Cruel Intentions, Prime Video’s reboot of the cult classic 1999 film (and its source material, the 1782 novel,Les Liaisons Dangereuses), is out in the wild, and fans are having a feast, eating up all the scandalous and salacious schemes of the depraved students at Manchester College, where young sociopaths are groomed to become the future leaders of America. Thankfully, all the manipulations and backbiting are handled with a satirical edge and comedic sensibilities that keep the show from getting too upsetting or disturbing for viewers.
The ensemble cast ofCruel IntentionsincludesBrooke Lena Johnson, who plays Beatrice Worth, a fiery student who decides to take on the entire “Greek System” of frat and sorority houses. She’s motivated partially out of populist righteousness, but also petty revenge, since she wasn’t allowed membership into her favored sorority house.
10 Biggest Differences Between Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions Show & The 1999 Movie
Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions TV show borrowed the premise of the 1999 movie of the same name, but it also made some big changes to it.
Screen Rant interviewed Brooke Lena Johnson on her work inCruel Intentions, as well as her larger career. She talks about Beatrice’s journey and how she hopes to see the character grow and change inseason 2 and beyond. She talks about her character’s sense of style and how “bohemian chic” can be a shockingly expensive look to achieve. She also discusses her trajectory through Hollywood, from her early days on the cult classic series, South of Hell, to her work in Renny Harlin’s ambitiousthree-part revival ofThe Strangershorror series.
Cruel Intentions Season 1 Post Mortem with Brooke Lena Johnson
“I just want people to see it. I want them to know everything that we worked on a year ago!”
Screen Rant: Is it nice to finally get to share with the world, you know, this thing that you worked on for such a long time?
Brooke Lena Johnson: Oh, totally. I feel like it’s always a waiting game. Once you do it, you’re like, “I just want people to see it. I want them to know everything that we worked on a year ago!” So it’s very fulfilling to have everything come out now and just have it be out there and live in the world. So, very excited about it.
Did you have pictures that were sitting on your phone waiting to go on Instagram, but you just had to wait until it came out?
Brooke Lena Johnson: (Laughs) Yes! There are folders where like, hey, I can post this now! Finally. That is definitely going up in the next like day or two. I’m like, yes, I can post all the behind the scenes. And I think that’s the exciting part, you know, because you want people to see the whole experience, not just the end product, too.
Let’s talk about Beatrice. She’s not directly based on anyone from the movie.Did that make it easier for you to play her, or was it more difficult that you didn’t have a performance to draw on? Not that you would draw on it on a one-to-one level or anything.
Brooke Lena Johnson: I feel like, for me, it was easier in a sense. I got to understand the tone and the power struggles from, you know, Dangerous Liaisons and Cruel Intentions, the movie. So I was able to watch that and just kind of channel in, what is this power struggle? What’s this society like? And then I got to put a spin on a very new perspective within that world that I don’t think has been done in any of the other iterations, where it’s someone trying to come up, head to head, on the same level as Caroline, but on a different side of the wall, in a sense.
I think that is really fun because it’s something that people aren’t expecting, and I think it can take the series in many different directions. And who doesn’t want to play a character like that? Beatrice was a really fun one to take on because I think she’s very strong on her views and her perspectives. And it comes from, you know, not just her feisty and fiery kind of spirit, but also a bit of revenge and a bit of the hate towards her foes. I think that’s needed in the show, for sure.
There’s that question about her, about whether she’s a rebel because she’s righteous and a believer, or if she’s pivoted towards revenge because she wasn’t allowed in the club, so to speak. Do you get to know for sure? Do you play it both ways, or does Beatrice herself kind of fluctuate from side to side?
Brooke Lena Johnson: I think she totally fluctuates. I don’t think she would drive it home so much if it was just a revenge plot, because at some point, you know, she’s been humiliated by them and humiliates herself, you know, she’s cutting her own bangs. She’s doing crazy things. There’s something there, you know what I mean? Anyone who’s done that [knows] that’s a special time when you just cut your bangs shorter. But I don’t think she would drive home these points as much if she didn’t truly believe in them.
