When Luckiest Girl Alive hit Netflix, everyone talked about the trauma. It’s a heavy movie. But honestly, the way the Luckiest Girl Alive cast handled that shifting, jagged timeline is what actually made the film stick. You’ve got Mila Kunis playing the polished, "New York posh" version of Ani FaNelli, and then Chiara Aurelia playing the raw, teenage version.
It's a weird experience. Usually, in movies with two actors playing the same person, you feel a disconnect. Not here. Kunis reportedly watched "dailies" of Aurelia’s performance just to mimic her small tics. That’s why adult Ani feels so haunted; she’s literally carrying the younger girl’s body language into high-end Manhattan restaurants.
The Dual Lead Strategy: Why Two Anis Mattered
Most people think Mila Kunis was the only star. She wasn’t. Chiara Aurelia did the heavy lifting for the 1999 flashbacks. If you recognize her, it’s probably from Cruel Summer. She has this specific way of looking terrified and defiant at the same time.
In the film, Aurelia plays Tifani (before she "rebranded" to Ani). She’s the girl trying too hard to fit in at the prestigious Brentley School. The casting was vital because the movie hinges on you feeling the weight of what happened to her. Kunis plays the aftermath—the "luckiest girl" who has the Cartier watch and the editor job at The Woman’s Bible—but Aurelia plays the wound.
💡 You might also like: Ashley My 600 Pound Life Now: What Really Happened to the Show’s Most Memorable Ashleys
Mila Kunis as Ani FaNelli
This was a massive pivot for Kunis. We’re used to her being funny in Bad Moms or voicing Meg on Family Guy. Here, she’s sharp. Brittle. Her narration is acidic. She hates the world she’s fought so hard to join. Kunis also produced the film, which gave her the leverage to change the ending from the book. In the novel, the resolution is a bit more internal; in the movie, Kunis pushed for a public, #MeToo-era vindication.
The Men Around Her: Support vs. Villainy
The Luckiest Girl Alive cast is filled with faces you know from "prestige" TV. It’s almost like a Succession or American Horror Story reunion.
- Finn Wittrock (Luke Harrison): He’s the "trust fund baby" fiancé. Wittrock is great at playing men who seem perfect but are actually just incredibly vapid. Luke doesn’t want to know about Ani’s past; he wants a wife who looks good in a wedding dress and moves to London for his job.
- Scoot McNairy (Andrew Larson): He plays the English teacher who actually sees Ani. McNairy is one of those "that guy" actors—he’s in everything from Narcos: Mexico to Argo. He provides the only moral grounding in the 1999 timeline.
- Alex Barone (Dean Barton): This is the character everyone loves to hate. He’s the adult version of the boy who assaulted Ani and then branded himself a hero after the school shooting. Barone plays him with this sickening, unearned confidence.
What the Movie Changed (and Why Fans Are Split)
The casting of Thomas Barbusca as Arthur Finneman was a point of contention for book purists. In Jessica Knoll’s novel, Arthur is described as being significantly overweight with bad acne—a physical outcast. In the movie, Barbusca is relatively "TV-standard" thin.
📖 Related: Album Hopes and Fears: Why We Obsess Over Music That Doesn't Exist Yet
Why does this matter? Well, in the book, the bond between Ani and Arthur is built on being the "ugly" ones or the "poor" ones. By making the cast more traditionally "Hollywood," some of that grit from the book got sanded down.
Also, the character of Ani’s mother, Dina, played by Connie Britton, is much more of a "strong divorcee" in the film. In the book, she’s a bit more of a mess—racking up credit card debt and being generally vapid. Britton brings a certain warmth that almost makes her character’s betrayal of Ani feel even worse.
Notable Supporting Cast Members
You might have missed some of these names in the credits, but they’ve been in huge projects recently:
👉 See also: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
- Justine Lupe (Nell Rutherford): Best known as Willa from Succession. She plays Ani’s best friend, the one person who seems to genuinely like her without an agenda.
- Jennifer Beals (LoLo Vincent): The Flashdance legend plays Ani’s boss. It’s a small role, but she brings that "Devil Wears Prada" energy that defines Ani’s professional aspirations.
- Dalmar Abuzeid (Aaron Wickersham): The documentary filmmaker who pushes Ani to talk. You might remember him from Anne with an E.
The Reality of the "Luckiest" Production
They filmed this during peak COVID. That means the Luckiest Girl Alive cast didn't even have in-person rehearsals. Imagine trying to build a chemistry that spans twenty years of trauma over a Zoom call.
Mila Kunis has talked about how difficult it was to stay in that "dark place" for months. She’d go from filming a scene about a school shooting to jumping on a call with her kids. It’s a testament to the actors that the movie feels as cohesive as it does.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you’ve watched the movie and want more from this specific cast or genre:
- Watch Cruel Summer Season 1: If you liked Chiara Aurelia’s performance, this is her best work. It deals with similar themes of "who is the victim" and shifting timelines.
- Read the book: Seriously. The movie changes the ending and cuts out Ani’s father entirely. The book version of the Luckiest Girl Alive cast in your head will feel much darker.
- Check out The Mick: If you want to see Thomas Barbusca (Arthur) in a completely different, hilarious light, he’s a standout in that sitcom.
- Trigger Warnings: Before recommending this to friends, remind them it’s not just a "mystery." It deals with graphic sexual assault and gun violence. It’s not a casual Friday night watch.
The film works because the Luckiest Girl Alive cast didn't play these people as heroes or villains. They played them as survivors, observers, and sometimes, just really selfish people trying to keep their heads above water in New York.
To dive deeper into the production, look for the behind-the-scenes interviews where Jessica Knoll discusses how she adapted her own trauma for the screen. It adds a layer of reality that makes the performances even more gut-wrenching.