‘Candy’: Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey Rehearsed the Fight Scene for ‘Months’
Hulu‘s Candy, the true crime story of Betty Gore’s 1980 ax murder by Candy Montgomery, concluded its five-part series on Friday, May 13. In the Candy finale, viewers saw the fight unfold between the two Texas housewives in a climactic and lengthy scene that resulted in Betty’s death. Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey, the actors behind Candy and Betty, spoke about the scene in a recent interview, revealing how they prepared to portray the attack on-screen.
Candy Montgomery recalled her axe fight with Betty Gore in detail in ‘Candy’ Episode 5
Candy‘s premiere took place on the day of the killing — June 13, 1980. However, the episode only showed the immediate aftermath as Candy (Biel) cleaned herself up and carried on with her day, leaving Betty’s (Lynskey) body behind. Viewers didn’t see the attack itself until episode 5, when Candy recounted the incident via her testimony in court.
As Candy explained, she visited Betty’s home around 11 a.m. on June 13 to pick up a swimsuit for Betty’s daughter, Christina. The two mothers started chatting, but Betty seemed agitated. After some small talk, Betty confronted Candy about the affair Candy had with Betty’s husband, Allan Gore (Pablo Schreiber). When Candy confirmed the affair, Betty walked away and returned with an ax.
Betty threatened Candy never to see Allan again. She put the axe down and went to retrieve a towel while Candy went to the utility room to grab Christina’s swimsuit from the washing machine. However, Betty still looked hurt and betrayed, so Candy reached out to comfort her and apologize.
The action angered Betty, so she pushed Candy into the utility room and grabbed the axe again. The two struggled to gain control of the axe as Betty told Candy, “I’ve got to kill you.”
Candy managed to take the ax and hit Betty once before trying to escape. However, Betty wouldn’t allow it. Then, Betty’s baby began to cry in another room, so she whispered, “Shhh.”
This reminded Candy of a tense moment with her mother when she was a child, so it sent her into a dissociative state. She took the ax and hit Betty another 41 times. According to Candy’s testimony, she didn’t feel like herself in that moment — she felt as though she were watching from a distance.
Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey ‘trusted each other’ during the ‘Candy’ fight scene after months of rehearsing
As one of the most important scenes in Candy, the fight scene took months of practice between Lynskey and Biel. They had to get the movements exactly right to match Candy’s testimony, and every detail mattered. Thankfully, the actors felt very comfortable with each other after rehearsing for so long, as Biel told The Wrap.
“One of the things that was amazing is, I feel like we trusted each other so much. And we were really doing a dance. You know, we had worked on the sequence for months, separately and together,” she explained. “And so when we were finally there, we knew it so well. And we just danced along with each other basically. And nobody got hurt. It was kind of amazing.”
According to Lynskey, the two of them did most of the stunts themselves, although stunt doubles did stand in a few times. Plus, the fight scene took just two days to film, despite how long it was.
“It became a very intense couple of days,” Lynskey added.
Still, the actors felt grateful to be able to bring the scene to life after all their preparations.
“It was cool. I always find it empowering when you can just do most of it yourself,” Biel said.
The show’s creators wanted the scene to be as accurate as possible
Accuracy is extremely important when it comes to true crime. Candy‘s executive producer, Michael Uppendahl, revealed to Showbiz Cheat Sheet that they “tried to be as exact” as possible with the details of the fight. However, it’s important to remember that no one can know exactly how the fight occurred because only Candy and Betty were there.
“We tried to be as exact, based on the wounds, to try and construct the fight that was the most likely the way they happened and order of events,” Uppendahl explained. “No one knows for real, other than the damage that’s inflicted. We tried to really dissect it and say, ‘Well, it probably was like this.’ … It was a challenge but rewarding.”
All five episodes of Candy are now streaming on Hulu.
