Markiea asked Caroline Kepnes:

Aloha Caroline, I must ask, is Joe based off of anyone? Real or otherwise? Is he a mixture of people? Did you ever imagine a cult following for the 'bad guy'?

Caroline Kepnes I was so in it that I didn't think about the future, but writing it made me so obsessed. I mean I would go out to do dinner with a friend and friend is talking about real life and I would start talking about Joe and friend is like...um, you mean the character in this story you're writing and I'd be like no no you don't get it. He is REAL. His voice was so loud and clear to me, the more I worked, the more he existed. So I cannot tell you how thrilling it is to see other people feel that way. He's from my love of dark humor, pop culture, Todd Solonz movies, Pip from Great Expectations, Prince lyrics, so many different places and experiences, books and movies. There was no moment of "I'm gonna combine this guy and that guy". That happened as I wrote. He's from moments, laughing when you're not supposed to, heightened emotional experiences, the horror of losing my father, who also had a very dark sense of humor. From the good and the bad, Hannibal and Clarice.

flag