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Yes, feline regurgitation has become the go-to social-media shorthand forBrand New Cherry Flavor.
Its spiteful and kind of vicious, but its also very funny.
And if you died while watching it, it would eat you.
To be fair, Zion, who came up with the idea, finds it a bit grotesque herself.
She suffers from emetophobia: the intense fear of vomiting.
I actually remember every single scene where Ive seen somebody vomit, she says.
It sticks with me like a trauma, and I have weird flashbacks to it.
She adds, Its sort of adorable.
Where did the idea of having Lisa Nova vomit kittens come from?
Though kitty-barfing is not in Grimsons novel, it does tie back to the big-cat mythology of the book.
For centuries, he has continued to stay alive by swapping bodies.
Antosca remembers his co-creator explaining how Lisa would give birth to kittens via her mouth.
The idea kind of seduced us from there, he says.
Like, obviously, its the right flavor for Lisa.
And while its not cherry-flavored, its not occult-flavored either.
Instead, he thinks of the cats as having more of a connection to creative energy.
Real cats were used throughout filming.
What was it like working with the cat actors?
The old Hollywood adage of never work with children or animals rang true for the creators.
Luckily, he and Zion very much do.
(They clarify that this means they enjoy napping.)
Watch your back, Grogu.
Obviously Rosa Salazar, who plays Lisa, is not throwing up real cats.
So what is she actually spitting up in those scenes?
Were like, No, were going to be practical.)
The puppeteers made sure they actually looked alive with personality and unique little quirks, Zion says.
Salazar tried to vomit differently each time so she could evoke distinct emotions and tell a different story.
She didnt complain and was ready and willing for every take we needed, Zion says.
She was a total pro, to the extent that anyone can be a pro about vomiting up kittens.
Lisa also births a kitten through her abdomen.
Is there a deeper meaning behind the sickeningly surreal scene?
For Lisa, this grotesque birth is about losing and regaining control, something Zion found quite moving.
Its easy to see the pleasure and pain associated with the loss of control, she says.
You understand Lisas need to take it back when she feels its gone too far.
Brand New Cherry Flavoris a Hollywood satire.
Are the felines a metaphor for the untamed filmmaker?
The scene made Antosca think of how many people come to Hollywood from some other town looking for acceptance.
We just liked the feeling of the artist as feral cat.
More important, Antosca says the opener is us telling you were not going to hurt the cat.
This isnt a show where the cats get run over.
Someone read their copy ofSave the Cat!
How exactly is Lisa related to the white jaguar?
Of course, the hardest part is identifying and then accessing that power inside yourself.
As a human being, you have to come to learn what your power is, Zion says.
You dont necessarily instinctively know what it is.
So whats the deal with that creepy jaguar couch?
Lisa finds the chaise longue said to be made from mother jaguar beneath the trapdoor in her bedroom.
Antosca also admits that he and Zion just wanted to see if we could make a couch scary.
How do you do that?
Will season two ofBrand New Cherry Flavorbe as cat-obsessed?
Right now, the creators have no plans to make a second season of the limited series.
I have this other stuff to figure out, Antosca says.
But if and thats a bigif they decide to make a season two, there will be cats.
More cats and bigger cats, Antosca promises.
