“Euphoria”, on the one hand, is a new show about teen sexuality.
Called “Generation” (styled as “Genera + Ion”) and Premiered on hbo max On Thursday 11 March, the play casts a cast of teenage characters through their friendship, high school life and romance.
For an extra dash of authenticity, the show’s co-producer is a teenager himself.
“I came out when I was 15 years old in a letter home from Summer Camp,” said 19-year-old Zelda Barnz, told The Post from her Los Angeles home, where she still lived with her family is.”
“I basically broadened my summer camp experience and then at the end it was like, ‘I’m bisexual.” And in our family, we started doing all this [conversations] About sexuality and identity… [from that] The idea for a TV show about those topics was inborn. “
Zelda was 17 when she sold the pilot. He took a gap year between high school and college to join hands with “Genera + Ion”, which is produced by Leena dunham. She will participate this fall.
His father, “Genera + Ion”, 51-year-old co-producer Daniel Barnz, was already established in Hollywood, known for directing the Jennifer Aniston film “Cake” and directing and writing for the 2011 film “Beastly” Goes, starring Alex Batifer and Vanessa Hudgens. ) Belongs to. For the veteran filmmaker, making a show with his teenage daughter was a “bonding” experience.
“Genera + Ion” follows the confident, out-and-proud water polo champion and straight-A student Chester (Justice Smith), who is single despite his popularity; The insecure Naomi (Chloe East) and her twin brother Nathan (Uli Slessinger) who are from a wealthy conservative family; Greta (Haley Sanchez), a girl whose single mother has been detained by the ICE; Ariana (Nathania Alexander), a gossip who lacks social skills; And Independent Riley (Chase Sui Wonders), whose parents are in politics.
Zelda and Daniel – who is gay – both said that none of the characters are explicitly autobiographical, but drew inspiration from their lives.
Daniel said that after Zelda came out, “we realized that [her generation’s] The experience of being separated from the queue was different for us – ‘our’ which means my husband [Ben Barnz] and myself. When I was in high school and thinking about getting out of the queue and coming out, all the narratives related to it were narratives of shame and guilt and secrecy. I think what’s interesting about Zelda and her friends is that there is a very wide spectrum.
Both father and daughter noted that Zelda’s teen-flow came in handy over several moments.
For one, it was important to Zelda that the plot of the show was not only about romance.
“Romance is not the only thing in my life,” she said. “And many teen shows feel that romance is the main driving force in a lot of character stories,” she said, with “Freaks and Geeks” and “Friday Night Lights” as her favorite counter-examples.
She was also very careful to ensure that the digital communication of all teenagers looked authentic.
“Someone wrote a text for a character that was like this, ‘Oh ok.’ With a period, ”Zelda said. “And I was like God, why are they crazy?” So passive-aggressive! ‘
Daniel mentions that Zelda drove the writers through a lockdown drill for an episode – and this was not what adults were expecting.
“As adults, we think ‘oh my god, this must be scary!” But the reality for Zelda is that lockdown drills last longer, people get bored or feel hungry or hear dark jokes. “
Father-daughter collaboration also brought some mysteries to the surface; For example, she said, she and her brother once threw a party when her parents were away, and the police showed up.
“My parents didn’t know about this for a while,” she said. “It’s funny how I think of my brother and if he wasn’t for this show, I would have kept with him for a lot longer.”
Although Daniel was surprised, he was not bothered by it, he said.
“I think that teenager needed There are some things they are not sharing with their parents, and vice versa. “
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