Ellen Pompeo, renowned for her iconic role in Grey’s Anatomy, is now stepping into the world of narration with her latest project, Good American Family. Unlike her previous ventures, this time, she will portray an unreliable narrator. This marks a significant transition for Pompeo, as it is her first major project away from the long-running medical drama, necessitating a reduction in her involvement with the show.
In a landscape filled with true crime narratives, Good American Family joins the ranks of limited series inspired by real events. Similar to the previous series, Monsters, this show aims to present multiple perspectives of a complex story. The trailer emphasizes that the series is “inspired by multiple stories, perspectives, threats, interpretations,” and “accusations.” However, it raises the question: What are the true stories behind Good American Family?
Good American Family features Pompeo as Kristine Barnett, who, alongside her husband Michael (played by Mark Duplass), adopts a girl named Natalia Grace (portrayed by Imogen Faith Reid). Natalia suffers from a rare form of dwarfism, but Kristine soon begins to suspect that Natalia might not be the age her adoption papers claim. Pompeo stated in an interview with Variety, “I want people just to think about how they look at things and what kind of judgments they make based on the way people look.” This sentiment encourages viewers to reflect on their biases and the beliefs they hold.
Indeed, the show draws inspiration from the infamous real-life case often referred to as the “Orphan” case. In 2010, the Barnetts adopted Natalia Grace from Ukraine. By 2012, they had successfully petitioned to change her birth date from 2003 to 1989, effectively altering her legal age from 8 to 22. After this drastic change, the Barnetts left Natalia in an apartment on her own and relocated to Canada. This shocking decision led to significant scrutiny, as Natalia was only a child at that time.
Following her abandonment, Natalia Grace was taken in by Cynthia Mans (played by Christina Hendricks), who noticed that the young girl struggled to care for herself. Mans has expressed her belief that the Barnetts were inspired by the movie Orphan in their actions. The Barnetts insisted that Natalia was simply acting within her age range and exhibiting sociopathic behaviors. However, the documentary series The Curious Case of Natalia Grace revealed that a DNA methylation test conducted on Natalia indicated her true age at the time of filming. The results confirmed that she was indeed 22 during the documentary, which validated her claims of being just 8 when the Barnetts left her.
In 2023, Natalia expressed how this revelation dismantled the Barnetts’ narrative, stating, “This one little piece of paper throws every single lie that the Barnetts said right into the trash with a match.” The first season of the documentary focused on the Barnetts' version of events, while the follow-up, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, delves into her allegations of abuse at the hands of Kristine Barnett, including incidents of pepper-spraying. Furthermore, evidence emerged indicating that Natalia had been a victim of human trafficking in Ukraine.
Currently, Natalia Grace resides in a community for little people in New York State. The final season of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace also reveals claims of abuse from the Mans family. With the assistance of the first family that attempted to adopt her, Natalia was able to escape and was later diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, as reported by People.
Good American Family is set to premiere with its first two episodes on Hulu on March 19, with an additional six episodes scheduled for weekly release. For those interested in exploring the full story of Natalia Grace, all seasons of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace are currently available for streaming on Max.
