New Website for TCR

Thanks so much to Ilsa Brink for redesigning my website for The Cherry Robbers. I absolutely love it. Once you’ve read the book, you’ll be able to appreciate all the design choices she made. Ilsa really captured the essence of the novel and gave me the gothic beauty that I wanted.

I will aim to post updates here from now on, which will also be cross-posted on my social media accounts.

The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Joy Nash

For finale night, I have an interview with the one and only Joy Nash, aka Plum Kettle! Besides her starring role in Dietland, Joy has appeared in Twin Peaks: The Returned, The Mindy Project, The Fosters and many other shows. She has also narrated many audiobooks. Joy’s video “A Fat Rant” went viral in 2007, and introduced many people to fat positivity for the first time. If you haven’t seen it, head over to YouTube (once you’re done with this interview, of course).

Thanks to Joy for her fearless and heartfelt portrayal of Plum this season. As the controversy surrounding Insatiable shows, not to mention the fat-suited guy in This Is Us, a fat actor playing a fat character is still not something we can expect in 2018. I’m so glad Joy got a chance to shine in this role, and to show the world what fat ladies can do.

SARAI: I think people often assume that those of us who are “fat positive” love our bodies unconditionally and never experience any negative feelings or anxiety about how we look. Therefore, “fat positivity” can seem like something impossible for the average person to participate in. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about what fat positivity is. I’m wondering what fat positivity means to you, and what advice you can give fat people who are struggling with this concept. 

JOY: Fat positivity for me is about power. I love that Serena Williams quote: “This is my body. It’s my weapon and my machine.” ‘Beautiful’ doesn’t mean much to me -- it’s totally subjective and not really useful. What does it get you? Love? Safety? Not in my experience. This is my body; I did not ask you what you thought of it. If it terrifies you, GOOD.  Obviously I still have things to work through, but to me, Fat positivity is rejecting the notion that my worth is attached to my body. This is a bag of bones -- MY bag of bones -- that I am using to get where I want to go. 

SARAI: What was your favorite scene to film this season? What was the most challenging scene?

JOY: The costumes for the fashion show fantasy were so much fun; learning how to take a punch in the face was fun, and honestly the nude scene was a favorite! It was kind of last minute. In the script it was just Plum in her regular clothes typing on her computer, but at 8am Helen Shaver [the director] said “I’ve got an idea!” And then 30 minutes later I was naked. I feel like every time we get an actual fat body on screen, it’s a victory. It’s one more opportunity for people to see themselves and feel less alone. I loved too that it was a quiet, reflective moment -- Plum was by herself, sketching herself, really looking at herself, which I think is a really powerful way to reclaim your own fat body. 

SARAI: Other than Plum, what would your dream role be? [Marti Noxon suggested this question!]

JOY: Plum is an utter dream and my fingers might break they’re crossed so hard for next season. But otherwise -- so many! Top of the list, I’d like to play Belle Gunness -- America’s first female serial killer, but I’d also love to star in a feature version of my solo show: My Mobster, about a relationship I had with a criminal from France. I’d also love to play a romantic lead -- maybe a romance novel audiobook narrator who gets carried away in the stories she narrates. Oh, and an evil queen. [You know, a little of everything. Maybe Marti will help ;) ]

Connect with Joy:

Twitter: @JoyNash

Instagram and Facebook: @therealjoynash

The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Janine Nabers

I’m thrilled to interview Janine Nabers, one of the Dietland writers and producers — and someone who is a complete joy to work with. Besides being an in-demand television writer, Janine is an acclaimed playwright. She’s a graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellowship at Juilliard and winner of the 2014 Yale Drama Series Prize for her play “Serial Black Face.” She was recently awarded the Fadiman Award from Center Theater Group in LA for her upcoming play about “The Peterson Show.” She is also the librettist to an upcoming Sylvia Plath musical called “Mrs. Hughes.”  Janine is currently developing a TV show with Paramount.

SARAI: You wrote the sixth episode of Dietland, when Plum is in the basement of Calliope House and encounters the notorious “porn room.” This was one of the most difficult sections of the novel to write, and I imagine writing the script was similarly difficult. What challenges did you face writing this episode?

JANINE: Being a playwright, I think writing the basement episode was less daunting to me than others, but it was still pretty freaking hard. Our writers room re-broke that episode maybe seven or eight times. And then it was just me in a room writing it. By then my contract with the show had ended and all the writers were off writing. So it was a little isolating. There were a number of pieces to the puzzle of Plum that still hadn’t been worked out. In the end it was a lot like giving birth to a whole new person.

Up until episode six Plum has had so many forms of feminist agenda thrown at her and then she literally gets punched in the face. I was racially attacked on a street by a man in 2016. It was one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. So I think writing that episode gave me closure in a lot of ways. And I think, like Plum, I walked away with a whole knew perspective of life and self-preservation in a world that’s filled with violence. Be it physical or sexual.

