People’s morbid fascination with true crime has been capitalized on by filmmakers for a long time. As is often said, true crime is indeed more strange than fiction, and one of the best examples of this is the infamous case of the staircase murder. Michael Peterson, who was convicted of manslaughter after decades of long drama and legal trial, has never been shy of speaking to the media.
He, however, is apparently super annoyed with the latest series made on his case titled The Staircase by HBO Max. In his previous interview, he argues that the series is much more fiction than fact and takes it to the cleaners for alleged homophobia and misrepresentation. The case is indeed extremely bizarre and has been the subject of speculation by curious people all over the world. This recent outburst by the convicted killer has raised eyebrows and added yet another layer of intrigue to the sad tale.
Michael Peterson Criticized Toni Collette-led Miniseries The Staircase
Michael Peterson is one of the most controversial American novelists. Peterson was involved in a series of controversies after the death of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December 9, 2001. He was charged with murdering his wife and convicted of life imprisonment in 2003. According to reports, in 2017, he contended guilty to manslaughter in an Alford plea and was released from prison.
Last year, HBO Max’s fictional true crime drama eight-episode series The Staircase, based on the real-life events of his family, created a buzz on the internet. The series stars Colin Firth as Michael Peterson and Toni Collette as Kathleen Peterson.
In a candid interview with Variety, he slammed the show for depicting false narration of how his wife died. He said the deceptive content and inaccurate facts had negatively impacted his family. When asked if he had watched the show, he slammed the series for its alleged homophobia and misrepresentation. The author shared:
“I spoke of my bisexuality to Jean (french director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who created the series of the same name in 2004), and I believe he represented it as I spoke about it, so I would say that Jean was fair. I’ve heard from many people, including my attorney, that the s-x scenes in the HBO series are both wrong and salacious.”
He continued,
“That completely fabricated episode with me killing Kathleen is grossly homophobic when she finds p**nography on my computer late at night, though the prosecution expert testified that the computer was not accessed after 4 p.m. Creating a false and fictional s**ual reason for me to kill her is disgustingly homophobic as well as wrong, as proven in court.”
In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in a North Carolina home she lived with her husband. At the time of this controversial case, there were numerous rumors and speculations about her death, but how she died remains a mystery.
Michael Peterson Claims He Wanted Brad Pitt To Play His Character in The Series
During his conversation with the outlet, the American novelist opened up about all the elements and context he found misconstrued in the show. When asked if actor Colin Firth who played his character in the HBO Max show The Staircase, reached out to him for his research, Peterson denied it, saying,
“No, he did not. That was his choice. Whether I would talk to him? I probably would have. I will forever be known as Colin Firth. It could be worse, I suppose. He’s not my favorite actor.”
He added that it would have been better had Brad Pitt played this part,
“Get Brad Pitt! But to be fair, I haven’t seen his portrayal, but I heard he got [my] voice right and [my] mannerisms. But he didn’t capture my energy or my humor. To me, Colin’s a great actor, but I can’t think of any roles that weren’t dull as dirt that he’s ever played, and that’s fine. I’m not denigrating him, but I would have thought about talking to him.”
Many television shows and documentaries like An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase, Dateline Saturday Night Mystery, The Staircase, Bad Husbands, The Devil You Know, and American Justice, among more, have been made on this controversial case, chronicling the mystery of the death of Michael Peterson’s wife Kathleen Peterson and his life.
Source: Variety
