Behind the Scenes with Olivia Newman — “Remarkably Bright Creatures” Netflix Adaptation

Snaffled up for adaptation at the manuscript stage of author Shelby van Pelt’s New York Times Best Seller, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a touching portrayal of home, friendship, family, loss, grief, and finding a way to move forward when you’re stuck. It stars Marcellus, a Pacific octopus trapped in an aquarium (voiced by Alfred Molina), Sally Field as Tova the aquarium’s fastidious cleaner and Lewis Pullman as the rudderless Cameron. It was written by Olivia Newman (Where The Crawdads Sing) and John Whittington (Sonic the Hedgehog 3). Newman also directs. Olivia spent some time with Creative Screenwriting Magazine to discuss her intention for the film.

“The title evokes this joy and wonder. It’s a remarkably bright creature that somebody is discovering is active,” Newman says. The curmudgeonly Marcellus is trapped in an aquarium, but is longing to return to his natural habitat in the ocean where his soul and memories belong. Olivia lost her home in the 2025 Eaton fires of California, so they share this experience of loss.

“It’s a grief like none I’ve ever experienced before because you don’t realize, until you lose everything you’ve ever owned, what those objects that you were surrounded by for so many years, actually mean,” Olivia reflects.

“They meant connections to people in my life. They meant memories, history, and moments that I shared with people. When I think about Tova and Cameron, Tova is grappling with what it means to move on from a home that’s filled with so much memory and so many unanswered questions about people that she has lost,” Newman continues.

Moving out of a house that has been home for decades is something many of Olivia’s family and friends are grappling with. However, losing her own home added a different tenor to Tova’s dilemma in Olivia’s mind. “I was understanding all of these things in a much deeper and more personal way. And Cameron, he’s never had a place where he has felt really rooted.”

Cameron drives around in a beat up old van he inherited from his dead mother. It’s the closest he’s got to a home. “It holds all of these treasures and memories that belong to somebody else. He’s trying to find connection and a way to feel grounded through these objects and this space that belonged to his deceased mother to give him some sense of belonging and identity,” Newman adds.

Why Is Marcellus So Unhappy?

Olivia Newman. Photo by Eric Charbonneau

Marcellus is arguably living in the tide of luxury in his tank. It’s clean, he gets fed every day, and gets visitors. What more could he want? But he’s unfulfilled.

“He doesn’t have freedom to explore. He is not home,” Newman reinforces. The ocean holds the reminders, the memories, and the meaning of his life. “Octopuses are so brilliant that if they don’t have that freedom, they can really get depressed.” That is why he escapes from his tank at every opportunity to explore his surroundings and figure out how to make his tank his home; even if he risks his life.

Despite his gruff demeanor, Marcellus is remarkably sensitive and perceptive. He describes Tova, the cleaner, as the human he “minds least.” Marcellus also appreciates that Tova saved his life when he got entangled in a sea of cables during a night time jaunt outside his tank. Despite every adventure which may result in his death, Marcellus believes the risk is worth it.

Marcellus justifiably belittles humans and their inability to communicate. “Why don’t they use their thousands of words to say what they truly desire?,”  he complains. Humans can’t see what’s in front of them despite their evolved vision. He constantly reminds us of his species’ superiority – each tentacle possesses more wisdom than a human contains in their skull.

He also realizes that his time is coming to an end. “He has one dying wish; to help Tova heal. He’s being a true friend and seeing somebody else’s pain and finding empathy towards her.”

“In the beginning, he’s very focused on his frustration with being stuck in this tank, and being at the mercy of these humans who are so beneath him. By the end, he feels real peace through his own participation in helping her out.”

Marcellus is more than a friend. He’s Tova’s soulmate. Once he finds a way for her to find happiness, he realizes his work is done and can return to the ocean.

More Than A Talking Octopus

Marcellus possesses immense patience, wisdom, and powers of observation of human behavior.

“I did want him to feel like the wise oracle,” states Newman. “I also wanted, from the beginning, anything that Marcellus commented on, to feel like something that Tova could have imagined him saying.” He could be a reflection of her inner-most thoughts; her conscience.

“He doesn’t comment on things that happen when she’s not there. We don’t hear him narrating inside of scenes that he’s not a part of, unless it’s something that Tova has told him about at some point.”

Marcellus is the spiritual detective the puts together all the pieces of things that humans can’t understand without help.

Tova Sullivan (Sally Field) & Cameron Cassmore (Lewis Pullman. Photo courtesy of Netflix

Tova’s Family

Tova’s family consists of a of both blood relatives and found family. There’s a grandson, an octopus, and her “knit wit” friends who love to gossip more than knitt and bake.

Olivia Newman ties this idea to her own experiences. “My whole family is on the East Coast and I’m in California, I’ve been forced to find community here that has become my family. That was something that became understood in a very different way. All of us collectively coming together after a tragedy and finding strength in the connections that we have with each other. That’s what you see for Tova. She’s gone through so much loss and so have her friends.”

Tova has invested so much of herself isolating while she tries to solve the mystery of her son. She has “forgotten how to be a friend,” even as they bend over backwards to support her after she hurts her ankle.

“Like her friend Marianne tells her, ‘If you don’t have community, what’s the point of living if you don’t embrace and lean on those connections and allow yourself to find joy?’ That’s what both Tova and Cameron are seeking without realizing it.” Two unlikely people who drop into each other’s lives.

Tova’s friends insist, “What is the point if you stop the business of living? If you are not happy, then in some ways you’re not really fully living.”

Ethan (Colm Meaney) and Cameron (Lewis Pullman) Photo by Diyah Pera/ Netflix

Moving Forward

Thematically, much of Remarkably Bright Creatures (Marcellus’ conclusion to describe humans, not himself) excavates the paralyzing effects of grief that prevent us from making a forward-moving decision.

“Marcellus wishes that humans weren’t so bogged down by their emotions, their insecurities, or asking themselves too many questions that deter them from seeing what’s in front of them and choosing joy and happiness. They’re blinded by all of these other complications, by having too many words.”

At its core, there is only one major decision to be made – accepting endings, new beginnings and new life chapters. Tova releases the uncertainty of not knowing whether her son died angry at her or not. It’s a question she’ll never get an answer to. Perhaps it’s not important because he died happy.

Cameron is also trying to decide how to become an adult whether it’s by letting go of his childhood dreams, or pursuing his music in a different way.

“Tova is a mirror for Cameron. You can face huge obstacles in your life, but you can make the choice to become an adult and make the best of it.”

by Staff Writer

From our in-house editorial team.