'The Staircase' Skews Michael Peterson's Relationship with Sophie Brunet

HBO MaxsThe Staircasedramatizes Kathleen Petersons death and Michael Petersons case that followed. Originally the subject of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade docu-seriesThe Staircase, the drama leans into Petersons sexuality and relationship with his family amid the legal battle. While many aspects of Petersons life are skewed for the sake of storytelling, theres one part of his story

HBO Max’s The Staircase dramatizes Kathleen Peterson’s death and Michael Peterson’s case that followed. Originally the subject of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade docu-series The Staircase, the drama leans into Peterson’s sexuality and relationship with his family amid the legal fight. While many sides of Peterson’s lifestyles are skewed for the sake of storytelling, there’s one a part of his tale the HBO sequence blatantly gets mistaken. 

Michael Peterson and Sophie Brunet’s relationship 

On Dec. 9, 2001, Kathleen reportedly fell down the steps to her loss of life. Many presumed Peterson was responsible, as documented in de Lestrade’s Staircase. Sophie Brunet was once some of the editors who labored on the docu-series. 

“[Michael and Sophie’s relationship] is one of the unbelievable issues that happened all the way through those 15 years,” director de Lestrade instructed L’Express. “Life is really stuffed with surprises. They had an actual story.” 

According to de Lestrade, Brunet’s relationship with Peterson never impacted her work. Brunet and Peterson’s relationship started when he was in prison — they would write letters to one another and Brunet would ship him books. 

HBO Max’s ‘The Staircase’ blurs the timeline of Michael Peterson and Sophie Brunet’s relationship

As de Lestrade, The Staircase’s producer Allyson Luchak, editor Scott Stevenson, and Peterson’s attorney David S. Rudolf told Vanity Fair, the HBO Max collection got one significant aspect of Peterson and Brunet’s relationship improper. The drama collection makes it seem like Brunet (Juliette Binoche) edited the 8 authentic episodes of the docu-series and that’s when their relationship started.

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However, in fact, Brunet and Peterson’s relationship began after she stopped operating on the documentary to paintings on other tasks. When more footage surrounding Peterson’s case grew to become up and the need for more episodes arose, de Lestrade hired two different editors, Stevenson and Jean-Pierre Blocto cut what was 8 episodes. 

In 2011, de Lestrade filmed five further episodes of The Staircase. Brunet edited they all, 3 of which she edited after she and Peterson broke up. 

Sophie Brunet addresses her relationship within the fictional version of ‘The Staircase’ 

In an e-mail to Vanity Fair, Brunet clarified the details relating to her relationship with Michael. She wrote: 

“My relationship with Michael by no means affected my editing. I never, ever lower anything else out that may be destructive for him. I've too giant an opinion of my job to be even remotely tempted to do anything like that. And Jean would never let it occur anyway. It is his film and I appreciate that a great deal. 

And once more: I had completely no dog within the fight for the first eight episodes. As for the following ones, I believe one can notice a super empathy for Michael’s family in them. But that used to be Jean’s perspective in addition to mine. Whatever you assume or imagine about Michael, you'll be able to’t deny that the location for his kids was once terrible and unfair. As for the final 3 episodes, I could not in all probability be suspected of short of to choose Michael, since we had broken up earlier than I ended enhancing.”

Sophie Brunet, Vanity Fair

The Staircase is to be had to stream on Netflix and HBO Max. 

RELATED: ‘The Staircase’: Todd Peterson Once Claimed His Father Michael Peterson Was a ‘Serial Killer’

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