Mae Whitman & Carlos Valdes Tease ‘Up Here’s Musical Love Story & Embracing Y2k Nostalgia (Exclusive)

A musical romantic comedy set in New York as the clock rolls back to 1999? Count on us. Up here follows the extraordinary (and very harmonious) love story of Lindsay and Miguel in the city that never sleeps. hollywood life spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Mae Whitman AND Charles Valdes about why Lindsay and Miguel’s relationship is so warm to them.

“Both characters were really relatable,” Carlos said. hollywood life during the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. “For myself, I remember reading the scripts and thinking, ‘My God, I’m totally Lindsay.’ And then reading more and saying, ‘No, I’m 100% Miguel.’ I think most of the people who worked on the show felt that way, that they could relate to the two characters and the specific insecurities they carried throughout their lives and their love story. I love that these characters were written to have so many shades and dimensions that they look like real people.”

Mae added, “For me, it’s growth. I always look into a story when there’s genuine growth and it really progresses. To me, what they bring to each other is so fascinating. Because the end result is that they want to be together and they keep getting lost all the time because people tell them not to be together or this or that. Everyone just wants to be seen and understood and to see and understand themselves. But is there this whole concept that you can actually get to know someone? Can you really know yourself? But what could they find inside each other and pull each other out and open the walls and defenses that each has erected in their own world. For me, the most beautiful thing was seeing them unleash those defense mechanisms”.

Both Carlos and Mae get to flex their musical muscles in major ways Up here. There are many epic musical moments throughout the season. “Although I had a few years of experience with this particular problem, I needed outside help,” admits Carlos. “I brought this boy, Tyler Jones, to help me with all the songs and my voice. She killed it and really made me open up different parts of my voice that I didn’t know I could access. He helped me to give my best in the songs and in the way Miguel expresses himself vocally ”.

OR Paternity the student admitted to “starting from scratch. It was terrifying. I was really that scared. Again, this is why I wanted to do this because I was so scared. I thought, well, if I’m so scared of something, I probably should.

Mae worked with the voice actor Doug pecks During shooting. “It was almost like having a therapist, like a somatic body therapist. We work from the inside out. We build my spirit and help me understand my body and its power,” she continued. “A lot for me was building my self-confidence that I could do it. me propelling me forward is literally the only reason I’m sitting here.

Up here is set in 1999, before Instagram, TikTok and social media in general. Even if 1999 was not That Still a long time ago, Mae pointed out that nostalgia exists. “I think a lot of people are going through this moment because we’ve been inundated with technology and social media,” Mae said. hollywood life. “Everyone is so obsessed it’s like, wow, what was it like to just not have it? What was it like letting things happen naturally, looking at the sky, those things? We’re so worn out like that, and then you stop and think, oh wait, there’s a whole world out there. I’m happy that people can be inspired and that the style and music are great.” Up here premieres March 24 on Hulu.

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