Amazon Prime’s rendition of the iconic nineties thriller Cruel Intentions hits the streaming platform today (November 21), with all eyes on the new stars bringing the tale of deceit and seduction to life.
The TV reboot promises a ‘new chapter’, yet the narrative remains akin to the original film, tracing two manipulative step-siblings vying for power over their schoolmates. Sarah Catherine Hook assumes the role of the ruthless Queen Bee Caroline Merteuil in the TV series, while Zac Burgess portrays her step-brother Lucien Belmont.
Savannah Lee Smith plays Annie Grover in the series, the daughter of the vice-president. Her character mirrors the role Reese Witherspoon embodied in the 1999 film, Annette Hargrove, who was a headmaster’s daughter.
Audiences delving into the series will undoubtedly be keen to discover more about Savannah’s off-screen life. So, what do we know about this 24-year-old star?
Early life and career
Savannah hails from Los Angeles, raised in a family of musicians with a fondness for jazz. Her mother was a professional singer in the nineties, while her father was a screenwriter, reports the Mirror. Meanwhile her grandfather previously performed music alongside music icon Stevie Wonder.
It wasn’t until she started in high school that she realised her passion for the “acting part” of theatre outweighed her love of the music. However, the actress holds tight to her musical roots, telling Wonderland magazine she “retains a very strong connection to music” and has no intention of leaving it behind, as she creates her own R&B and jazz tunes outside of her TV and film work.
Her big break came with the role in the 2021 Gossip Girl reboot which graced screens until 2023 In the series, she played the formidable Monet de Haan, and this exposure led to her role in Cruel Intentions and in the upcoming musical Something Here.
Savannah’s other acting credits include the film Drunk, Driving and 17; Murder at the Murder Mystery Party, and The Upside of Unrequited. Beyond acting, she has ambitions of becoming a playwright and gracing Broadway stages.
Sexuality and love life
Savannah is open about her bisexuality. She told Wonderland magazine, she said: “It’s already a dream to be able to be a part of this project [Gossip Girl], but on top of that I get to be a part of a greater responsibility that I feel as a Black, bisexual woman in the media.”
She recounted to the New York Post how she came out as bisexual to her parents. She said it was spontaneous and happened as she was recovering from scoliosis surgery. “It just came out,” she recalled.
At present, it’s uncertain whether Savannah is in a relationship. She revealed to the New York Post in 2021 that her boyfriend was the first person she informed when she secured the Gossip Girl role a year earlier, but she has remained silent about a partner since then.
Cruel Intentions is now streaming on Amazon Prime