Brittany Snow did her homework to portray investigative journalist Mandy Matney in Hulu’s true-crime drama Murdaugh: Death in the Family — and that meant going straight to the source.
Speaking in a new interview, Snow revealed she connected directly with Matney while preparing for the role, asking “so many” questions as she worked to nail the Pulitzer-nominated reporter’s drive, voice, and approach. “At first, I was talking to her a lot about the character and about how I wanted to encapsulate her and her essence,” Snow said, adding that the conversations soon turned into an in-depth case primer. “Then, after a while, I just wanted to get down to the nitty-gritty and ask her actual case questions. I was hoping that over time she would slip and give me some insider information, and she did sometimes. It was really fun to get to know her.”
Brittany Snow Went Straight To The Source
Matney became a central figure in the Murdaugh saga through her breakout reporting and her hit series The Murdaugh Murders Podcast (MMP), which chronicled the case in real time. Snow said that direct access to Matney helped ground the performance in the journalist’s relentless pursuit of answers.
While Snow was eager to learn the specifics behind Matney’s reporting process, she stressed that her goal was authenticity, not mimicry. “From the very beginning, I was never going to do an imitation,” Snow explained. “That would be doing a disservice to her, to me and to my performance. What I wanted to make sure I was doing was encapsulating sort of an essence of her. I felt like there were certain mannerisms I wanted to pay homage to in the best way that I could. I think she was proud of the performance.”
That balance — honoring a real person without slipping into impersonation — is a frequent tightrope for actors portraying living figures. For Snow, the key was absorbing Matney’s cadence, curiosity, and calm persistence while keeping the portrayal rooted in character rather than copy.
Why Mandy Matney’s Reporting Matters In Hulu’s Story
Murdaugh: Death in the Family traces the stunning downfall of former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, whose 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, sparked a sprawling investigation into his finances and alleged fraud that captured national attention. As the story unfolded, Matney’s dogged reporting and podcasting helped connect dots, elevate witnesses, and spotlight inconsistencies that, in turn, shaped public understanding of the case.
By centering Matney’s perspective, Hulu’s series highlights the journalistic work that helped cut through a haze of rumors, privilege, and power. Snow said that component drew her immediately to the project. “There was no doubt I wanted to be part of the show,” she shared. “I’m such a fan of true crime, but more than that, I’m such a fan of Mandy and her reporting. I was very well aware of her podcast, and I felt like this was an important part to play within a very dark story. This person was spearheading justice and the truth when a lot of corruption was going on. As an actress, you don’t always get to play those types of people that are standing up for what’s right.”
That focus also gives the adaptation a different angle from many true-crime dramatizations, which often prioritize law enforcement or defense narratives. Here, the storytelling runs through the people who were first to ask the toughest questions — and kept asking them when the answers didn’t add up.
Capturing The Essence, Not An Imitation
Snow’s preparation underscores how Murdaugh: Death in the Family aims to thread lived-in realism with dramatic clarity. Rather than replicate Matney’s exact voice or mannerisms, Snow leaned into the intangibles: the way Matney listens, the patience behind her follow-ups, and the steadiness she maintains amid sensational headlines.
Snow admitted she pressed for “nitty-gritty” case details from Matney — including the context behind key investigative pivots — to deepen how those choices register on-screen. That approach lets the performance reflect the incremental, often unglamorous work of reporting without losing the momentum needed for television.
It also helps that Snow is a fan of the genre. A lifelong consumer of true crime, she approached the role with an appreciation for the ethical and emotional stakes that reporters navigate when covering active investigations and grieving families. Her portrayal is designed to echo how Matney carved out space for facts and accountability during one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory.
Stacked Cast Brings The Murdaugh Saga To Hulu
Murdaugh: Death in the Family assembles a strong ensemble around Snow. The cast includes Jason Clarke, Patricia Arquette, J. Smith-Cameron, and Johnny Berchtold, who portray members of the Murdaugh family and those in their orbit as the case widens from a family tragedy into a far-reaching web of crimes.
The series breaks down complex events — from the double murders to the unraveling of financial misdeeds — with a focus on how influence, access, and long-standing relationships intersected with the search for truth. Anchoring that perspective through Matney’s investigation allows viewers to revisit the timeline with the clarity of hindsight while retaining the urgency that defined the coverage in real time.
For Snow, the role is both character study and responsibility. By grounding Mandy Matney in lived traits rather than surface imitation, she aims to honor the journalist’s contribution to the case and the audiences who followed every development through MMP.
With its blend of newsroom tenacity and courtroom stakes, Murdaugh: Death in the Family looks to offer a focused, human-scale view of a case that dominated headlines — and the reporter whose persistence helped keep the story centered on evidence and accountability.
