By Rhiana Davies-Cotter
This semi-autobiographical dramedy follows the lives of Michelle and Chloë – two twenty-something best friends who reinvent themselves after chronic illnesses (namely Michelle’s alopecia and Chloë’s breast cancer) topple their expectations of life and youth.
The team behind this female-driven show includes writer and co-star Michelle Law, writer Chloë Reeson, director Corrie Chen and producer Katia Nizic. On-screen Chloë is played by Liv Hewson, who has recently gained international success with their roles in Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet, Before I Fall and Top of the Lake: China Girl.
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It’s 9:00 am, but growing into a blisteringly hot Brisbane summer’s day. We walk onto set (the yard of an old Queenslander in a quiet, suburban street) and see Michelle and Liv standing in the driveway, scrubbing ibis poo from the bonnet of a beat-up red car. They’re rehearsing Liv’s last scene of the day – a “cold open,” producer Katia Nizic tells us, for the beginning of one of the episodes.
Liv has been on set since 4:30 am – but you wouldn’t know it. They’re cracking jokes, doing animated voices and chatting enthusiastically to Michelle and the crew. As we head to a slither of shade underneath a tree, Liv bounds over with a smile to greet us and, more importantly, to pat the neighbour’s dog, which has wandered over to the fence out of curiosity. “Hey boy!” they exclaim, excitedly, as they leans over the fence to give him an affectionate pat. Although it seems like Liv would happily stay there for hours, they are soon called back for another take.
Our first impression of the Homecoming Queens set is that it is friendly, harmonious, productive and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The team end up having to shoot the carwash scene numerous times due to noise from planes, trains and automobiles (and, um, whipper snippers). When they finally finish, Michelle and Liv are knackered and more than a little damp – but Liv is still all smiles as we head into the house for our interview.
So how did you get in involved in this project?
I got sent the material to audition for when they were sending out a casting call for Chloë’s part. So, I made a self-tape at my house in Melbourne, then I did a callback with Corrie and Katia in Melbourne and then I went up to Brisbane to do a screen test with Michelle. And then I got the part.
What was it that drew you to the subject matter?
I thought the writing was brilliant. I thought it was funny and grounded and very smart and thoughtful. I was really drawn to the idea of making an irreverent but thoughtful and kind exploration of women dealing with chronic illnesses, especially in their 20s. I was very attracted to that.
Do you relate to the theme of being young but not necessarily feeling it?
Absolutely, yeah. That was a big tie-in for me. Understanding what that sensation was and being keen to be part of something that explored it.
Do you find it hard to maintain a balance between working hard as an actor and living a regular life?
Honestly, I find that my job fits in quite well with it. For work at the moment, I’m travelling a lot, which is what I would be doing if I wasn’t working anyway. Sometimes I feel like I’m cheating – it’s like, all right, you can’t work the only job you’re interested in working and also be travelling and also have a life. It’s like, pick one, you idiot. I feel like I’’m getting away with something I shouldn’t be. So yeah, the balance has been fine so far, but we’ll see what happens. It’s just something to keep in mind, I think, as I get older.
Can you tell me more about your character Chloë and their place in the series?
Well, it’s funny because I have to sort of differentiate between fake Chloë – TV Chloë, who I play, and then real Chloë, who is a person who exists. In the story of the show, Chloë is off the back of coming into remission from breast cancer. So, she’s gone through a mastectomy and chemotherapy, and she’s been quite ill for a long time. She’s sort of just resurfacing and trying to get a handle on her life again. And then Michelle shows up on her doorstep out of nowhere. In real life, Michelle and Chloë have been friends for years – but in the show, Michelle’s character hasn’t really been there for Chloë while she’s ill. So Chloë is dealing with this alienation from the life she used to have.
When we meet Chloë at the beginning of the show, she’s coming up with a list of things she wants to get done now that she’s well. She’s like – I’m gonna seize life, I’m gonna take drugs, I’m gonna have a lot of sex, I’m going to seize today by the throat and I’m gonna manage it. She’s throwing herself in the deep of compensating for the time that she’s lost. So that state of anxiety is where we meet her character.
How do you go about creating a character and putting yourself into the headframe of someone else?
For me, it’s all about what the character wants and what the character needs. And I think it’s the same way with people. You might know what you want, but you might not know what you need, and the difference between those two things informs how I work. For example, with Chloë, she wants to feel as though she’s living a complete life. She wants to be seizing every opportunity she has because she’s just excited to have them. What she needs though, really, is to sit in the feeling of just being okay and realising that there’s not a rush anymore because her time isn’t up. So, balancing those two things was how I started getting myself in the headspace I needed to be in.
Do you have a particular acting method that you subscribe to?
I like to pick and choose whatever works for the job. And obviously, I’m still continuing to learn what works for me as I keep working and gain more experience. I do a lot of script work – so, for example, when a character comes into a scene, I figure out what they’re trying to achieve by the end of the scene, where they start and finish, what’s different by the end of the scene and how that informs what happens to them next. I like to go step by step – a lot of how I prepare is informed by the writing.
What has it been like to work on the production so far?
It’s great. It’s really lovely. This is a really fun, intelligent, hardworking team to be a part of. And everyone’s really passionate about the show, so it’s wonderful to just show up and play.
You’ve worked in the U.S. quite a bit recently. How does this production compare to those you worked on in the States?
Well, every workplace is different. There are little cultural differences you pick up on working overseas and working back here. And I like the differences. I like exploring working in different environments. I’m definitely enjoying performing in my own voice – it’s nice to come back home and play an Australian character instead of pretending to be an American for a while. I definitely enjoy the luxury of being able to explore both.
Do you hope to continue to work in both Australia and the U.S. in the future?
Yes. I’m very greedy. I’ll take work wherever I can find it. I’ll happily go anywhere.
What has it been like to work with Michelle Law and Corrie Chen?
Wonderful. They’re both funny, switched on, hardworking, smart and just creative people. I feel very lucky to be able to work with them. I was familiar with some of Michelle’s work before this series, and it turns out Corrie and I had mutual friends, but we hadn’t met each other. So, I had like the vaguest familiarity coming into the project. Getting to know everyone has been a delight.
Why do you think it’s important that this series is made?
I don’t think this series is selling anyone an idea of what your 20s is supposed to be like. So, what makes the series so attractive to me, I think, is that it’s quite unflinching in its examination of how your 20s can be really uncomfortable. Especially if you’re dealing with baggage that you haven’t been able to unpack or examine yet. We have this idea that your 20s is supposed to be the time where you’re having the most fun and learning the most about yourself – but there are people who, for whatever reason, are not in a position to do that, or not in a position to do that in the healthiest way. And we don’t talk about that very much. And I think that’s something this series examines really well.
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We’ll leave you with our favourite quote from our experience on the Homecoming Queens set:
“Can we get another close up of the Ibis shit?” – Corrie Chen, Director
Watch Homecoming Queens from April 12 via SBS On Demand.