I think she’s kind of seen the other side of the coin and is now like, “Hmm, this whole thing is messed up. How am I going to prove it? And it helps that she has just a little bit of the revenge motivation, because that’s going to give her just that extra little bit of driving force that I think she needs to keep going and powering through.
The revenge is, like, a perk of it.
Brooke Lena Johnson: Right. It’s the cherry on top.
I can see Beatrice wearing the Princess Diana revenge dress, if you remember that one…
Brooke Lena Johnson: Oh, I remember that one! Who doesn’t remember that?! For sure!
Brooke Lena Johnson’s Hopes For Cruel Intentions Season 2
“I think it will be all-out war next season.”
We’re finished with season 1. Looking back, you got to do some underhanded scheming, you made some friends, you made some enemies, you crashed a party, you made a sex tape…Is there anything that you’d like to see Beatrice do in season 2 that she hasn’t done yet?
Brooke Lena Johnson: I did a lot! I got busy this season! (Laughs) Ooh… What I love about Beatrice is that she is kind of spontaneous in what she’s going to do. I think that’s what’s really exciting for season 2. I think she can cause a lot of different chaotic energies to meet. I’m really looking forward to seeing who she uses in relationships coming up.
I think Beatrice and Annie have bonded over this shared ending, and I think she and Cece have kind of had a moment, too. I think Blaise and her might reconnect. I could see that happening. Even though they’ve been burned in the past, he’s kind of on the outs as well.
What I’m excited for is seeing the underdogs take the upper hand and see what kind of chaos Beatrice can really do then. Because once the underdogs all join together, then there’s no stopping them. That’s my opinion. (Laughs)
I liken the show to a chess game, but you kind of realize at the end that they’ve only just put the pieces on the board. People spent season 1 just figuring out which side they’re on, and next season - heaven willing - will be war.
Brooke Lena Johnson: Oh, right. Because now we know where everyone kind of stands and what pieces have been placed. I love that. I love that analogy. And I think what’s interesting is that, now we’ve kind of found out who lies on which side of the board and who is really going to make some dirty moves to get there, it will be all out war next season. God hoping!
Cruel Intentions' Brooke Lena Johnson On Beatrice’s Bohemian Chic Style
“Even though I’m wearing bohemian clothes, it’s still, like, $500 pants and a $1,000 headscarf.”
You mentioned cutting the bangs. Tell me about your character’s style, the hair, the clothes, and being different possibly for its own sake.
Brooke Lena Johnson: I love Beatrice’s style. It’s so cool to see how it develops. Uh, Michael Brown is a fantastic costume designer. Originally, we started her a little bit punky, that’s kind of what the mood boards were. That’s what we had initially drawn up. But upon meeting Michael and kind of chatting with him more and stuff, she kind of took on this more, almost Bohemian hippie kind of style, which I think really fits how she feels as someone opposing the upper class.
I think she tries to channel that because I do think she’s got a lot of rage, in a sense, and she has a very strong, like I said before, fiery passion. And I think she kind of tries to take on this more hippie laid back style in hopes that it will help her channel a bit more peace. I think her style fits into where she would love to be, but I think her energy is much more chaotic than that, to be honest with you. So I think it’s a good contrast between her character and how she dresses. You see her change, even from the first episode, you know, when she was trying to fit into that society and, you know, she’s in the pink low cut dress and trying to be very fashionable and “in,” and then you see her completely change her look to fit in with the own community that she’s created later.
Michael Brown and I really found Beatrice in those first few fittings. And from there, stepping into her clothes, was like, “Ah, this is it.” But the funniest part of it is, all of these kids are, are from this elite high-class society. And so even though I’m wearing “bohemian” clothes, it’s still, like, $500 pants and a $1,000 headscarf. Some of these things she might have thrifted, sure. But an Hermes headscarf? I don’t think so. Once again, she’s very opposite, opposing, and I think it’s because she’s been trying to find where her perspective lies and what she really agrees with and doesn’t. So I think that’s kind of a cool and very niche on her style.
I live in New York City and thrifting isn’t as cheap as it used to be.
Brooke Lena Johnson: I’m like, gosh, you walk into thrift stores now and… If you want a pair of jeans, back in the day, it was like
I love the way you described your character’s chaotic energy. If this show ends with the school getting burned to the ground, literally, I know who’s holding the match.
