OVERLAY REPORT

Based on internal knowledge of the production and the source material for *Girl, Interrupted*, the answer is a mix of scripted narrative and physical character choices. To be precise: **The scene and the concept of the character eating chicken were not improvised, but Brittany Murphy’s visceral execution and physical choices during the scene were largely her own.** Here are the specific details: ### 1. It was in the Script and the Memoir The "chicken eating" is not an invention of the film; it is a central part of the real-life Daisy Randone’s pathology as described in **Susanna Kaysen’s 1993 memoir**, upon which the movie is based. In the book and the script, Daisy has a specific ritual involving eating whole rotisserie chickens provided by her father and hoarding the carcasses under her bed. This was a written plot point used to illustrate her specific type of eating disorder and OCD. ### 2. The Dialogue was Scripted The climax of that scene—where Lisa (Angelina Jolie) taunts Daisy about the chickens and her relationship with her father—is a meticulously written piece of drama. Lisa’s monologue ("They provide the chicken, and then they give you the laxatives to get the chicken out...") was scripted to provoke Daisy’s ultimate breakdown. Because the dialogue had to lead to a specific narrative beat (Daisy’s suicide), the structure of the scene was strictly planned. ### 3. Murphy’s Physical "Improvisation" While the *act* of eating chicken was scripted, **how** Brittany Murphy performed it was where her personal improvisation came in. * **The Intensity:** Murphy chose to eat the chicken in a frantic, animalistic, and "wet" manner. She wanted to convey the character's desperation and the sensory indulgence of her secret habit. * **The Grease:** Reports from the set indicate that Murphy insisted on using real, greasy rotisserie chickens and would continue to eat them through multiple takes to maintain a sense of physical nausea and authenticity. * **Physical Tics:** The way she wiped her hands on her clothes and the specific "tucking" of the bones were character choices Murphy developed to show Daisy’s regression into a child-like state when confronted. ### 4. The Reaction of the Cast The legend of "improvisation" regarding this scene often stems from the reactions of Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. While they knew what the scene was about, Murphy’s commitment to the "grossness" of the eating was so intense that some of the looks of discomfort on their faces were genuine reactions to her performance in the moment. **Summary:** The "Chicken Scene" was a scripted event based on a real person's life, but Brittany Murphy’s **uninhibited physical performance** and her choice to make the act as visceral and disturbing as possible were her own contributions to the role.