And then there’s the porn hub! I’ll be the first to admit that I love porn, but I also understand that brutality in porn has influenced the rise of sex crimes in a big way. So Plum watching a woman being hit like she was on the street but enjoying it as an act of  sex brutality, obviously that is a trigger for her… Plum walks out of that basement feeling like she finally has control of her body and her mind. And that’s a powerful thing. Now the viewers will see Plum form her own opinion of her body, feminism, porn, and so on. Plum is just getting started. And it’s exciting that I got to write her turning point.

SARAI: You’re a playwright and a television writer. There are obvious similarities between these genres, but I’m wondering about the key differences from the perspective of a writer.

JANINE: Playwriting is all yours. It’s a story only you can write. And the characters will never, ever be recreated because it’s your actual DNA on stage. TV writing is all about putting several brains together and telling one story. It takes a village to tell five seasons of one show. And every episode is filtered through the voice of the show’s creator. I love both forms of storytelling so much. And I think they are both skill sets that not everyone can master. Some people have a really hard time writing in someone else’s voice. I love it. But I also love walking away every once in a while, locking myself in a room and writing a story for an audience of only 200 people.

Playwriting is so wildly creative. It gives you a voice that’s easier to stand out. It’s what got me into Hollywood in the first place and TV writing will only make my plays more accessible. It’s a win win.

SARAI: As a woman of color in an industry with a long history of sexism and racism, do you think things are changing for the better? There’s a widespread assumption that the industry is growing more diverse, but I’m wondering how you see it.

JANINE: A Black friend of mine said it well when he said, “equality looks like imbalance.” So while there is progress being made by adding more diverse writers in Hollywood, I think a lot of people are under a false assumption that there are TV rooms overflowing with minority writers right now. And honestly, it’s just not the case.  Yes, progress is being made. More minorities, women and queer writers are getting writing jobs. But equality is a long, long road ahead. White men are still the majority. And they will be just fine.   

You know, it’s interesting. I’ve worked with Marti on and off for most of my television writing career and I’ve been lucky to have a lot of female bosses in the last 4 and a half years. So I’ve been fairly sheltered from a lot of industry BS. (Which is why I love working for her). :) But I have worked for white people who hired me for reasons where I feel like my Blackness was exploited. I get that there are a lot of powerful White showrunners trying to tell minority stories that intrigue them, but in two very specific cases I felt like I was only in the room so that very out of touch white people in power could get their story on the air.

BTW - It’s really cool to be “trending” in Hollywood. And “otherness” is all the rage right now. A lot of minority writers like myself are being hired to hold the hand of White people who are not equipped to write the stories they are being paid millions of dollars to write. “Tokenisim” is a huge part of racism. And I really wish more liberal people in this industry understood that.

Connect with Janine on Twitter: @J9Nabers

And check out this article about Janine and other playwrights working in TV.

The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Danielle Sepulveres

Tonight I’m chatting with Danielle Sepulveres, writer, actor and stand-in extraordinaire. As you’ll see in tonight’s episode, Danielle plays Stella Cross on Dietland. (Danielle wants to start the hashtag #JusticeforStella – so maybe we can get that trending tonight!) Danielle is also Julianna Margulies’s long-time stand-in. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, Racked, Curbed and more, and she is also a screenwriter and is developing TV projects. She is totally funny on social media, and I’ve included her handles below so you can start following her.

SARAI: You worked as Julianna Margulies’s stand-in on Dietland, and you had previously worked with her on The Good Wife. I don’t think many people outside the industry know what a stand-in does. Can you give us the scoop? Also, is it common for a stand-in to work with the same actor from show to show?

DANIELLE: Sure! Ok so a stand-in watches what’s called a marking rehearsal of the scene to see exactly what the actor does and at what part in the dialogue do they do it while a camera assistant marks the standing points with colored tape. Some basic examples are noting how they sit in the scene, where do they move around, do they lean, do they pick up an object and if so with which hand. Then while the actors are getting touched up by hair makeup and wardrobe to be camera ready, the stand in does all the movements for the camera and lighting departments so everything can be set and lit properly for when the actor comes back to set and filming can immediately start. It’s meant for efficiency and to save time. Not everyone works with the same actor show to show, it often depends on the actor’s preference (basically if they like you and you do a good job!). I’ve heard that Jeff Bridges and Will Smith take the same stand in with them on every job and I believe Robin Williams also did it when he was alive. I’m sure there are others who do as well. I loved working all those years with Julianna on TGW and was thrilled to be asked to work with her again.

SARAI: You also play Stella Cross on Dietland. How did that casting come about? What was the experience like?

DANIELLE: That was a huge surprise! I left set one day and casting called to say there had been a production meeting for the next episode and they had discussed me as a possibility to play Stella if I was interested. Having read the book I knew who Stella was and how polarizing the reaction is (and would be) to what happens to her so I was intrigued to play her. I know her death upsets people but Dietland to me always felt like its content is asking hard questions about us as a society and demanding cultural shifts. And one thing I believe needs to shift is how mainstream feminism still shuts out sex workers and Jennifer—as radical as they are in their vigilantism—still fall into that trap. Stella is lumped in with terrible men because of her connection to them. In reality women are often asked to answer for men’s bad behavior or punished for it by being adjacent to it. The experience of shooting it was kind of wild; shooting fake porn is quite a long, exhausting (and very naked) day. The crew made me feel completely comfortable, I never felt unsafe or that I couldn’t speak up or ask questions. I had a blast with the incredible wardrobe department wearing the Stella outfits they had put together for me including all their assistance to make my boobs look far larger than they are. Haha. However, the cemetery scene was SO COLD and trying not to breathe while playing dead when your body is determined to shiver is a skill I’m now putting on my resume.        

