Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie actors wear ‘sweet tribute’ to murdered vlogger on set of movie ‘NOT approved by family’
THE actors portraying Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in an upcoming film were spotted sporting a sweet tribute to the murdered vlogger.
Skyler Samuels, 28, who is portraying Petito in the film, was spotted wearing the a blue bracelet similar to one that members of the Petito family have been seen wearing during court appearances.
Actor Evan Hall, 31, is playing Laundrie in the Lifetime film, and was also spotted wearing the a similar bracelet.
The bracelets say "Justice for Gabby" and "Gabby Petito Foundation," honoring the late vlogger who died while on a road trip with Laundrie last year.
The "Justice for Gabby" bracelets are meant to represent Gabby's life; not her death, her parents have said.
The color blue was chosen to honor Petito based on the color of her eyes, family friend Jennifer McNamara told The Sun last year.
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“Her eyes, she had these incredibly blue sparkly eyes, her mother described them as like a teal color," McNamara said.
“When we bought the ribbons, we had to buy turquoise because the teal was a little more green than blue.
"So it took us quite a bit of poking around to find the right color, but that’s what it’s meant to represent.”
The Gabby Petito Foundation launched last fall, just weeks after the vlogger's disappearance and death.
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The silicone bracelets and other items are available for purchase on the foundation's website.
The new photos come just days after pictures from the set of the film showed the actors playing Gabby and Brian engaging as a particularly intense scene was filmed.
Filmmakers were shooting a scene where the two were "screaming at each other," one source told The Sun.
In the same scene, "Brian pushes Gabby, then gets in their van and drives away."
The two actors portraying the couple then appeared to embrace after they filmed the scene.
The movie is currently filming in parts of Utah, including just outside of Salt Lake City.
It was previously reported that Gabby's mother released a statement shared by The AWARE Foundation, saying the family doesn't approve of the film.
"We thought our followers should know that the Lifetime movie on Gabby Petito has no connection to the Petito family nor did they give their approval," the statement shared by the foundation reads.
"Lifetime took it upon themselves to make the movie."
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The film, with a working title of "The Gabby Petito Story," was announced by A&E on May 5 as part of Lifetime's Stop Violence Against Women initiative.
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It is set to premiere later this year, according to A&E.