The limited miniseries Escape at Dannemora is directed by Ben Stiller and made its debut on Showtime on November 18, 2018. It is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
This compelling narrative recounts the true events of the prison break from Clinton Correctional Facility that took place on June 6, 2015. During this notorious incident, two convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, used hacksaws to bore their way through the walls of their cells and exited into the city’s sewer system. They managed to evade capture for approximately three weeks before they were finally caught.
Two employees of the prison assisted in their escape, including Joyce “Tilly”Mitchell, who is depicted in the series as having an inappropriate romantic involvement with the escapees. In Escape at Dannemora, Tilly is portrayed by Patricia Arquette, a seasoned American actress known for her extensive body of work since the late 1980s.
Patricia Arquette takes on the role of Joyce “Tilly”Mitchell in Escape at Dannemora
Patricia Arquette was born on April 8, 1968. She is the daughter of actor Lewis Arquette and therapist Brenda Olivia “Mardi.”
Arquette first gained fame in 1987 when she took on the role of Kristen Parker in the film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Although her character was resurrected in the fourth installment of the franchise, she was replaced by another actress.
During the 1990s, she starred in several independent films and low-budget productions, including Prayer of the Rollerboys (1990) and Sean Penn’s directorial debut, The Indian Runner (1991). In the 1992 film Wildflower, she portrayed a deaf character afflicted by epilepsy, a performance that garnered her a CableACE award for Best Lead Actress in a Mini-Series.
Her role as Alabama Whitman in True Romance received acclaim from major publications, including The New York Times and Rolling Stone.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Arquette became widely recognized for her performance in NBC’s Medium as well as her role in the groundbreaking 2014 film Boyhood, which was filmed over twelve years by director Richard Linklater to authentically depict the aging process of a child.
Joyce “Tilly”Mitchell’s Role in the Escape at Dannemora Incident
Joyce “Tilly”Mitchell was a married employee at Clinton Correctional Facility who played a crucial role in aiding Richard Matt and David Sweat during their escape in 2015. The duo used specialized tools such as hacksaw blades to cut through their cell walls, ultimately reaching the sewers.
Mitchell provided the inmates with this equipment, which is a central element of the series. Escape at Dannemora also suggests a romantic relationship between her and the inmates, a claim that Mitchell herself has vehemently rejected. In a December 2018 interview with the New York Post, she criticized her portrayal in the series, stating:
“Ben Stiller is a son-of-a-b**ch liar just like the rest of the world. He doesn’t care about the truth. All he cares about is making millions off me. He’s an idiot.”
Upon its release, Escape at Dannemora received positive reviews from critics, particularly praising Patricia Arquette’s transformative and emotionally charged performance.
Currently, Patricia Arquette stars in the Apple TV+ series Severance, and Escape at Dannemora continues to be available for streaming on Netflix.
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