SARAI: Your main focus is actually writing, and you’ve written screenplays and developed TV projects that I hope we see on the air one day soon. What kind of material do you write?

DANIELLE: For about five years I have been writing personal and reported essays on ignored aspects of women’s sexual health, relationships, grief and starting over, as well as my experiences working in TV and film. I feel like dark humor with some fun elements of hope is my niche and the show/film ideas I’ve written scripts of reflect that. Like a Jane the Virgin meets Fleabag kind of tone if that makes sense.   

Connect with Danielle on social media:

Twitter: @ellesep

Instagram: @daniellesep

The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Jennifer Hoppe-House and Nancy Fichman

Jennifer Hoppe-House and Nancy Fichman are writers and producers on the Dietland series. They wrote tonight’s episode, which is one of my favorites. I got to know them while working as a consultant in the writers’ room, and they are so fun to work with, and such great writers. They are writing partners (more on that below) who’ve worked together for more than 20 years. They started out writing feature films, and have written for television shows including Nurse Jackie, Grace & Frankie, Damages and Get Shorty.

SARAI: Episode four covers two of my favorite parts from the book: the makeover that Plum undergoes with Marlowe, and the Jennifer section that unfolds in London. The two of you did such an amazing job on the script, and the episode is brilliant. What were some of the challenges of writing this episode? What were the most fun parts?

JEN AND NANCY: It was fun writing the Marlowe scene that briefly turned into a sitcom. That was an unconventional scene and we enjoyed veering away from a traditional narrative. It was fun, too, breaking Plum down, calibrating her discomfort as we stripped her of hair, squeezed her body into Spanx, her feet into heels, her mind into a corner.

In all the episodes — but even more so in episode 4 — it was a bit of a thrill balancing the humor and the horror of this show. We open with the unsettling image of a child being kidnapped in London. The shot is through a window, and so we’re inside with a chatty British mother who’s on the phone, who’s waving to the boy as he gets off the bus, but as she turns, she misses completely that her kid is snatched because she’s preoccupied with getting to a restaurant safely. Call it terror with a light touch. And it launches us into this new, chaotic world. We get a sense of Jennifer’s danger and reach, which is ominous. We love the convergent tones of violence and comedy; the violence visited upon an innocent child runs parallel to Plum’s story and another kind of violence: the violence meted out by an unforgiving beauty/fashion world.

It’s always fun to write Kitty, especially when she’s wielding power in the boardroom. Every time we write a scene for Julianna Margulies, it’s like stepping onto a playground.

And we loved coming up with ways the world is changing. That scene where Dominic is walking down the street and he feels discomfited by “the female gaze” was cathartic to write.

SARAI: The two of you are writing partners. As a novelist, this concept was foreign to me until I came out to L.A. There are some novelists who work in pairs, but it’s pretty rare. However, in TV and film having a writing partner is much more common. What are the benefits of working with a partner?

JEN AND NANCY: Well, you’re in the trenches together; you have an ally. So, it’s not just an advantage in terms of bouncing ideas around or talking out story points or splitting the workload. You also have someone to talk you down when bone-crushing disappointment happens, as it will in a writer’s life; and you have someone with whom to share your victories. You can check your thinking, too: “Hey, did that sound weird to you?” or  “Hey, do you think I’m being a jerk?” or “Hey, does she hate me?” We’re able to tamp down the typical paranoia that afflicts every writer in television (except for one or two, and they’re terrible writers). Meetings with executives are easier as well. There’s a synergy in conversation that happens right off the bat when you’re a team. If one of us were to go into a meeting alone, an executive could easily think we’re a little kooky, but we kind of vouch for each other’s sanity, which gives us license to have fun. We look at writers who aren’t on a team as “only children”.

SARAI: How was the experience of writing for Dietland different from other shows you’ve worked on?

JEN AND NANCY: Women, women, women (and a couple of men who could be women). You wrote the book, of course, and were frequently with us in the writers’ room, which was mostly women. Marti Noxon and Jackie Hoyt ran the room; Alison Kelly was our indomitable director of photography. And almost every director was a woman. That’s extraordinary. It doesn’t happen. And the cast was mostly comprised of fierce women: Joy Nash, Julianna Margulies, Robin Weigert, Tamara Tunie and Erin Darke are just some of the girls’ names on the call sheet. The heads of post were women, as were most of the editors. It was like that island in Wonder Woman. It was radical by its nature. The writers’ room was happy, the set was happy, and the editing bays were happy. Plus, we always had good food.

You can connect with Jen on Twitter: @Hoppe_House