Mandy Moore's new show Dr. Death is SLAMMED by her real-life character Benita Alexander: journalist played by actress Bast Peacock for 'taking liberties' in 'dramatizing' her 'traumatic personal story' WITHOUT contacting her
Mandy Moore's real Dr. Death character Benita Alexander has slammed the Peacock anthology drama's second season for not involving her in its production and “taking creative liberties” with her “traumatic personal story.”
Former investigative journalist Benita's relationship with disgraced surgeon Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is examined in the latest episode of the show, which hits the streaming platform on December 21.
The eight-part series follows convicted Swiss-Italian surgeon and medical researcher Macchiarini, and the romance he develops with Benita, who initially approaches him as part of an NBC documentary.
He is played by Edgar Ramirez.
Benita Alexander has condemned the recently released second season of the Peacock anthology drama for not involving her in its production
The former investigative journalist is played by Mandy Moore in the newly released series
In a statement shared with DailyMail.com, Benita emphasized her disappointment that she was not approached by the producers for season two of Dr. Death, despite her story being a common thread in the plot.
It said, “I haven't seen the Peacock series yet. I had absolutely no involvement and was not consulted on this production.
'It's based on season 3 of Wondery's Dr. Death podcast called Miracle Man, which I participated in, and which is built almost exclusively around lengthy interviews with me.
'I find it very disappointing that they have chosen not to involve me in the TV film adaptation.
“Given that they are using my real name and taking creative liberties with a traumatic personal story, this is obviously very concerning.”
The statement continued: “This series offers a dramatized version of my life, but because my real name is used, people will watch and assume this is the real story.
“I can only hope they don't grossly misrepresent the truth or completely misunderstand me.
“However, this is an important story and the horrific, deadly crimes of Paolo Macchiarini must continue to be exposed.
Mandy stars opposite Edgar Ramirez in the Peacock series, portraying Dr. Paolo Macchiarini plays
Benita dated the disgraced surgeon for two years, and they were going to get married
“There are vital lessons and warnings for everyone here about how cunning, pathological liars operate. “That's why I will continue my advocacy work to expose victim shaming and help other women recognize the warning signs and recover from this type of extreme betrayal.”
Benita's relationship with Dr. Macchiarini began shortly after she was commissioned by NBC to produce a documentary about him in 2013, entitled A Leap of Faith.
During their relationship, she discovered in 2015 that Doctor Macchiarini had been married for 30 years, including the entire romance.
The former couple planned to get married, with the surgeon falsely claiming that Pope Francis would officiate.
On June 21, Dr. Macchiarini was sentenced in Stockholm to two and a half years after being found guilty of grossly assaulting three patients.
Their engagement ended after Benita learned that her fiancé had been married for thirty years
Benita told DailyMail.com in a statement that she hopes the producers of Dr. Death 'not grossly misrepresent the truth or completely misunderstand me'
He was previously convicted of bodily harm in two cases in June 2022 and received a suspended sentence.
Although Dr.'s lawyers Macchiarini appealed the verdict, the Swedish court announced that they would not hear his case.
Before his conviction, he specialized in thoracic surgery, a medical field that deals with the surgical treatment of organs in the throat.
The first season of Dr. Death premiered in 2021 and explored the psyche of disgraced Texas Neurosurgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch, played by Joshua Jackson, who maimed and killed 38 patients during his career.
The series was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Limited Series and was named one of the top shows of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly, NPR and more.
DailyMail.com has contacted Peacock for comment.