Remembering the stories of the seventh grade, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Sam Zwibleman had so much fun with their memories that in 2019 they made great friends PEN 15, a comedy series in which Erskine and Konkle, then 32, performed their semi-autobiographical journey through high school. The audience did not know that through the eyes of two teenagers they would receive a lesson on the urgency of teenagers’ problems and emotions. “The moment we looked at it, we were going to these parties and it felt like we were in high school,” Erskin said. “We’ve had the epiphany that a 13-year-old in you is always there.” Here Erskine talks about the catharsis of going back in time and why the time has come to say goodbye to yourself.
Deadline: When you announced the end of the series after its second season, it caused a lot of sadness. Did you expect such a reaction?
maya erskin: nerd. I think I also felt a deep melancholy even though it was our decision. Then feeling that others have been offended by this only strengthened our sense. It was as if the grief and sadness had begun at that moment. But I think with the viewer’s reaction, we never expected any of them. Even when the show first came out, I think we were very afraid that people would react if people went to watch it. You can’t imagine what the reaction will be. So it was very frustrating for people to cry about it.
Deadline: Will this force you to reconsider doing more?
Erskine: No. We’ve always seen it for three seasons. Yes, technically it’s two seasons, but we’re watching three of them because there are three different story arcs and three different episodes. Also, since it’s always the seventh grade, there were things [to consider]: How long can the story go on and have the reluctance to say, “This is where the story ends.” But also, in practice, children grow up. There were many factors that led to this decision, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
TERM: Bring us back to the beginning when you, Anna and Sam came up with the idea. What was the highlight of the seventh grade and what did you mean by testimony?
Erskine: In the beginning, especially with Ana and Sam, many of the stories that made us laugh always went back to that age. We would like to comment that we haven’t actually seen anything authentically portrayed on television. welcome to the dollhouse It’s what we always call our high school beacon of truth. This movie is great. But other than that, we haven’t really seen a straightforward, R-rated portrait of that era. Here’s what we would go back to. Then, at 20, it was the feeling of a second adolescence. We were so vulnerable the moment we conceived it. We went to these parties and felt like we were in high school again. It was a really weird moment. I still feel like this now. We had Epiphany saying, “Oh, he never leaves you.” This 13-year-old me is always into you. The first time you’re ashamed, the first time your heart hurts, it’s in you. It was a feeling that was the only thing we wanted to write about.
Deadline: The tone deepened significantly in the second season. Was it always an intention?
Erskine: I don’t know if that was the intention from the start. I guess we always thought it was just going to be one season, so let’s put it all into it. And then when it went well and we got the second season, the time passed. We have grown up a bit. I think we developed our tastes a bit and it came naturally to this tone. But there has been a lot of talk about not wanting to go too far, about what this show was like from the start. How do we keep its essence, but go deeper and play with the tone?
TERM: How does a 13-year-old boy relive emotions? All of these feelings are so intense PEN 15.
Erskine: Ი Because they are. This is a work. This age is life or death. If you wear the wrong clothes, it could mean the end of your year. I remember having such a deep emotional reaction to something that I can now look back and laugh, but at the time it was so important. You are also going through such a massive transformation, physically and mentally at an age where everything is useless and extreme. I would say in terms of acting, when we started acting at that age, it was hard to click and so we didn’t want to leave that age. Ridiculous because it is a paradox; You are so vulnerable and confident at this age, but you can also be free and unrestrained with your emotions, with a best friend, a mother, you can scream, you can do anything. So putting all this into action was very free and convenient.
TERM: What was the challenge from the start? What is it like to literally enter the body of a 13 year old?
Erskine: Physically it was very uncomfortable because we had to tighten the chest with the straps and we had to wear these low rise jeans that go off the belly and all of that of course makes you feel so uncomfortable. Our goal was, we didn’t want it to come out as a sketch. We wanted to try to be as real as possible. So there was a lot of fear about how authentic this era was, let alone its version of that era. It was a great challenge. And then of course we fell for it. It also helps us to write, because then we can change things if it doesn’t go well.
