Kathryn Merteuil is a fictional character who appears in Cruel Intentions and Cruel Intentions 2, portrayed by actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amy Adams, respectively. Based on the Marquise de Merteuil in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, Kathryn serves as the primary antagonist of the series.
Storylines
Cruel Intentions
In the film, Kathryn is wealthy, beautiful and popular, part of the Upper East Side's social elite. Portrayed as a manipulative mastermind who uses and destroys people for her own amusement, she is also depicted as being addicted to cocaine, which she hides in her rosary, and it is suggested that she suffers from bulimia. She hides her true nature behind the facade of a deeply religious model student, fooling everyone she knows, except for her equally narcissistic step-brother Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) and ex-boyfriend Court Reynolds (Charlie O'Connell). Kathryn shows signs of sociopathic and callous behaviour, treating the death of her supposedly "beloved" step-brother with cold disdain, and gleefully enjoying destroying his life, as well as those of the people she perceives as threats or inferior to her. She has a strong superiority complex, but the extent of her interest in Sebastian is left ambiguous. Kathryn is the archetypal "ice princess" whose opulent bedroom is a cold, dark lair decorated in royal blue and silver with crystal embellishments. When she's not wearing black, gray or other dark, muted colors, she occasionally wears icy blue.
In the film, she's first seen discussing her prep school with Mrs. Caldwell (Christine Baranski) and her daughter, Cecile (Selma Blair). Kathryn promises Mrs. Caldwell that she will look out for the sheltered and naive Cecile. However, she reveals to Sebastian that her real intention is to use Cecile to take revenge on Court, who had dumped her for Cecile. Kathryn asks Sebastian to seduce Cecile, yet he refuses as he is planning to seduce virgin Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), the daughter of their school's new headmaster. The two make a wager: Kathryn believes he cannot get Annette to bed, yet Sebastian believes he can. If Kathryn wins, she gets Sebastian's vintage Jaguar XK140; if Sebastian wins, Kathryn will have sex with him and she tells him "He can put it anywhere" a sexual reference meaning he can do anything he wants to her during the sex session.
After numerous failed attempts of seducing Annette, Sebastian agrees to seduce Cecile. Cecile confesses to Kathryn that her music teacher, Ronald Clifford (Sean Patrick Thomas), is in love with her. Afterwards Kathryn tells Mrs. Caldwell about Ronald and Cecile's romance and Mrs. Caldwell intervenes in their relationship. Sebastian, in turn, calls Cecile to his house, ostensibly to give her a letter from Ronald. There, he blackmails Cecile and performs oral sex on her. The next day, Cecile confides in Kathryn, who advises her to learn from Sebastian so that she can please Ronald in bed.