, as the media allegedly tried to distort the narrative. "I was portrayed as this sexually obsessed lustful uninhibited wh*re," she said.
The podcaster then publicly extended an olive branch to Matt Damon himself. "We should talk," she said.
"I want [you] to know that I'm someone who's approachable. I'm not going to judge you."
The full Amanda Knox interview is available to stream on BBC Sounds.
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Tyla has reached out to Matt Damon and Participant Production's representatives for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Credit: AlamyTopics: News