What Happened To JD Vance's Mother, Beverly, After Hillbilly Elegy (2024)

The Netflix film Hillbilly Elegy reveals the fate of many of its characters in the epilogue, including J.D. Vance's mother, Beverly. Hillbilly Elegy adapted Vance's memoir of the same name and outlined his life in the Rust Belt, specifically studying his tumultuous relationship with his mother, played in the film by Amy Adams. The film's dedication to looking at each facet of that relationship and how it shaped Vance's life is one of the reasons it was popular with viewers, despite both the Hillbilly Elegy book and the movie being incredibly controversial.

One other reason is the strong performances from the cast of Hillbilly Elegy. Amy Adams and Glenn Close's acting were widely acclaimed by audiences, depicting the generational tension between Adam's Beverly and Close's Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance as well as their individual mental health issues. However, toward the end of the film, Beverly's journey fades off, the film focusing instead on Vance's desire to continue down his path to law school. Despite this, the film's epilogue was able to answer some questions about the remaining characters' fates, especially regarding Beverly.

Beverly Vance Got Sober Around 2014

The Film's Epilogue Revealed Beverly Was Six Years Sober

Hillbilly Elegy revealed during the epilogue that Beverly Vance got sober in 2014. The epilogue touches on the final details of some of Hillbilly Elegy's characters, including that Vance graduated from Yale and married Usha (Freida Pinto). Beverly, meanwhile, got sober in 2014 and, at the time of the film's release, had been so for six years. The family, who were all located in Ohio at the time, assisted in bringing the memoir to the screen, with Adams and Close meeting with the family during filming.

Beverly Vance Met Glenn Close While Filming Hillbilly Elegy

Close Discussed Her Meeting With The Family In A Behind-The-Scenes Look

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Close discussed her meeting with the Vance family and their reactions to her appearance as Mamaw, showcasing the actress's dedication to the story. According to People, Close and Adams met with the members of the Vance family during Hillbilly Elegy's filming, including Beverly. The family had a strong reaction to Close's appearance on set, with the real-life J.D. Vance stating how Close looked and acted so much like his grandmother. Close had altered her appearance to fit the role, even donning a prosthetic nose to better fit the Vance matriarch's appearance.

Close discussed that transformation and how it affected her performance in the Ron Howard movie. Close stated that many crew members were surprised, as the makeup and hair had made her unrecognizable. She went on to say how she had no qualms about adopting the look, stating how her time living in multiple places, such as New York and Montana, had desensitized her to caring too deeply about her appearance. Close's interview showcases not only her dedication as an actress but how Hillbilly Elegy was able to transform her into an uncanny likeness of a real person.

What Happened To Beverly Vance's Daughter, Lindsay, After Hillbilly Elegy

Haley Bennett Played Lindsay Vance In Hillbilly Elegy

Hillbilly Elegy also featured J.D. Vance's older sister, Lindsay, who was played by Haley Bennett in the 2020 drama. Lindsay was by her brother's side as they both struggled to deal with their mother's substance abuse and reckless behavior. Although their childhood was tumultuous, Vance and Lindsay had each other and became very close. As the movie revealed, Lindsay, five years older than her brother, married while Vance was still living with their grandparents. According to People, Lindsay is still married and is now the mother of three children. Following Hillbilly Elegy's brutal reviews, Lindsay defended her brother. Per Dayton Daily News, Lindsay said:

"The kid has never done wrong in my eyes. J.D. has a part of my soul that nobody will ever have and I'll protect him until the day I die. Whenever things were falling apart, my first thought was always him ... You want to shout from the rooftops, 'How dare you? Let me tell you about J.D.' What makes him or makes him not a hillbilly? That's something Mamaw used to say to describe her or her family … hill people or hillbillies. What the title of the book means is that he's telling the story of his people. His hillbillies were Mamaw and Papaw."

How JD Vance's Family Reacted To Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy Movie

Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance, died in 2005, but some of J.D. Vance's other family members have commented on Hillbilly Elegy's true story. Bonnie Meibers, Vance's cousin, was a reporter for Dayton Daily News. She wrote a column about the 2020 biopic and included interviews with some of her family that featured their reactions. Beverly Vance told Meibers:

"I'm proud of where I come from. And I'm going to stand proud when this movie comes out. It is what it is, and I am who I am, and I'm OK. It's helped us all grow."

The Vance family was seemingly happy with how Ron Howard's 2020 drama film turned out and depicted their story. However, seeing the film gave them mixed feelings, as Meibers' mother explained, "When our family watches this movie, we're going to be reliving some very dark times." Ultimately, according to Vance's cousin, the politician's family is proud of Vance for writing his memoir and is satisfied with Howard's interpretation of it in Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix.

Hillbilly Elegy

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Drama

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Directed by Ron Howard for release on Netflix, Hillbilly Elegy is a Drama film released in 2020 and stars Amy Adams and Glenn Close. The plot is based on author J.D. Vance's memoir of the same name and follows a family as they attempt to deal with their mother's unstable lifestyle.

Director

Ron Howard

Release Date

November 24, 2020

Distributor(s)

Netflix

Writers

Vanessa Taylor , J.D. Vance

Cast

Bo Hopkins , Freida Pinto , David Atkinson , Sunny Mabrey , Haley Bennett , Gabriel Basso , Glenn Close , Dylan Gage , Amy Adams

Sources: People and Dayton Daily News