Content Warning: This article contains mention of self-harm.
Netflix nailed the casting with its version of Uglies, and one actor in particular makes the idea of a sequel movie all the more exciting. The 2024 sci-fi movie is based on the book of the same name by author Scott Westerfeld, who also released the sequels Pretties and Specials. As of now, it’s unclear whether Netflix will continue to adapt this novel series or if Uglies will be the last to make it to the screen. However, if Pretties ever does become a reality, it will be an excellent chance for one star to pull off her character’s rather dark subplot.
The Uglies movie ended with a cliffhanger that sees Joey King’s Tally Youngblood become a Pretty. While living in a beautiful mansion in New Pretty Town is all that Tally ever wanted, the events of Uglies changed her mind. It’s ultimately revealed that the Pretty operation is a coverup for placing lesions in the mind, which makes citizens passive and easy for the government to control. Tally gave herself up so the Smoke could test its cure, but that’s where Uglies ends. Pretties would continue this story, and while Tally is still the main character, this is when things get pretty dark for Brianne Tju’s Shay.
Brianne Tju’s Performance As Shay Was A Highlight Of Netflix’s Uglies
Brianne Tju’s Shay Was Uglies’ Most Complex Character
While actors like Joey King, Chase Stokes, Keith Powers, and Laverne Cox gave outstanding performances in Uglies, Brianne Tju’s portrayal of Shay was a significant highlight. Shay is one of the more complex characters in Westerfeld’s sci-fi series since she is meant to represent the messiness of Uglies who haven’t yet undergone the operation (to contrast with her behavior after becoming Pretty). This is demonstrated in her rather charged relationship with Tally. They are simultaneously friends and enemies, and this is a dynamic that wouldn’t have been as easy to pull off on screen as in the Uglies book.
Tju brought the necessary roughness to Shay’s character, but there is also a sweet tenderness there.
Tju brought the necessary roughness to Shay’s character, but there is also a sweet tenderness there. It’s clear that she cares for Tally, which makes the big betrayal all the more effective. Tju’s rage at King’s character is perfect, contrasting beautifully with Shay’s behavior after becoming Pretty. Still, this is only the beginning of Shay’s overarching story. Things get a lot darker for this character in the sequel, Pretties, and Tju’s performance in Uglies makes this prospect far more exciting.
Shay’s Story Gets Pretty Dark In The Uglies Sequel (But Brianne Tju Can Manage It)
Things Only Get More Complicated For Shay In Pretties
In the sequel Pretties, Shay is a Pretty alongside Tally, and, for a time, the pair are the best of friends again. However, the ugly conflicts of this friendship reemerge. Shay is ultimately far too strong-willed to be entirely controlled by the brain lesions in her head, and she remembers Tally’s big betrayal at the Smoke. Still, keeping a clear head with surgically implanted brain damage isn’t easy for Shay, so she finds a method that allows her to hold on to her anger—cutting herself. Pain is a tried and true way to keep a Pretty from remaining passive and controllable.
Brianne Tju narrated the new
Uglies
audiobooks, which are available on Audible.
It’s a pretty dark story, in which Shay takes even more concerning turns as she fights to hold onto her rage. Given Tju’s strong performance in Uglies, Shay’s flip-flopping from passive and foggy-minded to angry and tormented would be a challenge entirely within her capabilities. By the end of Pretties, Shay is Tally’s enemy—a villain on the side of Dr. Cable. It’s a dark turn of events that Tju could bring to life. Of course, only time will tell if she’s ever given the chance.
