Filmmakers’ fireside: ‘ANNA NICOLE SMITH’ Netflix doc effectively captures the ghastliness of fame

Preston Barta // Features Editor

Now available to stream on Netflix is director Ursula Macfarlane and producer Alexandra Lacey’s riveting and humanizing examination of the life, death and secrets of Vickie Lynn Hogan, a.k.a. Anna Nicole Smith. 

From the pages of Playboy to reality television and the United States Supreme Court, the Texas-born star certainly left her mark on pop culture history before her shocking demise in 2007. She was constantly pursuing the American dream — and her story is captured here through never-before-seen footage, home videos, and interviews with Smith’s friends and family, who have not spoken out until now. 

The film, aptly titled Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me, leaves you with incredible sadness, whether you are familiar with her story or not. Through this deeply personal chronicling of Smith’s life – especially from one friend, in particular – you feel the nails of the inescapable monster that is fame. 

It’s unfortunate to see someone want the best things in life and have their troubles magnified by enablers, opportunists and the celebrity machine, twisting their view of the world and connection with the people in it. Macfarlane and Lacey drop us into the blond bombshell’s mind and keep us there, and it’s a bittersweet treat.

Video Q&A

Ahead of the film’s release on Netflix, Fresh Fiction virtually sat down with You Don’t Know Me director Ursula Macfarlane (Untouchable) and producer Alexandra Lacey (Manson: The Lost Tapes). In the below video chat, we discuss the greatest learnings, the documentary’s opening scene, and personal observations from the archival footage.

So, pull up a chair, listen in, and then head to Netflix to watch the film today!