Genera+ion is a show that revolutionizes the way we conceive our television. It’s a diverse, representative, revolutionary show that dares to discuss the reality of today’s teenagers, the problems they face and the way in which they begin to know, accept and find themselves. We had the pleasure of sitting down to chat with Nathanya Alexander about her character Arianna, diversity and representation. Ready?
Here we go!
Before we leave you with our exclusive interview with Nathanya Alexander, how about a little background? Here is the trailer for Genera+ion.
And now, our exclusive interview with Nathanya Alexander!
Arianna is a strong, determined teenager and a force to be reckoned with. We admire her very much. So our first question for Nathanya Alexander was what does she admire about Arianna, what is it that makes this character so special to her. “I admire that she is outspoken and unapologetic. And that her story is one that we haven’t seen much of on television, and how unique her life is. One of my favorite quotes from her is “never apologize, never explain” And that sums up who she is.”
Sincerely, same here!
Arianna is a complex character who is a challenge for any artist, but how did Nathanya Alexander prepare to bring Arianna to life and put herself in her shoes to make us feel so much on screen?
“You know, for any character that I have to tap into, I work really hard on them. I enjoyed working from the ground up on her. So the first thing I did was, I grabbed an empty book and made it an Arianna journal. I wrote down everything I knew about her from the script. And then I created a life around that. I journaled a lot in character. And I made playlists. And I did a lot of research on adoption as well. And then yeah, from there, you know, I tried to just work moment to moment with my scene partners.”
And when we think that we could not love Nathanya Alexander more, this answer comes. We love that she prepares her character so much, that she gets to know Arianna in such a deep way, that she puts a part of herself in Arianna and that Arianna is part of her.
Sometimes, actors add their own ideas or suggestions to the script, the clearest example that we met throughout these years was Stephen Amell with Arrow scripts. We wanted to ask Nathanya Alexander if she would add some suggestions to the script or improvise some scenes or dialogue.
“No, I didn’t suggest many script changes. This story is the creation of Daniel and Zelda Barnz. She [Zelda Barnz] wanted to tell a story that reflected the teenagers in her life. And it was great to have her around because we were able to really talk to her a lot about our characters. And it was a collaboration in a way that I was able to pick out some pieces, clothing & jewelry pieces. Wardrobe wise, I was able to put my input and sometimes I got the improv, which was nice.”
It’s official, we want Arianna’s wardrobe for ourselves! It’s great that Nathanya brings hers to her own ideas about this, about the styling of her character because, after all, her wardrobe reflects her personality and you can tell that Nathanya knows Arianna perfectly.
Genera+ion has many powerful and memorable scenes that burn into our minds and hearts, but what is Nathanya Alexander’s favorite scene? We were curious to know which scene it was that had especially stirred her or that she had enjoyed the most.
“I would have to say, the scenes in the classroom because it was fun to really work on. I love those scenes where everyone is in it. It was cool to have all of my cast-mates in one room and all the characters in one room, and we got to really work off of each other. And it was fun to have all of those different character/personalities interact.”
Arianna is clear, direct, powerful and doesn’t hesitate to raise her voice to say what she thinks and what she considers fair. She is a role model for the teenagers of the present and the women of the future. So it sounds like we need to see a lot more characters like Arianna on our television. We asked Nathanya if she agreed with us. “Yeah, I think it’s really cool to have a character like Arianna because, she’s very unique and her story is one that we haven’t seen much. I think it’s really important to have different voices and stories in television.”
Say it louder for the people in the back! Exactly what she said.
Finally, you already know that we love to follow the stars that we like in each adventure that they embark on. Therefore, in our last question we wanted to know where we could find Nathanya Alexander beyond Genera+ion and we feel her excitement for what she is about to come through the phone. “Yeah, I have a few things in the works that I’m really excited about. And I’m really, really excited for what the future has to come.”
Her answer made us smile because she deserves all the successes to come. We can’t wait to find out what her next adventure will be!
And here ends our interview with Nathanya Alexander. Stay tuned for our interview with Daniel and Zelda Barnz, the creators of Genera+ion, which we will publish soon.
Do you like the interview? Feel free to share with us in the comments below!
Genera+ion returns with new episodes on July 1 on HBO MAX.
