When it comes to movies and television shows based on or inspired by a book or comic book series, the pressure of living up of the source material can be immense. Prime Video’s new sci-fi show Paper Girls is one example of such. It has a basis in a 30-issue comic book series of the same name written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang. One of the actors in the show, however, did not have the burden.
Nate Corddry (Fosse/Verdon, For All Mankind) plays Larry Radakowski in Paper Girls. The character was created for the series and is a member of the Standard Time Fighters, one of the groups featured in the time-travel war at the center of the show.
Also referred to as the STF, the Standard Time Fighters is a faction in favor of changing timelines.
Fangirlish had the privilege of participating in a roundtable interview with the actor during San Diego Comic-Con. During it, Corddry detailed he followed showrunner Christopher C. Rogers’s words to build his character. He also explained the two sides of the time travel war featured in the series.
The STF, the group Corddry’s character is a member of, wants to change time to benefit those who may have been previously ignored or not taken care of. The Old Watch, the other side in the time-travel war, wants the timeline to remain intact for their benefit. No changes allow the Old Watch to remain wealthy and in power.
But while the time travel war is an important aspect of the narrative, the actor noted the complexity of the show.
“On the surface, it’s for young girls becoming young women,” Corddry said. “That is layer one of 50 different layers.”
The character of Radakowski adds depth to the time travel war aspect of the series. But in a broader sense in regards to being a coming-of-age story, Paper Girls touches upon a variety of ideas from race and economic status to puberty and sexuality.
A primary highlight of Corddry’s interview regarded his experience as one of the few men in a female-heavy project. He noted that the nearly all-female cast and crew made “a complete difference” in the dynamic of the working environment — there were “women in power” everywhere.
In contrast with male-dominated sets he has worked on, a key difference with Paper Girls was the generosity, kindness, and understanding in the workplace.
“The biggest thing was this lesson that was being sent down to the girls, that women can run every department,” Corddry said. “And for them, at 12, 13, 14, they get used to it.”
Watch the complete Paper Girls interview here:
Paper Girls is now available on Prime Video.
