The DUFF (film, 2015)

The film The DUFF was released in 2015, five years after the publication of the novel of the same name.

Mae Whitman was cast as the bright and active teenage girl who is very alarmed to be informed she is the "Designated Ugly Fat Friend" of her friend group.^[1] She reacts with anger, and recruits her handsome popular neighbor to help her become more date-able. Without intending it to happen, during the process of helping her find a date, he decides he wants to date her, himself.

Kody Keplinger, the novel's author, said she was very pleased with casting Whitman, her dream choice for the heroine.^[2]

References

↑ Eliza Berman (2014-11-19). "A new take on the She's All That nerd-to-hot story". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-11-19. Retrieved 2026-10-25. But that’s exactly what she is as Bianca in The DUFF, a teen comedy slated for 2015 based on Kody Keplinger’s novel by the same name. A 'DUFF,' or Designated Ugly Fat Friend, is the least attractive person in her friend group. And Bianca doesn’t want to be a DUFF. She wants to be dateable.
↑ Gabrielle Bondi (2015-03-20). "Interview: The DUFF author Kody Keplinger talks writing, the movie & more". The Young Folks. Archived from the original on 2024-04-27. Retrieved 2026-10-25. It’s very surreal, honestly. Particularly because I’ve wanted Mae Whitman to be Bianca for so long. To actually see that dream become a reality is just mind blowing.

[TimeMagazine-2014-11-19-1] Eliza Berman (2014-11-19). "A new take on the She's All That nerd-to-hot story". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-11-19. Retrieved 2026-10-25. But that’s exactly what she is as Bianca in The DUFF, a teen comedy slated for 2015 based on Kody Keplinger’s novel by the same name. A 'DUFF,' or Designated Ugly Fat Friend, is the least attractive person in her friend group. And Bianca doesn’t want to be a DUFF. She wants to be dateable.

[theyoungfolks-2015-03-20-2] Gabrielle Bondi (2015-03-20). "Interview: The DUFF author Kody Keplinger talks writing, the movie & more". The Young Folks. Archived from the original on 2024-04-27. Retrieved 2026-10-25. It’s very surreal, honestly. Particularly because I’ve wanted Mae Whitman to be Bianca for so long. To actually see that dream become a reality is just mind blowing.

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