Age: 31
female
Victoria Pedretti (born March 23, 1995) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for starring in the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), establishing her as a scream queen. She was further recognised for playing Love Quinn in the Netflix thriller You (2019–2023). For these roles, she received nominations at the Critics' Choice and Saturn Awards. Pedretti played Leslie Van Houten in the comedy-drama film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and appeared in the biographical drama film Origin (2023) and the thriller film Ponyboi (2024). She debuted on Broadway in a revival of An Enemy of the People (2024). Description above from the Wikipedia article Victoria Pedretti, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost. Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and gives her a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister. A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity—and leaves readers with a shocking and unsettling truth.
