To say that Hulu’s adaptation of “Little Fires Everywhere” takes some major departures of Celeste Ng’s popular novel would be an understatement.
And on of the biggest changes is how showrunner Liz Tigelaar handles the character of Isabella “Izzy” Richardson (Megan Stott), the youngest of Richardson clan. The teenager is the same rebellious character she was in the book, often spitting in the face of pretty much anything her mother Elena (Reese Witherspoon) wants. But the Hulu version added a lesbian subplot to Izzy’s story, to better illustrate just how much Izzy feels different than the rest of her siblings.
Stott told TheWrap that the show adds “expanded more” of the “seeds” of the book. “I think it was very cool just to see those things happening. And I think they did a great job,” she told TheWrap in the video you can watch above. “I think that it’s just their adaptation and just expanding upon what was already there.”
“Little Fires Everywhere” mostly takes place in 1997, which makes Izzy’s coming out story even more noteworthy since LGBTQ acceptance was not as widespread as it is today. And yet, Stott explains, that made it even more contemporary because all the issues the show portrays — LGBTQ, motherhood, class, race relations — are still issues that society struggles with in 2020.
“I think that it was a very different time,” Stott continues. “But I think again, there are a lot of issues that are being portrayed in the show. They’re very timely and the things like race and motherhood and class and social justices. Those are all things that are happening right here in today’s time. It’s just that was the ’90s. Now it’s the 21st century.”
Watch the full video above, including Stott’s thoughts on ’90s fads and how she and her family are practicing social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The sixth episode of “Little Fires Everywhere” premieres Wednesday, April 8 on Hulu.