Apple Cider Vinegar Co-stars Kaitlyn Dever and Alycia Carey Share How Their Characters Are ‘Mirrors of Each Other’

Apple Cider Vinegar's Kaitlyn Dever and Alycia Carey reflect on the complexities of their characters, which mirror each other. Read on to know the details.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 11, 2025 | 12:56 AM IST | 14.8K

Youtube / Netflix

In Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar, Kaitlyn Dever and Alycia Debnam-Carey portray two characters wholly immersed in the world of alternative medicine but for very different reasons. Dever, who stars as wellness guru Belle Gibson, and Debnam-Carey, who plays Milla Blake, recently shared how their roles are essentially mirroring each other.

Debnam-Carey described Milla as a true believer in alternative medicine and considers Gibson as her competitor, that is, until she is faced with the harsh reality of her mother's death due to cancer. And yet, in the face of such personal loss, she clings tenaciously to her beliefs. This adds resentment to the dynamic between Milla and Belle.

Debnam-Carey told Variety, "[Milla] really believes this way of healing through holistic and alternative medicine until the end — right up until she's confronted with the fact that her mother's died, and this is no longer going to work, and she's wrong. But she really, really believes it."

When Milla sees Belle succeeding in the same space where she faced the loss of her mother, a rivalry arises. Debnam-Carey said, "It's really personal and egotistical but found in quite a genuine place that's so fascinating to watch. So when the two of them come together, it's that kind of competitor, frenemy, Girl Boss, influencer, aspirational dynamic."

According to Dever, Belle's fixation on Milla is multi-layered and complicated. Belle keeps tabs on everything Milla does online, at the same time torn between her desire to befriend her, to idolize her, and to envy her success. Dever said to the outlet that the use of the phrase "mirrors of each other" for Milla and Belle is indeed "very true." She noted, "Throughout the entire series, they are parallel storylines that we go back and forth between."

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As per Dever, Gibson does not simply want to be like Milla; she wants to be her. Milla has a tangible sense of purpose and credibility; Belle, in contrast, clings to validation, which makes their competition intensely personal.

Dever said, "I guess the arc between the two of them is that Milla is someone that Belle just so badly wants to hang out with and learn from at first. She just completely worships Milla. But then it's interesting to see how that starts to tear her apart."

"I think that Milla is a physical representation of what Belle really wanted, and Milla had everything that Belle wanted. That, I think, is really twisted and heartbreaking and sad," Dever added.

Ultimately, their rivalry goes beyond a simple professional level; it becomes an emotional battle of identity, acceptance, and dominance. The further their stories intertwine, the more they mirror each other, and the nuances of their dynamic become apparent, making the story both riveting and disturbing to watch.

Apple Cider Vinegar is now streaming on Netflix.