Painkiller: Is Shannon Schaeffer a real person?

Painkiller official trailer Netflix WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Painkiller on Netflix Netflix released its drugs drama series Painkiller on August 10 and the show has already shot to the top of the streaming platform’s chart globally. The six-part series takes its cue from Barry Meir’s book Pain Killer and the New Yorker Magazine article The Family That Built an Empire of Pain. Painkiller concentrates on the rise of prescription drug addiction in the USA and specifically the role of the pain relief drug OxyContin made by the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, which is owned by the Sackler Family. Moreover, Painkiller analyzes in forensic detail the history of the addictive drug and its mass marketing campaign by Purdue Pharma. A damning title card at the end of Painkiller states: ‘It is estimated that over 300,000 people have died over the past two decades from overdoses involving prescription painkillers like OxyContin. ‘Over 40 people die in the US from prescription opioid overdoses every single day.’ For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to Daily Express US. READ MORE Why did Narcos Mexico end after season 3? West Duchovny as Shannon Schaeffer in Painkiller Is Shannon Schaeffer a real person? Netflix is a mixture of fact and fiction, taking a real-life story and turning it into a dramatic warning tale for audiences. The start of each episode features a disclaimer read out by the family members of real-life victims, who died from addiction to OxyContin. The disclaimer states: ‘This program is based on real events. However, certain characters, names, incidents, locations and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.” As such, some of the characters in Painkiller are simply creations by the show’s creators Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, while others like Arthur M. Sackler are real figures. Shannon Schaeffer became a whistleblower in Painkiller College graduate and Purdue Pharma sales representative Shannon Schaeffer (played by West Duchovny) is a fictional character and doesn’t exist in real life. Nonetheless, she serves as an important component in the story as a whistleblower, who sheds damaging light on the firm’s aggressive marketing campaign of OxyContin despite the risks. The character is representative of the Purdue Pharma sales reps, who were tasked with falsely reassuring doctors of the low addiction rates and potency of OxyContin. Although the character isn’t real, Duchovny told Elle.com how she wanted to do the part ‘justice’. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Actress Duchovny also said she wanted to maintain Schaeffer’s naivety and chose to stay away from much of the material available about OxyContin and the opioids epidemic to give an ‘authentic’ performance. Reflecting on her character, Duchovny told the publication: ‘I think that she’s a really good person, and I also was super drawn to her power and her work ethic and her tenacity. And she wants so badly to do well, and I think that’s really honorable. ‘And also, she wasn’t just that. There are ugly moments, and there are uncomfortable moments, and you’re disappointed by her at the same time.’ Trending