The real-life inspirations for the characters on the Netflix series 'Glow'

15.08.2018 20:24

GLOW Season 2.JPG Netflix

Netflix's "GLOW" is loosely based on the real-life women's wrestling and variety show "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling," which aired in syndication from 1986 to 1990.

The series about a ragtag group of women trying to create a professional wrestling show in the 1980s, is a fictionalized account of the world of women's wrestling.

"GLOW" co-creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch were inspired to develop the series after watching Brett Whitcomb's 2012 documentary, "GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling," which featured interviews with the original wrestlers.

"We were so moved by the way that these women were talking about how this crazy experience transformed them and changed their lives, how it took them down these paths they would have never had walked down if not for this totally weird opportunity that they all came together," Flahive told Variety ahead of the first season's release on Netflix in 2017.

Take a look at the real-life inspirations behind "GLOW" below.

Russian villain Colonel Ninotchka helped inspire Zoya the Destroyer.

Beth Dubber/Netflix and Netflix

Alison Brie plays struggling actress Ruth Wilder on Netflix's "GLOW." Though Ruth is a fictional character, she wrestles as Zoya the Destroyer — a Soviet villain with a cartoonishly heavy accent — inspired by real-life wrestler Colonel Ninotchka, who was played by Lori Palmer on the original show in the late 1980s.

Like Zoya, the character of Ninotchka poked fun at the on-going cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States and was frequently heard talking on the phone to a KGB spy named Vladimir and would promise to dominate over "puny Americans."

In an interview with Uproxx in 2017, Brie said she intended for Zoya to be her own "monster," but revealed she watched Ninotchka's matches and "mostly wanted to steal her moves and voice."

Super strong Mountain Fiji was the inspiration for Machu Picchu.

Erica Parise/Netflix and Netflix

Wrestler Mountain Fiji was one of the show's most memorable and beloved characters. Played by Emily Dole, Fiji somewhat inspired "GLOW's" Machu Picchu, who is portrayed by Britney Young on the Netflix show.

Weighing in at 350 pounds, Fiji was one of the show's biggest wrestlers and it was nearly impossible to take her down, even with half a dozen competitors working together. Fiji was the heart of the show and beloved by fans and her fellow cast members. In the 2012 documentary, former wrestler MTV (Eileen O'Hara) said she used to call Fiji "Shirley Temple" because "she was so good and so forthright."

Dole, who died in January 2018 at the age of 60 after suffering health problems for years, was a nationally ranked shot putter before she became a wrestler.

In an interview with Meaww in June, Young stressed that she tried to make Machu Picchu her own character, but was inspired by Dole's "athleticism" and "how this larger woman could go into the ring and become this gentle yet strong presence."

Self-proclaimed terrorist Palestina was likely an inspiration for the equally problematic Beirut the Mad Bomber.

Erica Parise/Netflix/Netflix

The original "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" prided itself on being as politically incorrect as possible. Since wrestling narratives rely on the clear-cut binary of good vs. evil, most of the wrestlers were caricatures based on cultural stereotypes rather than fully developed characters.

On the Netflix series, the character of Arthie (played by Sunita Mani) struggles with portraying the Middle Eastern terrorist, Beirut the Mad Bomber.

The character is loosely-based on Palestina (played by Janeen Jewett), a self-proclaimed terrorist, who would throw down against the show's all-American heros Americana and Babe the Farmer's Daughter — and would rile up the crowd by rapping,"I'll get you all, you're on my list/you can't escape this terrorist/so when you hear my battle cry/all infidels prepare to die."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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