Penelope, one of Netflix’s newest coming-of-age teen dramas, implores one to immerse oneself in nature. Created by Mark Duplass and Mel Elsyn, the series debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, earning a positive response from critics and spectators present.
Executively produced by The Duplass brothers, the drama emphasizes the ethereal world of nature filled with fascination under every rock and cranny. Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, showrunner Duplass recalled the inspiration for the ongoing series.
Duplass claimed he was enlightened to create Penelope sometime during the COVID-19 pandemic, rendering folks in indoor quarantine. Duplass reminisced,
“Like a lot of people, I was experiencing stillness for the first time, and it was kind of shocking.”
Furthermore, Duplass recalled feeling sullen over everything he’d missed out on, staying at home. He mentioned,
“I love my life… But, I started to visualize, what if I just threw it all away?”
Questions such as these and more eventually led him to concoct a thought-provoking story about a teenager named Penelope, curious about the woods. With the show already streaming on Netflix, here’s everything you need to know about Duplass and Elsyn’s new concoction.
Release details about Netflix's Penelope
Netflix’s Penelope debuted last week on September 24, 2024. The teen drama streaming on the OTT has 8 binge-worthy episodes. Each episode has a run-time of nearly an hour and is filled with cliffhangers and thought-provoking content.
A fun fact about the episodes is their names: Each episode bears the same name as its number - not giving away too much.
The episodes were filmed amid the serene, evergreen woods of Arlington, Washington. The showrunner revealed that it took a lot of “scouting” to identify an iconic tree (which appears in Penelope).
They’d each hug it to discover whether it was the perfect size or felt right. Eventually, they did find the right tree, which can be observed across the eight episodes of the show.
What is the plot for Netflix's Penelope?
Penelope is about the story of a young 16-year-old - an oddball looking at the modern world from the outside in. Instead of being enamored by the ghoulish blue light that is our phones, she’s deeply eager to learn about the wilderness and the unfathomable world of nature.
Uninterested in being part of a world governed by technology, she decides to thrive in the wild: her escape. While she lives the normal life of a 16-year-old going through experiences like high school, maintaining a social life, and attending parties - Penelope wants more and believes there’s more to life than the norms formed by society.
Showrunner Eslyn also chimed in with her thoughts on Penelope and called it “an escape into the unknown.” Furthermore, she highlights the idea of every person's desire to fill a void not found in the noise of society - much like in Penelope.
Is Netflix's Penelope based on a true story?
No, Netflix’s Penelope is not based on a true story but rather on Mark Duplass's experiences during the pandemic. As emphasized, the narrative of Penelope revolves around a unique escape-from-reality concept.
Speaking to Deadline, showrunner Duplass claimed time spent at home during the cusp of the pandemic offered him a perspective on the story of Penelope via an “avatar” of his experience.
Later, taking to Instagram, Duplass provided budding fans of the show with insight about Penelope, saying,
“Penelope was not just a teenaged girl, she was all of us, trying to find peace, simplicity, and happiness that we have lost.”
Eslyn, on the other hand, echoed the co-creators' claims by stating that it reflects the desire to attain true tranquility and a feeling of wholeness.
Who is in the cast for Netflix's Penelope?
The cast of Penelope consists of a stellar lineup of actors and actresses who’ve appeared in several recent hyped and trending Netflix shows. Here’s a complete list of the cast and the characters they play in Penelope:
- Megan Stott as Penelope
- Barry O’Neil as Penelope’s Dad
- Cynthia Geary as Penelope’s Mom
- Krisha Fairchild as Helena
- Rhenzy Feliz as Peter
- Austin Abrams as Sam
- Amber Wolfe as Gale
- Laurel Anne White as Camping Woman
- Elijah Carnazzo as James
- Sulai Lopez as Jen
- Stephen Kelsey as Eugene
- Eddie Wollrabe as Cashier
- Kate Bayley as Librarian
- Butch Stevenson as Guard
- Finley Sackville-West as Finley
- Tadd Sackeville-West as Jonathan
- Eden Campbell as Whispering Girl
- Julia Higheagle as Whispering Girl
It wasn’t easy for the producers to find their ‘Penelope,’ especially with over 400 teens auditioning for the same role. While each one was brilliant and did their best impression of the character, Megan Scott’s performance caught the producer's attention.
Is there a trailer for Netflix's Penelope?
Yes, there is a trailer for Penelope! The Duplass Brothers Production dropped a glimpse into the ongoing series. The story begins with Scott’s character dancing amid a rave when she’s caught off-guard by a wolf at the edge of the woods, silently observing the party while panting.
The scene shifts to Scott sending a voice note to her mother about going off-grid and eliminating any means of contact between home and her. She’s seen with a rucksack of personal items, running along the edges of a track leading to the woods, where she halts and proceeds to hug an enormous moss-covered tree in Cascade National Park.
The trailer continues to show glimpses of Scott’s adventures in the wild, experiencing the natural world around her, from learning to build a fire and observing migratory patterns of birds to encountering a cub bear and swimming in what appears to be a quarry.
Penelope indulges in nature’s backyard completely, depending on its resources for both fun and survival. However, she discovers that she is not the only one who loves the woods and meets wonderful people who appear to have formed close bonds with her. The trailer concludes on a suspenseful note, indicating living in the woods would come at a heavy price.
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