Is 'The Prom' based on a true story? Here's how Constance McMillen's life inspired Ryan Murphy's movie
Ryan Murphy is set to direct Netflix's upcoming musical feature film 'The Prom', which is loosely based on an incident that occurred in 2010 to high school student Constance McMillen. The young woman who was a student at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Mississippi wanted to take her girlfriend to her senior prom and also wear a tuxedo but things didn't go as smoothly for her as it would have gone for her peers.
According to reports, McMillen's school said that "same-sex couples and girls wearing tuxedos" were a violation of their school policy and the school board ended up banning McMillen from her prom. Being the brave person that she is, McMillen spoke up about the injustice only for the school to cancel the prom entirely. The Sun reported that McMillen was "shunned" by her classmates with some even sporting T-shirts that read, "Thanks, Constance, for ruining prom". While her peers thought it was funny to have a party without her, they were on the wrong side of the tracks considering the fact that McMillen's story has inspired 'The Prom', starring Hollywood A-listers such as Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden.
Reports also stated that the school said that McMillen and her girlfriend could not come to the event together or hold hands or kiss and were warned that should their presence at the event make students “uncomfortable", they would be kicked out. A civil rights group ended up taking up McMillen's case, which resulted in the prom being canceled altogether. Unfortunately, Paul Walker, the town's mayor, was completely on board with the decisions the school made. Back in 2010, McMillen's determination to fight for her rights ended up becoming international news, with many celebrities speaking up. McMillen was also invited on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', along with Green Day having sponsored a prom for her. DeGeneres also offered McMillen a £24,000 ($32,054) scholarship.
The Sun reported that in 2010, McMillen said this of the situation: "I just want to go to prom and be myself and not be kicked out because I’m slow-dancing with a girl or wearing a tux. I didn’t want everyone to hate me, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. The easiest way is not always the best way." McMillen's school was taken to court by The American Civil Liberties Union and was accused of "violating her constitutional rights" with the judge ruling in their favor and McMillen settling for £23,000 ($30,718.80) out of court. But, the school prom was still not re-instated, so a private one was set up instead by the parents.
Unfortunately, McMillen, her date and five other people were the only ones to show up at that party at Fulton Country Club since her peers ended up partying at their own secret get-together near Evergreen Community Centre. "It really hurts my feelings. These are still people who I’ve gone through school with, even teachers who loved me before this all started. I’ve never been a bad student and I don’t feel like I deserve to be put through this," said McMillen. McMillen ended up changing schools because things had gotten so bad.
Six years after this incident, 'The Prom' made a musical debut in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to New York. It was composed by Matthew Sklar and was based on a concept by writer and producer Jack Viertel. There were obvious changes to the story such as the names of individuals, the school and even the state — it was moved to Indiana. The Sun reported that Ryan Murphy, who's the director of the Netflix adaption of the story, was also unable to go to his school party. After he had seen the show, he decided to make the movie. “There was a personal element there. I walked out of the show thinking, ‘Wow, I wish there had been something like this for me to see or watch with my parents when I was younger.’"
Catch 'The Prom' on Netflix on December 11, 2020. You can watch the trailer below.
The official synopsis of Netflix's 'The Prom' reads: "Dee Dee Allen (three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (Tony Award winner James Corden) are New York City stage stars with a crisis on their hands: their expensive new Broadway show is a major flop that has suddenly flatlined their careers. Meanwhile, in small-town Indiana, high school student Emma Nolan (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) is experiencing a very different kind of heartbreak: despite the support of the high school principal (Keegan-Michael Key), the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) has banned her from attending the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). When Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma's predicament is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images, they hit the road with Angie (Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells), another pair of cynical actors looking for a professional lift. But when their self-absorbed celebrity activism unexpectedly backfires, the foursome find their own lives upended as they rally to give Emma a night where she can truly celebrate who she is."