’It’s Utterly Insane’: Laverne Cox And The Uglies Cast Talk Beauty Standards They’d Go To The Smoke For

What’s even scarier than a dystopian sci-fi concept? The one’s that actually feel relatable to the world we live in. Among the newest 2024 Netflix movie and TV release dates to hit the streaming service is an adaptation of Scott Westerfield’s Uglies. The movie follows a fictional world where people get cosmetic surgery at the age of 16 to enjoy the land of the “Pretties.” But as our main character, Tally, learns, those who reject these societal standards flee to a place called The Smoke, which completely accepts everyone.

When CinemaBlend sat down with the cast to learn more Uglies movies details (such as the wild long time Joey King has been trying to get the movie made), they spoke about the beauty standards in our current world that they would escape to another world for. Here’s what Laverne Cox said:

One could argue beauty standards are more of an everyday focus for Ms. Laverne Cox, who spends a lot of time in front of a camera, whether that’s on movies, television, on the cover of magazines or as an active LGBTQ+ advocate. Cox was the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine along with taking part of many firsts for the trans community – particularly with her breakthrough role in Orange is the New Black.

During our interview, Cox shared that while if she’s honest with herself, she prescribes to a certain standard of beauty (which is true for many of us, too), she thinks diet culture is the worst offender. As she continued:

There’s something refreshing about celebrities getting infuriated about something that we’re all affected by thanks to the changing societal norms, isn't there? No matter what, everyone is dealing with the struggles around conforming to them, and it can be easy to tie one's self worth to it.

However, this is the exact opposite of Cox’s Uglies character, Dr. Cable. In the new Netflix movie, she plays a Pretty who will do anything in her power to make sure the norms of the dystopian society remain as they are. Cox told us she feels the character is a mix of Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies and Miranda Priestly from A Devil Wears Prada.

When CinemaBlend spoke to the main stars of Uglies, they also had more ideas about beauty standards to go to The Smoke for. Here’s what Brianne Tju said:

Tju plays Shay, who quickly becomes a close friend to Joey King’s Tally after her childhood bestie (played by Chase Stokes) becomes a Pretty before her. Shay rejects the cosmetic surgery and tries to convince Tally to join her in The Smoke. King agreed with Tju’s comments while also adding this:

Fans of the 2005 novel can finally see the book come to life with this movie, but as King points out, two decades later, there’s still beauty standards that make the story relatable. You can stream Uglies with a Netflix subscription now.