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Imverynervous about being stuck in something where people are like, I dunno.
I really grilled them.
When I had the meeting to potentially do the show I was like, What happens in episode five?
Christina Ricci:Melanie got all the intel.
ML:Because I need it!
Im paranoid and anxious.
Tawny Cypress:I didnt know anything.
I was like, I dowhat?
I called her one day on set like, Oh my God, do we say ee-ther or eye-ther?
I think those are the small details that really tie it together.
Any enneagram fans out there?
TC:Im a loyalist!
JSB:Im a four, shes a two.
Samantha Hanratty: Im a two.
JSB: Sammys a two, and Taissa is a three.
Physically, I had to change my hair because Im usually blonde.
I had the contact lenses.
We speak with different tones of voices.
I spend the whole reading [imitating Melanie] just trying to talk a bit more like this.
Turns out I didnt get fired its fine.
On set, I remember writing in the journal thinking, Wait, are you left- or right-handed?
I think youre right-handed, right?
I had to switch that, but I couldnt just call you in the middle of the day.
But I figured it out.
TC:Sammy, you called her for me!
because we were running around set
JSB:Because shes a two on the enneagram: a helper!
and I was like, Not really.
Yet we somehow did it the same way, which was a really cool coincidence.
Having somebody who loves Misty the way we both do worked really well.
Sammi and I met before episode two, because we didnt really have much time before the pilot.
We talked about the different ways we would be playing Misty and the different plans.
In some of the episodes, they have the present story mirror something that happens in a flashback.
Sometimes I had to establish it, and sometimes she did.
Music is a really big thing for me as it is for Juliette, so we made a playlist.
All right, Ella: Youve been left out!
But also, youre acting, and you have a lot of practical considerations for that.
What was it like filming that?Ella Purnell:Yeah, it definitely is …
I wouldnt say scary, but sombering if thats a word it is now!
And you have everything, the plane windows and the seats.
Your brain doesnt really know the difference, so immediately it does panic.
I had to work hard at keeping myself calm and remembering, Im not a nervous flier.
Afterwards, when we shot the actual crash …
I mean, its disorienting.
Having the wires out and frayed it was really a crashed plane.
They went to town.
They chopped a plane in half, threw it around the forest, it was crazy.
Theres sparks flying out, luggage everywhere, corn nuts flying around.
It wasnt hard to pretend.
ST:It was very immersive.
EP:Yeah, it was genuinely scary.
We dived right into it!
But thats how our characters were theydidnt expect that!
SH:Yeah, it was pretty scary, Im not gonna lie.
The first moment we walked on set, I was like, Oh my God, this is crazy!
This is so cool!
We were laughing and it was fun.
I think it hit all of us at different moments, like, This is really intense.
and we were like, Okay, awesome!
These guys are insane, in an amazing way.
It was the best cast ever.
They just fully went for it, and we all were crying immediately.
But then Im playing a character, Misty, who takes things very differently than me, Samantha.
Id be bawling my eyes out and freaking out.
Butshetakes things in so differently, so it was a lot of interesting emotions.
Was it at all therapeutic to go through that?
You faced your fears?SH:No, I have to go to therapy more now.
[Laughs] I have a lot more anxiety now!
JL:I think it looks amazing, no?
ST:Youre coming from a biased experience, always.
EP:Two minutes!
SN:I wasnt really scared.
When we did get there, they just wanted to show me the set.
I was not prepared for rehearsal.
EP:I was like, Im passed out!
I dont have to do anything!
SN:Ella and I were both passed out!
We were like, Oh, well just sleep as long as possible!
I think what really brought the whole thing to life was just them being hysterical and screaming.
JSB:Why are you looking atme?
SH:You were like, Just listen to everybody for a second!
and then you were like, Does that sound like … something else?
and I was like, Oh!
And we all started laughing.
We did have fun too.
Sorry, Ishouldnthave added that.
Actually, thats a great segue for my next question for Melanie.
What does that tell us about her psychologically?ML:I had a hard time with that scene.
I was talked to about it a lot by Karen, our director, and by Ashley and Bart.
I think it shows she doesnt really have a ton of boundaries.
Shes an unpredictable person, and also, theres a bit of arrested development.
I think thats what that scene says.
Very embarrassing to film!
Was it?ML:I would rather do a sex scene any day than masturbate.
Well, you did it very well.ML:Well, thank you.
Karen was very specific about the noise.
and she was like, No.
She gave me a line reading of the orgasm.
What was the reason for that?
What was she going for?ML:Like a kind of … not really satisfied.
The music in this show is so well-chosen.
The 90s stuff is so especially evocative of that era.
Did you guys have any sense of what the soundtrack was going to sound like?JL:No!
They just did a brilliant job, and they did it right.
When I saw the clip of Tracy Bonham is that whos in this?
with Mother Mother, her song
Is it in this one?JL:Well, I justfuckedthat up.
Its not in this, its in another one!
The point is: Every music cue is just on point.
Everybodys talking about, Oh my God, the 90s!
because were all in this place, its an obviously simpler time, but its brilliant.
But it wasnt in the script.
Im thinking of Courtney Love, PJ Harvey, Bikini Kill, all those women.
There was a vibe that I really identified with, and I felt very empowered by that.
It was such a big part of the culture, and I miss that.
Going to that was
JL: Janes Addiction.
TC:Janes Addiction!
That first Lollapalooza was the first of its kind, where we were all still so very innocent.
Thats what I miss.
JL:I dont miss anything.
I like living in the present.
Im not looking back.
[Applause]
CR:I wore a lot of Carhartt pants, and I really enjoyed that.
I also have to say I agree with Melanie.
We didnt have to look like porn stars to be considered sexually viable.
I miss some of that.
it was about being tough and artistic and interesting, so I miss some of that.
JL:Yeah, thats interesting.
CR:Not across the board, though.
I could be wrong!
There was a New YorkTimesarticle that was written in 1996 calling it The Year of the Teenage Girl.
But it was presocial media, sothatwas awesome.
CR:We were encouraged to be aggressive.
JR:I wasnot.
CR:I was.
JL:I justwas.
But now that Ive done some research, I really liked all the rom-coms.
I thought they were way better back then!
JSB:Yeah, youre not gonna get too much better of an answer from me!
I feel like womens rights are better now.
Its better to be a queer person of color now.
I dont think I would have had that much fun in the 90s.
Im the youngest of five girls.
I just think about their Caboodles and them trying to do my makeup.
Its very different now with Instagram.
I feel like people are more calculated, less adventurous, more monitored, which sucks.
EP:Well, my first thought was those butterfly hair clips!
And then I was thinking more about it, and I dont really have anything better.
But … Im not going to say that actually.
They had the dark lip and the grungy thing, smoking on the carpet.
That was so fucking cool.
Can I say smoking on the red carpet?
CR:We got to smoke anywhere we wanted.
Thats news to me.
CR:Weve got pictures.
I miss that from the 90s also all the smoking.
TC:Im not going to touch you!
ML:It was such a great experience.
I would love for more.
But yeah, they have it sketched out for beyond.
You know, I asked them very specific questions: When does this thing happen?
They have a real long, long-term plan.
I hope they get to do it.
JL:Can I say something?
Natalie was really depressing to play and shes a de-evolution, so you sort of devolve.
I didnt know that.
But every one of these people up here is so beyond talented and wonderful.
This was a post-pandemic show.
It was very difficult, but the show is awesome.
My characters like [ughnoise].
But you play her beautifully.JL:I did.
I just showed up and did the best I could.
It wasnt what I expected.
TC:By the end of the season, winter hasnt even hit.
There are more stories to tell, for sure.