Deadline: Does being around 13 really help you?
Erskine: Much. My God, we have learned so much from them. Every little behavior. We just watched as they touched their hair or hid a little behind their hands and the back of their abdomen. It was all very informative and how clicks and friendships would form. It was very helpful.
Deadline: Interesting how you capture kissing scenes using body doubles. This is what many people have to think, I think.
Erskine: Tons. We talked about it for hours. When we wrote these things, we always made sure we knew in advance how to shoot them. It was never a “case day”. We wrote the list of him so we knew, “You’ll shoot Anna first, then Brendan up close. And then they start getting close twice, but then we cut until you get close. “It was always about protecting the child and the audience as well, not wanting to distract the audience in any way from the story, to be able to watch comfortably, without worrying, but also to feel. It was a challenge.
TERM: How autobiographical is it in terms of history?
Erskine: I’d say 70 to 80 percent. Everything comes from what happened. Last season, less, but the first season was pretty autobiographical. The other is that Anna and I weren’t friends in high school. We didn’t know each other. So we separated from our lives, but we created a new story to tie Anna’s story and mine together.
TERM: What were some stories from your life that you wanted to include?
Erskine: Greedily, I don’t know. But, of course, the story of where my diaper flew: it happened, but not while I was sleeping. It actually happened on stage, but I always wanted to include it because it was an embarrassing moment in my life. I didn’t want to go into the history of masturbation, but I’m so thankful we were able to. It was very important for us to bring it to light. Doing “Yuki” wasn’t from real life, but there were some things in this episode that came from my real life or my mom’s real life.
TERM: How did you decide to choose your mother, Mutsuko Erskin?
Erskine: We were having a hearing and nobody wanted a hearing [the show]. People nodded as they read the holidays. They said, “No, we don’t send our children here. რა What is it? “Also, I couldn’t find a real Japanese woman. She was something that was really important to me. So he just got out. I put my mom in a high school movie. She wasn’t beautiful, but what if she could only do a few lines? She said? She might be able to do it. At first it was a kind of joke. I still have everything on my phone and they’re crazy but it’s only two lines and eventually it stops. and then we thought, okay, let’s do this. And He just blossomed before our eyes.
TERM: How is it to reconsider the relationship between mother and adolescent in adulthood?
Erskine: In the beginning it was just a goal. I was on set from the beginning, mad at my mom, just like me, Maya, trying to reach me: “Mom, no, you have to get to that point and say the line when I say it.” I start talking to her like I’m 13, but I’m Maya. My brother was the editor of the show and he hated his life when he edited our scenes because he said, “Your moans are a shock to me and I don’t want to hear it again.” But I think when I contacted her, it was the most transformative experience we had as a mother-child. I really needed to see my mother as this woman and not just as my mother, and it was a wild experience for me. I was half the protagonist of a pandemic, half then and then I became a mother. He just added so much depth to the episode that I watch it all. it was special
Deadline: Is there a catharsis in reliving your most embarrassing moments?
Erskine: Yes. I mean, there is catharsis in everything, really. Embarrassing moments you can laugh at and distance yourself from. It is no longer uncomfortable. But the sad moments, the moments when my heart sank, were so wild that I felt just as devastated when I shot. It was a surprise to me. I didn’t think these emotions were that close to the surface.
Deadline: And what are you currently working or writing on?
Erskine: I’m about to shoot MR. and Mrs. Smith. I’m here in New York and will be doing it for the next seven months.
TERM: What’s interesting for you in the new project?
Erskine: The interesting thing is that it is very different PEN 15. A very different character. I’m just playing this game so I can relax from all three roles because it has been the biggest charm of my life. I think it will continue to be a challenge, it will just be different. I really need to get into my feminine side. I was stuck in this childish part of myself and enjoyed it so much. She is not out of my comfort zone, a woman who plays like one Female. I hope I can.
Source: Deadline
