Joey King says she has been in contact with Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the real-life subject of her hit Hulu series, The Act, since Blanchard's December release from prison.
During a new episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, the 24-year-old actress opened up about everything from her new show, We Were the Lucky Ones, to her experience auditioning for and filming The Act.
While chatting about the inspiration for the series, which also starred Patricia Arquette, AnnaSophia Robb and Chloë Sevigny, podcast host Dax Shepard asked King if any of the real people from the story have reached out to her in the five years since the show became an overnight phenomenon.
"Gypsy sent me a message recently," King shared casually. "We didn't have any contact when we were filming the show but since she's been released, she reached out and we had a quick little exchange which was really nice."
Patricia Arquette as Dee Dee Blanchard and Joey King as Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Hulu's 'The Act'
The series, which won Arquette, 56, an Emmy and scored King her first-ever nomination, followed the true events of Blanchard (King) and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas "Nick" Godejohn (Calum Worthy) conspiring to kill her mother (Arquette) after discovering she has been suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare disorder in which a guardian exaggerates or induces illness in a child for attention and sympathy.
In real life, Blanchard was released from prison in December, seven years after she pleaded guilty in 2016 to second-degree murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
King told the podcast hosts that while her portrayal of Blanchard eventually received critical praise and awards recognition, it could have ended up in another actress' hands entirely.
"I was so lucky. I auditioned for The Act, I was not offered that role," she shared with Shepard and his co-host, Monica Padman.
She added, "I did not do Gypsy's voice in the audition -- they did not want anyone to. Once I got the role, I was like, 'Guys, I kind of think we should do it.'"
Blanchard's voice, which is distinctively high-pitched, was a "huge part of the personality" for King, who said that she always connected to Blanchard being "infantilized her whole life" due to the Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Arquette and King in 'The Act'
Back in March, ET spoke with King at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party and asked if she had been in contact with Blanchard and what her thoughts were on her release. The actress, showing compassion for the woman that she played on the small screen, said that when it comes to what the formerly incarcerated individual should do next, the world is her oyster.
"Gypsy is free -- she can do whatever she wants," King said. "I'm excited for her and her journey and whatever that looks like for her... I'm happy for her. I’m really happy for her."
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