Based on a True Story’s Melissa Fumero Watched Fictional Murders for Inspiration Filming Death Scene
Based on a True Story was the first time Melissa Fumero had the chance to die on screen — and she rose to the occasion.
"It was my first death scene. I was really excited and very nervous," Fumero, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly after season 2 premiered on Peacock. "You want to do it right [even though] you've never done it before. So I was watching some famous death scenes — like going down YouTube holes — and just trying [to pull it off]."
Fumero appreciated showrunner Annie Weisman giving her a heads-up about her character's fate, adding, "They were also very generous that they told me a week or two before. They said, 'This is what's going to happen, this is how you're going to die and you are going to get stabbed. And these are all the things that are going to happen in your body.'"
Based on a True Story, which premiered in 2023, follows fictional couple Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina) as they team up with serial killer Matt (Tom Bateman) to start a podcast and make money off the true crime trend. Season 2 heightened the stakes by having Matt get engaged to Ava's sister, Tory (Liana Liberato), while trying to stop murdering people.
Fumero joined the most recent season as fellow mom Drew, who befriends Ava — and happens to be the detective working on the West Side Ripper Case. It is ultimately revealed, however, that Drew is actually Olivia — a.k.a Matt's ex-wife. As Olivia explains why she wanted to take Matt down, Tory stabs her to death.
"The thing I did not anticipate was how tricky it was going to be to cough blood," Fumero told Us. "So I don't think the first couple takes of that were great. Then I got it, but it's trickier than I thought it was going to be. I had to hold it in a certain place and to make it seem really natural and real."
The actress felt extremely supported after coming onboard for the second season, adding, "It was really fun and they took really good care of me. Everyone was really supportive and funny that night. So it's — weirdly — probably one of the fondest memories I have of the show is doing my death scene with them because it was really fun."
While building her season 2 arc, Fumero benefited from knowing Drew's true identity.
"I was so grateful to them for giving me all of that information before I started. To know where it was going and where all the twists and turns were going to be, it did really inform my choices," she explained. "It's really fun as an actor to have a secret and to have it with you all the time in the scenes."
Fumero wasn't sure whether her performance would have been the same if she was "in the dark" about where the story was going, noting, "I might have made totally different choices. So it was just always with me in the back of my mind. It's fun to pick the moments where you want to lean into the secret."
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Before Based on a True Story, Fumero rose to stardom for her role on NBC's police sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Fumero told Us she wasn't intentionally choosing shows with murder and mystery — but she didn't mind the coincidence.
"They just happen to come up for me. My new show that's coming out in February — Grosse Pointe Garden Society — is also a murder show," she shared. "So something about me screams mystery. But I'll take it. It's a genre that I enjoy and I'm not complaining."
Fumero also weighed in on her chances of coming back to Based on a True Story despite her character’s death. The dark comedy has found ways to revive people through hallucinations and flashbacks, which sounds right up Fumero's lane.
"I had such a great time with this group of people. I adore all of them. I'm a fan of all of them. In whatever capacity, if they wanted me to come back and if they got a season 3, it would be a very happy yes," she said. "Whatever we need to do to make this happen, I need to be there. I'm there if they want me."
Based on a True Story is currently streaming on Peacock.