Weapons star Julia Garner looks unrecognizable as she transforms into convicted crypto fraudster for new show

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

Julia Garner looked dramatically different from her usual self when she was spotted in Vancouver, Canada, on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old actress — who currently stars in the record-breaking horror hit Weapons — traded in her standard tightly curled blond locks in favor of long wavy brunette hair as she got into character as the convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Caroline Ellison.
Garner — who has been cast as Madonna in a long-delayed biopic — was joined by her costar Anthony Boyle, who plays the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder and convicted felon Sam Bankman-Fried, as they filmed scenes for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Altruists, which details the collapses of the exchange and their intimate relationship.
Garner mimicked Ellison's ultra-casual style with a tan-and-green pullover atop a simple white shirt.
Her costume included black Asics trainers, and she appeared to be made up modestly.
In another shot, the Ozark star was outfitted with thick black plastic-frame glasses to mimic Ellison's prominent eyewear.
Boyle was also dressed casually, in line with how Bankman-Fried was normally attired before he began regularly wearing suits for his court dates.
The Irish actor sported a mass of messy dark curls and wore a pale-gray sweatshirt over a burgundy T-shirt, along with rumpled khakis and white athletic shoes.
The Altruists is written and executive produced by Graham Moore, who also serves as co-showrunner with EP Jacqueline Hoyt.
Barack and Michelle Obama are also executive producers via their production company Higher Ground, which has a multi-year deal with Netflix.
FTX, which is now bankrupt, was a cryptocurrency and exchange and hedge fund that was founded by Bankman-Fried and Gary Wang in 2019, before its collapse just three years later.
Ellison, who served as the CEO of FTX's sister company, the crypto trading company Alameda Research, testified that she had worked with Bankman-Fried to illegally funnel customer funds from FTX into Alameda, which were used to pay off the trading company's loans.
After the misuse of funds was first reported on, the rival cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced it was selling all of FTX's crypto coins that it held, which led multiple FTX investors to try to withdraw their funds.
In addition to propping up Alameda, Bankman-Fried was accused of using billions in customers' money to fund his lavish lifestyle, which allowed him to gain influence with other high-profile industry figures and politicians.
Ellison managed to secure a plea deal in exchange for testifying against Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives, under which terms she pleaded guilty in December 2022 to charges of wire fraud, multiple counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
She received a relatively light two-year prison sentence, and according to the Bureau of Prisons, she is currently slated to be released in April of 2026.
However, Ellison will also be required to pay $11 billion in fines.
At his trial, Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, but a jury convicted him of all the charges in November 2023.
In March 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and required to pay over $11 billion in fines, though he is currently appealing his conviction.
Garner's turn playing Ellison on screen comes after she starred in the horror hit Weapons.
The film was well-reviewed, earning an impressive 87 percent fresh rating from the most prestigious critics surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes, and it has so far earned an impressive $100 million at the global box office against a relatively modest $38 million budget since debuting in theaters on August 8.
The film, which is written and directed by Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger — formerly a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U Know — stars Garner as a third-grade teacher who arrives at school one day to find that only one of her students has showed up for class.
Police discover that that the other 17 children all mysteriously woke up and ran out of their homes into the night at exactly 2:17 a.m., but where they went — and what happened to them — remains a mystery.
Josh Brolin, who is also an executive producer on Weapons, costars as a parent who lashes at at Garner's character after his son was one of her students who disappeared.
The large cast also features Alden Ehrenreich, Marvel star Benedict Wong, Euphoria actor Austin Abrams and Oscar-nominee Amy Madigan.
Garner has had back-to-back blockbusters in just weeks, as she also starred as the Silver Surfer in Marvel's Fantastic Four reboot.