Brooke Lena Johnson: (Laughs) You know who held the match! I mean, you’re not wrong. You’re not wrong. But she’ll stand there with a sign being like, “I have a reason for doing this.”
I want to talk briefly about your wider career. You’re a rising star and this show is a big deal, but you’ve been hacking away at this for a while. Can you tell me about landing this “big break” and your road to get to this point?
Brooke Lena Johnson: Yeah. I mean, I’ve been doing it for at least, at least 10 years now. I worked, one of the first kind of big things that I did was a TV show called South of Hell. I did it with, it was Mena Suvari, and I was only 16 years old, and I was playing Satan on the show, which was such a… Hmm, fiery characters, I guess… I definitely think I fit into that a little bit! But coming from things like that and, you know, then I did a guest role on You and I’ve been plugging away at it in a lot of different ways.
But I grew up an athlete, so the perseverance and the resilience was kind of bred into me from a young age of. You have to just keep going, even if you don’t feel like you’ve had your big break yet, you have to keep on keeping on, keep pushing. And I think I’ve always lived by that. And so it’s really exciting now that things feel like they’re definitely picking up. Having The Strangers: Chapter 1 come out, having this show come out, a couple of things all at once, you know, it’s felt like a long road, but I’m grateful that I have that experience of growing up as an athlete, because I think it really set me up for, you know, the long road. It helped with building the foundation to this career that I want the rest of my life to live in. So that’s kind of my perspective on it.
That’s well said. I have those moments where it’s like, “I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, why don’t I have a fancy apartment yet?” But if you’re working as hard as you may, you’ve just got to hang in there.
Brooke Lena Johnson: “I’m in the right place!” you know, it’s just, it’s getting the right place, the right time, the right thing, all of it. For some people, that happens really quick and for others, it takes a long time, but you know, you have to rest assured that it’s going to happen at the time that it’s supposed to for you. You know, there’s some days that I fully am like, that is totally true, Brooke, you keep going. And there’s other days that I’m like, well, f*** it, why is my time not right now?! But if you don’t have that, then that means you’re not passionate about what you’re doing. And I think you have to have that passion and to sit in it, to sit through the good and the bad days.
Absolutely. I’m glad you mentionedThe Strangers… I know actors are always the last to know, but I don’t suppose you know whenChapter 2is coming out, do you?
Brooke Lena Johnson: I don’t. I wish I could tell you, but it’s true, you’re right, actors are the last to know… But I do know it is 2025. We should be here soon.
I love Renny. Renny is such a gem in the business, for sure. He’s been around a long time doing what he’s doing, but it’s because he knows what he’s doing! He’s got the vision behind it. So, it was really cool to work with him on The Strangers and to watch him him kind of look at it through that evil eye. (Laughs)
Is there anything that you feel that you learned from playing Beatrice that you could apply to your life?
Brooke Lena Johnson: Kind of mirroring what I had said before, I feel like she tries to push things without a lot of preparation sometimes, and I think she does it on a whim. And I think what I’ve learned from her is that it’s better to stay easy in the boat until you’re ready to strike.
I think there is a certain aspect to that with life. You need to build that preparation, build that foundation, build all of that, because then when your time to strike happens, you’ll be fully ready for it, and I think you’re going to have a better effect. And I think Beatrice learned that over time. She’s like, “You know what? I’m going to let them destroy themselves.” (Laughs) She even says as much. “Yeah, you know what? I’m going to sit back and watch that all play out. I know when my time to strike is.”
I don’t know if I fully learned it from her, but I think it reconfirmed what I was already feeling in life. I’m going to sit back and let that wave ride out.
More About Cruel Intentions Season 1
Cruel Intentions follows the elite students of Manchester College, a Washington, D.C.-adjacent university, where reputation means everything, fraternities and sororities are the gold standard, and two ruthless step-siblings, Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy. After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Greek Life system, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation – even if that means seducing Annie Grover, the daughter of the Vice President of the United States. Hearts will be broken, loyalties will be tested, and secrets will be revealed in this modern-day royal court that is Manchester College.Check out our otherCruel Intentionsinterviews here:
All episodes ofCruel Intentionsseason 1 are now streaming on Prime Video.
