Good American Family star Mark Duplass has revealed the harrowing scene that ‘nearly killed him’ to film.
The New Orleans-born star shines as Michael Barnett, now ex-husband of Kristine Barnett, the parents formerly accused of abandoning and neglecting Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace in the Disney+ dramatisation.
Natalia – who was born with a rare form of dwarfism called diastrophic dysplasia – was seven years old when the Barnetts decided to adopt her in 2010, in the hope of expanding their family after years of struggles, and said they felt nothing but ‘overwhelming love’ for their new daughter.
The new Disney+ show depicts how things quickly turned dark as the Barnetts later accused their once beloved daughter of attacking them with knives, harming their three biological sons, and even said she was lying about her age, claiming she had periods and full grown adult teeth.
They branded her a ‘sociopath’ before eventually ‘abandoning’ her in an apartment years later.
Mark Duplass, who stars alongside veteran TV actress Ellen Pompeo and British newcomer Imogen Faith Reid – who plays Natalia Grace in the fast rising drama – has shared how shooting one agonizing scene with Imogen ‘killed’ him.
Taking to his Instagram stories, he posted a clip of the series capturing Natalia Grace plead for her ‘daddy’ Michael Barnett to stay, after he dropped off groceries to her new apartment in Lafayette.
‘Shooting this killed me’ he penned on Instagram. ‘Love that @Imogenfaith___ so much.
Actor Mark Duplass has opened up about filming a harrowing scene in a new Disney+ series (Pictured: Mark Duplass, left, and Imogen Faith Reid in a scene from Disney+ series, Good American Family)
‘We would hug after every take to shake off the terrible feelings’ he added.
The gripping scene shows an emotional Natalia Grace asking her ‘daddy’ to spend time with her, rather than simply drop off the items and retreat back to his family as had become the custom.
‘Please wait, daddy, daddy!’ cried Natalia.
She then asked Michael to explain why she was left out of her mom – TV personality and author Kristine Barnett’s – new book, to which he coldly replied: ‘You are not a kid are you Natalia?’
Her cries fell on deaf ears as he emotionlessly repeated the statement, before telling her to ‘stop it!’
Natalia then hugged Michael and asked her ‘daddy’ if she could come home with him and be with the family once more.
‘No, you can’t… don’t do that… stop!’ he shouted.
Natalia is then shown in tears while still hugging her adoptive father: ‘You said you loved me for me!’ she cried.
Natalia was seven-years-old when the Barnetts decided to adopt her in 2010, in the hope of expanding their family after years of struggles, and said they felt nothing but ‘overwhelming love’ for their new daughter (Pictured: Kristine Barnett with her then-adopted daughter Natalia Grace and her three biological sons)
Natalia Grace (pictured) was born with a rare form of dwarfism called diastrophic dysplasia
Taking to his Instagram stories, Mark shared how shooting one agonizing scene with fellow actress Imogen Faith Reid ‘killed’ him
‘Do you not love me anymore?’ she asked.
The full episode shows Michael losing his temper and telling her that she should’ve gotten her act together and now things were too late.
The Barnetts were later accused of neglect for allegedly dumping her there to live alone following a huge fallout that saw them accuse her of faking her age.
According to the series, the former couple accused Natalia of being in cahoots with her biological mother and a shady adoption agency to falsify documents showing her age, which they believed to be 22 instead of seven at the time.
Though she lived alone, the Barnetts claimed they paid her rent and bills, as well as provided items such as food, make-up and hair care products.
Like Natalia, Imogen, 27, also has a form of dwarfism – but in a different form.
The 4ft 3in star has Russell-Silver Syndrome (RSS), a rare condition characterised by slow growth before and after birth – meaning she has curved pinky fingers and was born with blonde hair.
Imogen Faith Reid shines as Ukrainian orphan Natalia Reid in Good American Family (The actress is pictured last month in London)
The Barnetts were later accused of neglect for allegedly abandoning Natalia Grace following a huge fallout that saw them accuse her of faking her age (Pictured: Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2019)
Mark Duplass stars alongside veteran TV actress Ellen Pompeo and British newcomer Imogen Faith Reid in the fast rising drama (The cast is seen at a BAFTA screening last month)
Replying to Mark Duplass’s Instagram story, she also opened up about shooting the emotional scene.
‘I was soooo lucky to do a scene like this with @markduplass’ wrote the actress.
‘After this scene we had the biggest hug and I told him how much I love working with him’. She ended her words with a vibrating pink heart emoji.
Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace had already been adopted before finding a home with the Barnetts – but the parents had subsequently rescinded their rights, citing her ‘disruptive’ behaviour.
