McKenna Grace Praises A Friend of the Family Co-Star Hendrix Yancey

Hendrix Yancey has recently finished her four-episode run on the Peacock miniseries A Friend of the Family. She played Jan Broberg, who gets kidnapped twice by a neighbor who had inserted themselves into the family by becoming their “friend.” Yancey played Jan in her childhood, while teen Jan is played by McKenna Grace, who usually plays the younger version of the main character. On Instagram, Grace wrote:

“I finally have a younger version. Little Jan turned into teen Jan on last week’s episode of A Friend of the Family. I’m so proud of Hendrix, this wasn’t easy material and she did an amazing job. You can now stream the first 6 episodes on Peacock now (I come in on the 5th episode).”

Recently, Yancey was seen on Stanger Things 4 as Thirteen, playing one of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Martie Blair) ‘s fellow test subjects at Hawkins National Lab. Who was, unfortunately, among those who lost their lives during a massacre. She was also in a separate Netflix original series, Unbelievable, playing the daughter of Merrit Wever’s character, Det. Karen Duvall, whose investigating a series of sexual assaults. The mom, not the daughter.

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Besides that, Yancey could also be seen in the Prime Video movie Charming The Hearts of Men, which stars Kelsey Grammer, Sean Astin, and Anna Friel as a group of people who get caught up in the Civil rights movement. Yancey next be seen in the drama series George and Tammy, the biographical story of George Jones and Tammy Wynette, as played by Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon.

RELATED: A Friend of the Family Review: A Disturbing, Confounding True Crime Series

The Rest of the Show

Peacock

Nick Antosca serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner on A Friend of the Family. Other cast members on the show include Jake Lacey as Robert Berchtold, the man who abducted Jan. Colin Hanks, and Anna Paquin as Bob and Mary Ann Broberg, Jan’s parents. The real Jan and Mary An Broberg serve as producers on the show. According to Antosca in an interview, the collaboration between Jan Broberg and her family has been the heart of the project.

“It was essential. The first thing that we did when we started thinking about telling this story as a series is reach out to Jan, and we had that initial conversation that was three years ago. That conversation has continued until this day, so we couldn’t and wouldn’t have made the show without Jan’s blessing and partnership. She has been incredibly generous. There’s so much information and emotional truth that we put into the show […] but Jan was really essential to telling the human story, one that you can immerse yourself in, empathize with, and relate to,” said Antosca.

“I felt cared for. It was like, ‘Oh, you’re going to care for my story. You’re going to literally listen to my family members, and you know how they’re not to blame,'” said Jan Broberg.

In a separate interview, Lacy said that one of the reasons why he signed up to play a pedophile was because they weren’t going to show the abuse. There was going to be a “logistical workaround” when it came to that element of the show. Jan Broberg’s involvement in the show also influenced his decision to take on the part. Plus, he was intrigued by the challenge of playing someone so different from the “nice guys” that he usually plays.

“Then, separate from the subject matter—as horrific as his behavior is and the effect on his family, on other families—as a character, Robert Berchtold is layered and a real challenge to take on as to how to create this person, and tell the story. I always want to take on challenges and those come in different ways. Something that maybe was uncomfortable or unknown and go like, ‘I’m gonna have to dive in and trust the people around me, and trust my years in this business to create something rather than being like, ‘Let’s just go back to what I can do in my sleep.'”

Right now, the first six episodes of A Friend of the Family are streaming on Peacock. To reiterate, Yancey is in the first four before Grace takes over the role in five. Three more episodes are left to go in the season, which air every Thursday. If you want, you could also watch the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, which covers the same subject matter.

You can view the original article HERE.