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My So-Called Life Creator Winnie Holzman Reveals High School Drama Was Partly Inspired by THIS Barbra Streisand Movie
To celebrate the 30th anniversary since the premiere, My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman talked about it with much fondness and gratitude. Read to know more.
My So-Called Life only featured 19 episodes and before it could come back with more, the show got canceled in 1995. Even decades later, the show still stays relevant with time and the pop-culture views of the show resonate with the viewers. On its 30th anniversary, the creator of the show, Winnie Holzman, talked about it.
My So-Called Life is a show that follows high schooler Angela Chase (Claire Danes), and revolves around her group of friends and how they navigate their lives in suburban Pittsburgh. Despite being made in 1995, the series touched upon subjects never discovered before. It included teen sex, consumption of drugs and alcohol, usage of guns in school, and more.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Winnie Holzman opened up about the idea that interested her in making such a show. She explained, "I was interested in the idea that there are these stereotypes that one takes on, these personas that one often is labeled in high school. Like the good girl, the slutty girl, the bad boy, the smart kid, and the nerdy kid. What I was playing with and exploring was the idea that people are stereotypes, but there's so much more."
Further sharing the inspiration from which her ideas ignited, Winnie declared that it happened after she watched Barbra Streisand’s 1973 movie The Way We Were. In the film, a Jewish woman falls in love with a hunk and breaks all kinds of stereotypes. Watching it at a young age blew Holzman’s mind. It stayed with her. She said, "It's always stayed with me: the power of putting people on screen who maybe haven't been depicted—or haven't been depicted fairly—with respect. I was doing that in general with teenagers. I'm not saying I'm the only person who ever did that, but I wanted to show respect for these people who were that age."
Even though it only lasted for one season, the show can now be streamed again, which has garnered a larger audience than before. The creator shared how much she feels grateful to her audience for still resonating with the topic and the characters of the show. Among everyone, one of the characters that played an important part in My So-Called Life is Ricki Vasquez (Wilson Cruz). He was Angela’s half-Puerto Rican, half-Black gay best friend; it was the first open teen-gay character showcased in a show.
For bringing such a character into the world and showing it with much authenticity, including how Ricki faced hardships and struggles, many viewers, even from the LGBTQ+ community, thanked Winnie. The creator must be feeling super proud for making such a coming-of-age show back in the day.
Well, what are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments.
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