Mckenna Grace, who earned an Emmy nomination for her role as 14-year-old Esther on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” has joined the cast of its true crime series, “Friend of the Family,” Peacock announced Tuesday.
The limited series from “The Act” producer Nick Antosca is the stranger-than-fiction story of Jan Broberg, whose kidnapping was told in 2017 Netflix doc “Abducted in Plain Sight.” As a child, her parents Bob and Mary Ann mistakenly put their trust in friend and neighbor, Robert Berchtold, who abducted Jan multiple times and manipulated her parents in jaw-dropping ways.
Grace, whose credits include “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “The Haunting of Hill House,” will play the teen version of Jan. She joins previously announced cast members Anna Paquin as Mary Ann Broberg, Colin Hanks as Bob Boberg, Jake Lacy as Robert Berchtold, and Lio Tiptin as Robert’s wife, Gail Berchtold.
Jan Broberg and Mary Ann Broberg serve as producers on the series.
Nick Antosca is showrunner, writer and executive producer under his production banner Eat the Cat. It’s part of his overall deal with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Eliza Hittman is set to direct and executive produce multiple episodes, including the first episode. Alex Hedlund executive produces, and Skye Borgman is a consulting producer for Top Knot Films.