Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions might have received mixed reviews but has been able to generate enough curiosity among the audience, especially for its cast's stellar performances.
The series is a television adaption of the 1999 film of the same name, and follows two manipulative and rich step-siblings, Lucien and Caroline, at an elite school who decide to seduce the US Vice President’s daughter to keep power at the school under their control.
Zac Burgess plays the lead role of Lucien Belmont in Cruel Intentions, which is inspired by Sebastian Valmont’s character from the 1999 film. Ryan Phillippe portrayed the role in the movie. Burgess is a young Australian actor who previously appeared in the Netflix coming-of-age series, Boy Swallows Universe, and the Paramount+ drama series, One Night.
Zac Burgess stars as Lucien Belmont in Cruel Intentions
Zac Burgess appears in all eight episodes of Cruel Intentions, playing Lucien Belmont alongside Sarah Catherine Hook, who plays his step-sister, Caroline Merteuil. Their toxic relationship is at the center of much of the drama in the series, as the two attend the prestigious Manchester College.
Lucien is a morally gray character, shaped by his troubled past. His mother died by suicide on his 12th birthday, which left him with emotional scars. Hence, he hates celebrating his birthday, and prefers to be alone on that day.
Lucien keeps his feelings inside and rarely shows what he is going through, which makes him seem mysterious. Caroline uses Lucien’s feelings for her as a way to manipulate him. She promises to let him sleep with her if he convinces Annie Grover, the Vice President’s daughter, to join her sorority, Delta Phi Pi.
At first, Lucien goes along with the plan, but as he gets to know Annie, he starts to genuinely care about her. Annie’s honesty and kindness make her stand out, and make Lucien question his actions.
Meanwhile, Lucien has a dark side too. He records himself getting intimate with other women and sends the videos to Caroline. However, Caroline leaks one of these videos, destroying Lucien’s reputation, which makes him feel betrayed.
By the end of Cruel Intentions season 1, Lucien’s life is falling apart as Caroline ruins his relationship with Annie. Lucien lashes out, and ends up getting intimate with Caroline’s mother, Claudia, and sends the video to Caroline.
Lucien eventually decides to leave the toxic environment of Manchester College. Annie tries to reach out to him, but Lucien does not respond, and seems ready for a fresh start after all the manipulations and power games.
Zac Burgess reveals how he connected with his character in Cruel Intentions
Zac Burgess opened up about how he stepped into the shoes of Lucien Belmont in Cruel Intentions during an interview with Us Weekly. The actor revealed he felt a connection to Belmont as it was very well-written character. He said:
“When you’re handed something that is written so beautifully, I think [connections] are bound to happen. With every character that an actor gets to play, every actor has a different method.”
“But you have to find some element of yourself to bring forward and you either amplify it or you reduce it. I definitely found myself amplifying a few things, but there’s also a few details that were close to home. It was just a beautiful thing to be able to work through.”
Zac added that he has not watched the Cruel Intentions film as he did not want to imitate Ryan Phillippe, and instead, wanted to bring out his own version of the character. The actor’s approach worked wonders as he left the viewers impressed with his nuanced performance.
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All episodes of Cruel Intensions are streaming on Prime Video.
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