Drawn in by the need to ‘help another person in the world’, Kristine and Michael still decided to raise Natalia as their own, alongside their three biological sons in New Hampshire.
The following years saw a shocking breakdown in the relationship – with Kristine and Michael accusing her of being a ‘sociopath masquerading as a child’ and lying about her real age – even claiming she tried to kill them.
After seeking advice from a family physician, they fought to have her birth date changed from 2003 to 1989, claiming she was an adult when they adopted her.
Natalia has denied all accusations against her – and the couple were charged with neglect after moving to Canada and allegedly dumping her at an apartment in Lafayette. They were eventually acquitted of the charges.
The heart wrenching scene clearly left a mark on the Creep actor who said shooting it ‘killed me’ (Seen in Miami this month)
Natalia’s unique story has now inspired Disney+ series Good American Family, starring Ellen Pompeo, Mark Duplass and Imogen Faith Reed.
For years, Natalia was defended by Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who eventually became her third set of adoptive parents in June 2023.
But speaking in a rare interview with PEOPLE Magazine in January, Natalia, now 21, revealed that the relationship had soured as shared an update on her situation.
She said: ‘It’s a blessing to be alive today because looking back at my seven-year-old self, I should have been dead.’
‘Learning everything that I have about how to live with my dwarfism—it’s been a great experience. I love it. I mean, of course, I still miss my siblings and everything. But I love it. I feel free’.
In January 2024, she wrote on a GoFundMe page, revealing she’d moved out and was trying to raise money for spinal surgery.
‘I recently moved out and I’m saving money to get my own house so I can have a personal place of my own,’ she wrote. ‘I am wanting to start my own photography business to create a fun and awesome way to have fun and do what I love which is taking pictures and creating memories for myself and other people!’
She also explained that the spinal surgery she wants to have done isn’t covered by her medical insurance and costs ‘in excess of $500,000.’
‘I have a type of dwarfism called Diastrophic Dysplasia – a form of dwarfism that has many serious issues which often require surgery,’ she wrote. ‘The first treatment I need is to have my spine corrected as if I leave it too long it could lead to paralysis and incontinence.’
Imogen, 27, said she gave actor Mark Duplass the ‘biggest hug’ after shooting the heart wrenching scene
In her interview with People Magazine, Natalia said she is now living with friends in New York, is learning to drive and is studying for her GED in the hope of becoming a teacher.
She’s also in a serious long-term relationship with her boyfriend Neil, from the UK, whom she met on Facebook while living with the Manses.
Natalia was born with a bone growth disorder named spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, which causes short stature, skeletal abnormalities and problems with vision.
Her first adoption from Ukraine was in 2008 by Dyan and Gary Ciccone – but just two years later, they relinquished their parental rights, citing her behaviour as the reason.
The Barnetts, experienced foster parents who ran a children’s day care from their Westfield, Indiana home, collected the curly-haired youngster from Florida in May 2010.
Natalia’s birth certificate said she was born in 2003 but her parents began to doubt her age and said she began displaying threatening behaviour towards them and their three biological sons, Jacob, Wesley and Ethan.
Natalia’s unique story has now inspired Disney+ series Good American Family
Natalia has denied all accusations made against her by Kristine and Michael Barnett
Kristine Barnett even gave an interview with the Daily Mail in 2019, alleging that Natalia had terrorised them ‘for years’ and accused her of threatening to stab them in their sleep, pushing her towards an electric fence and pouring bleach in her coffee.
She also alleged that Natalia was far older than her six years of age, claiming she had pubic hair and had started her periods, while using an advanced vocabulary.
‘The movie ‘Orphan’ is exactly what happened,’ she said, referring to the 2009 thriller where a youngster tries to murder her family when it’s revealed she’s actually 33.
‘She would make statements and draw pictures saying she wanted to kill family members, roll them up in a blanket and put them in the backyard.
‘She was standing over people in the middle of the night. You couldn’t go to sleep. We had to hide all the sharp objects.
‘I saw her putting chemicals, bleach, Windex something like that, in my coffee and I asked her, what are you doing? She said, “I am trying to poison you.”
‘The media is painting me to be a child abuser but there is no child here,’ said Barnett.
‘Natalia was a woman. She had periods. She had adult teeth. She never grew a single inch, which would happen even with a child with dwarfism.
‘The doctors all confirmed she was suffering a severe psychological illness only diagnosed in adults.
‘She was jumping out of moving cars. She was smearing blood on mirrors. She was doing things you could never imagine a little child doing.’
The Barnett family alleged they believed she was a six year old child when they picked her up from Florida in 2010.