Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar delivers a fictionalized account of a true story about Belle Gibson. The former Instagram influencer and wellness guru was exposed as a health fraudster in 2015. An Australian from Launceston, Tasmania, Gibson gained notoriety for cunning people into believing she could cure cancer through dieting and alternative medicine.
Belle Gibson’s castle of lies came crumbling in early March 2015. This was after The Age reported she didn’t remit the donations she solicited from her followers in the name of several charities. Thereafter, a series of other investigative reports by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano raised doubts about Gibson’s claims of surviving cancer, ultimately exposing her as a con artist. While Apple Cider Vinegar is based on a real-life story, several elements of the series are fictionalized. Here’s what the miniseries got wrong about its protagonist.
The Depiction Of Belle Gibson’s Personality Was Off
Dopesick actress Kaitlyn Dever plays the disgraced wellness guru in Apple Cider Vinegar. Dever’s fascinating performance aided the miniseries’ purpose, which is geared towards exposing the dark side of the wellness industry. Nonetheless, her portrayal of Gibson’s personality and disposition were inaccurate. While the series’ depiction of Gibson conveys she’s quite brash and self-assertive, those close to her in real life swear she’s gentle and tender. Her former friend Chanelle McAuliffe, who instigated an investigation to expose the self-proclaimed healer, confirmed that during an interview with The Briefing.
“Their portrayal of Belle in the show is obviously a dramatization,” McAuliffe said. “In real life, Belle actually wasn’t as manic and hyperactive day-to-day as depicted in the show. She was actually very warm and softly-spoken, sometimes even shy.” Be that as it may, Dever’s interpretation of the character was based off her overall understanding of who Gibson was and how she pulled off her heinous scam.
She described the fraudster as “a very complicated and nuanced character,” disclosing that she thought of her as a natural actress. “One thing I was thinking a lot about is that she is a natural actress. She’s incredibly charming, and she can really turn it on to get what she wants,” Dever told The Hollywood Reporter. “…We were doing a version of Belle, not attempting a perfect imitation,” added the American actress.
Belle Gibson’s Scam Wasn’t A Naive Act That Snowballed Out Of Her Control
The narrative undertone of Apple Cider Vinegar suggests that the Australian con artist was a naive, attention-seeking social media influencer caught up in her web of lies. Dever expressed this sentiment in her interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “To get to the core of who she is — a person who’s very ruthless, determined, and quite a chameleon — I came to believe that she’s someone who craves community and love in a profound way.” But that’s not exactly the case. Belle Gibson might have longed for attention, but she was never clueless about the far-reaching consequences of her actions.
Gibson’s false claims and fraudulent activities didn’t snowball out of her control. She intentionally deceived and took advantage of people with cancer, rather brazenly. Her friend McAuliffe implored her to come clean with the truth after learning she wasn’t sick as she had made people believe. While McAuliffe was willing to support and help Gibson make amends, she stuck to her guns, compelling her friend to set off the investigations that exposed her. “When I confronted Belle and found out that she was lying, I actually urged her many times to come forward and tell the truth,” McAuliffe divulged.
Belle Gibson and Jessica Ainscough (Milla Blake) Weren’t Rivals In Real Life
Apple Cider Vinegar has been heavily criticized for Alycia Debnam-Carey’s portrayal of Milla Blake, depicting Jessica Ainscough as Belle Gibson’s rival. The series pitted Belle and Milla against each other, following them as they compete to become the favorite cancer-healing influencer. Although Ainscough promoted treating cancer through alternative therapies, she wasn’t lying about her condition. Neither did she use her advocacy for alternative cancer treatment to enrich herself.
She essentially promoted the unconventional care she was receiving for a rare type of cancer that eventually claimed her life in February 2015. In addition to that, Belle Gibson and Jessica Ainscough were never friends in real life, just as the latter never embarked on a mission to expose the former as a fraud. Given that, any displeasure over Ainscough’s portrayal in the series is reasonably justifiable. However, the character was also inspired by other social media wellness influencers. Check out FROM Season 3’s five most brutal moments.
Follow Us
