Damsels in Distress: Heather and Lily

Damsels in Distress

Heather (Carrie MacLemore) is the third wheel in Violet’s group. Petite and sweet, she has developed unique theories regarding the relationship between physical characteristics and human behavior. “Heather is not tremendously smart but has a lot of candid opinions and is not afraid to turn those opinions against herself,” says Stillman.

While conceding that Heather’s ideas are odd, MacLemore doesn’t believe that Heather considers herself to be unintelligent. “I play her as the brightest person ever,” she says. “Heather is always explaining really basic things to people, and I think that if you’re always doing that, you must actually think you’re smarter than everyone else.” Carrie’s background – an authentic Southern belle who grew up in Mississippi and Alabama and only recently came to New York – gives a texture to her performance filling out the central trio.

Lily (Analeigh Tipton) is a new transfer student to Seven Oaks, whom the Violet group immediately seeks to rescue from “failure and sadness.” “Lily is a normal, middle-of-America girl. She doesn’t know a lot of things, and she’s suddenly pulled into this very elaborate world by Violet, Rose and Heather,” says Tipton. “She’s a little hesitant; she finds it a bit weird, but she decides to ride that vibe for awhile.”

While Lily generally displays all signs of being a sophisticated young woman, there are occasional moments where we catch sight of her provincial background. She grew up in the kind of house where the only vegetables came in cans and a “dry” town where one had to drive far to buy alcohol legally. She allows herself to fall under the influence of a handsome but holds to her own conformist views against Violet’s extravagant ones.

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