Cat Person: How a viral story inspired Nicholas Braun’s new movie

Starring Succession’s Nicholas Braun and CODA’s Emilia Jones, Cat Person is a new relationship story with a history of getting people talking.

The film adaptation follows a young woman named Margot (Jones) who befriends Robert (Braun), a guy who regularly visits the movie theatre where she works. Soon, the pair start a digital relationship, batting texts back and forth while their fascination with each other starts to grow.

However, when the duo finally start to meet up, Margot soon discovers that the person she thought she knew via instant messaging doesn’t quite match up with the person in real life.

Praised for its ability to tap into the complex and blurry world of online dating and modern relationships, Cat Person became an instant viral hit when it first emerged as a story on The New Yorker - but how did that lead to it becoming a full feature film? Let’s take a look.

Is Cat Person based on a true story?

No. Cat Person isn’t based on a true story but that hasn’t stopped audiences from projecting their own personal experiences onto it. In fact, its wholly relatable nature is the main reason why the original short story upon which it's based became an almost-instant viral hit.

Fogel’s movie is based on The New Yorker article of the same name by writer Kristen Roupenian which was originally published in late 2017. Its story is largely similar to the movie adaptation although the latter takes Roupenian’s narrative further and to darker places than the original text.

Warning: Cat Person spoilers below

The Cat Person article follows Margot, a 20-year-old student who meets a local man named Robert at the cinema where she works. After exchanging numbers, the pair appear to hit it off, with Margot taken in by Robert’s humour, much of which comes at the expense of his two pet cats which he regularly shares pictures of.

Eventually, they agree to meet in person but the Robert she encounters in real life is considerably more awkward and less smooth-talking than the person Margot had been used to talking to through text. She also learns that Robert is 34 and considerably older than she is.

Read more: Pain Hustlers: The true story behind the Netflix drama

Despite these initial red flags, Margot agrees to return to Robert’s apartment where she continues to be put off by its piles of dirty laundry and general uncleanliness. She ultimately consents to have sex with him before soon realising that the decision may have been a mistake.

Distasteful and uncomfortable, Margot mentally separates from the physical experience in order to get through it and by the time the night is over, she’s convinced that the relationship will go no further.

The decision is further cemented when she realises that Robert’s flat showed no sign of the two cats which he frequently discussed in their initial text messages, making her wonder how much she actually knows about the real Robert.

After attempting to break off the relationship, Robert becomes increasingly clingy and jealous, with their relationship eventually coming to an end when he sends her one final text message calling her a w***e.

Fogel’s movie takes things further into almost horror-movie territory as Margot struggles to break things off with an increasingly erratic Robert.

How did Cat Person go viral?

The publication of Roupenian’s story came at the peak of the #MeToo movement, a time when many women were questioning their relationships with men and sharing their own personal experiences with sexual assault and breaches of trust.

Cat Person touched upon many of these themes which were rife in the world of online dating and modern relationships. As a result, Roupenian’s article became a huge hit with younger readers, emerging as the second most popular New Yorker article of 2017 and earning its author a book deal in the process.

Those who read the article began sharing their own personal experiences online, with its themes igniting impassioned responses from both female and male perspectives. Think pieces started emerging touching upon themes of privilege, dating etiquette, male behaviour and more. Before long, it was part of the cultural conversation and had crossed the path of Fogel who began work on her own dramatised adaptation.

A few years after Roupenian’s story was first published, a Slate article by author Alexis Nowicki accused the author of plagiarising various elements from a real-life experience that she had endured.

After much online discourse among fans of the original Cat Person article, Roupenian admitted that the details shared from Nowicki’s social media accounts acted as a “jumping off point” for her story but reiterated that her work was fiction.

Nevertheless, Roupenian apologised for any similarities to Nowicki’s real-life relationship.

When is Cat Person released?

Cat Person is in UK cinemas now following its release on Friday, 27 October. It is directed by Susanna Fogel whose previous work includes episodes of America’s adaptation of Utopia and The Flight Attendant.

Is there a trailer for Cat Person?

The first trailer for Cat Person dropped in late August and saw a new relationship blossom between Jones’ cinema concessions worker and Braun’s awkward-looking thirtysomething.

However, what starts out as innocent enough soon develops into something darker as their relationship deepens and takes a more sinister turn.

Watch the trailer below:

Cat Person is in cinemas now.