Here is how Elle Fanning transformed into Michelle Carter in The Girl from Plainville; Credts: Entertainment Weekly

Elle Fanning had a gorgeous transformation as Michelle Carter in her latest limited Hulu series Girl from Plainville. The appearance of the actress in the series bears an uncanny resemblance to Michelle Carter as she transforms time and time again to keep up with Carter's varying styles. 

The Hulu crime series employs Elle Fanning in the role of Michele Carter where she will be portraying the lady's life for around seven years. The character required her to transform her appearance many times as Carter moved forward in her life after meeting Conrad, "Coco" Roy III, who goes on a family vacation in Florida, building a relationship with him and then finally mourning his death. Only later is she found guilty of his death, convicted of the charges, and is held responsible for involuntary manslaughter to aid his suicide attempt. 

The many changing styles of Michelle Carter were not the only problem Elle Fanning had to face while shooting for the limited series. It required great attention to detail, and mostly the body language that would then see Fanning's portrayal of Carter in the "texting suicide case."

Additionally, with Michelle being alive and a very recognizable public figure, Fanning had a lot of pressure to play the lady just right so that she would nail everything from their similar looks to their intricate mannerisms. Fanning has also played another real-life character, Catherine the Great in a Hulu series, but it helps that the real person behind the character has been dead for a long time now. 

So, Fanning had to come off as an authentic depiction of the character, the many emotions she battled inside her, and also stay true to her transformations as Carter looks pretty different in all of her pictures. Needless to say, the whole transformation process was pretty difficult. 

The actress's transformation team recently opened up about her performance and how she managed to play the part of Michelle Carter in the series. Costume designer Mirren Gordon-Crozier, Jules Holdren the hairstylist, and Erin Ayanian the makeup artist, all came together to retell their shooting journey from the film. 

The physical appearance

Physical appearance can be greatly altered using makeup and The Girl From Plainville used the skill beautifully to capture its authentic looks of Carter. They collected as many pictures of her as they could along with watching documentaries multiple times. 

They made notes of all of her features and used the knowledge to closely mimic the features of Fanning using makeup. In fact, they had the pictures of Michelle printed and hung around their makeup trailer so that they could always see her from all perspectives and have references for when they worked. 

To begin the makeup routine, they would start Tanning Fannings whiter skin, and adding a little splatter of freckles to her face. They also took care to apply all the moles to her face individually for maximum precision. 

The one part that they struggled nailing when preparing Fanning as Michelle was the famous courtroom eyebrows that Michelle featured during her trial. The process was tricky because Michelle's naturally straight eyebrows while Fanning's eyebrows are arched, making it difficult to get the shape right. 

They decided against using any prothetic pieces to enhance the eyebrow shape of the actress and also chose not to shave Fanning's eyebrows for the look. The only tool they used was makeup and were successful enough in doing well when it came to her eyes. 

The stunning transformation was enough to surprise everyone on the sets of the limited series.

Elle Fanning bears an uncanny resemblance to Michelle in the series; Credits: Entertainment Weekly

Watching Michelle's dressing style

Gordon-Crozier left no stone unturned when it came to finding the clothes that Michelle wore during her public trial. She used the internet to her advantage excessively and managed to find just the same clothes and shoes that Michelle wore in real life. 

And yet, the designer says that finding the clothes was not as difficult as figuring out what kind of attire Michelle donned when she was not in the public eye. There were no images for reference from her private life and totally had to go with whatever they could come up with. 

The creative team of the series came together with showrunners Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus to decide on a wardrobe and the color palette that seemed the most befitting of Michelle. They decided to showcase her struggle with an eating disorder and dressed her in loose clothing at the start of the series. But as the story moves forward, she comes to wear more flattering dresses. 

Elle Fanning and Colton Ryan in 'The Girl From Plainville.'| CREDIT: STEVE DIETL/HULU

Elle Fanning shows an uncanny resemblance to Michelle Carter throughout the entirety of the series, whether it is in private shorts away from the media and the press, or when in the courtroom. The first episode of the series aired on March 29, 2022.