Post by Ryan Hendrix [VPtoday] on May 23, 2010 20:11:06 GMT -6
Megan Lizford joins us for an exclusive interview to discuss the transformation of her series, "Thoughts Without Thinking"
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Ryan Hendrix: Hi, this is Ryan Hendrix here with VPN showrunner extraordinaire, Megan Lizford! How are you doing Megan?
Megan Lizford: Hi, I'm doing great, Thank you.
Ryan Hendrix: That's great. Now, the last time we got together, you were expressing your thoughts on your newest series, "Thoughts Without Thinking". I understand a lot has changed since then. You changed and added new characters, plots and so on. So tell us, why the sudden change?
Megan Lizford: Umm, Well to be frank, the co-creator Nicole Rodriguez and I had planned the original series and I won't divulge but she bowed out of the series due to real life problems which was respectable for her to do so. I was so in love with the concept of the series at the beginning but I revisited it and there wasn't that initial spark I had with it before hand. So, i decided to revise and reformat it all and I ended up falling in love with it all over.
I think of it as Thoughts Without Thinking 2.0
Ryan Hendrix: I'm gonna want to hear about it all, but lets start off with your main characters. How much have they changed?
Megan Lizford: They've all changed quite a bit. The original concept was two female writers who were old friends, but now it's three young women, entering their adult life aspiring to live their dreams...Madeline, Cassey and Nicola.
Madeline is essentially Megan, Cassey is essentially Nicole and Nicola is a new character that I created but regardless, they've changed vast, from their past to their relationships together. It's really a lot of fun recreating these characters
Ryan Hendrix: Digging a little deeper into your characters...what character traits do each of these women have? How do their personalities differ from the originals and how are they similar?
Megan Lizford: Madeline is really a lot like Megan. She's quiet, a little shy but very sassy and humorous. She has that thing you cant put your finger on. She's extremely lovable, caring and worryingly clumsy which adds to the comedy that is her character.
Cassey is a lot more toned down that the previous main character Nicole but still has a lot of similarities. She's straightforward, determined and defensive but the new traits would be her dark persona of getting the upper hand on her rivals and doing everything it takes to achieve her dream of being a screenwriter.
Nicola, who is the new character has a lot of old traits of Megan. She's very insecure, reserved and toned down. She doesn't socialize much and can see a bit crippled by her shyness that it is hard to know her. Their chemistry together is brilliant. Three women contrasting each other... It's like good, evil and nuetral teaming up, in a way.
Ryan Hendrix: You obviously got a fantastic set of characters, was casting difficult?
Megan Lizford: My goodness, you wouldn't believe it. I already had an image of what the main characters looked like and it's the thrill to find someone that matches your idea that drives you but the casting admittedly was long and tiring but I found the greatest girls. Obviously, Rachel Bilson was an original cast and I wanted her to come back so badly. As you know, she's the only original actress. Jana Kramer was amazing and fit the role perfectly. The character of Nicola Hunt was hard to cast. So many beautiful actresses auditioned and Andrea Bowen was the one who got it. In my opinion, she played Nicola with a realistic approach and I fell in love with it.
Ryan Hendrix: You've made a great choice, choosing those three talented and beautiful young women but the thing every main character needs is good support. What can you tell us about the shows supporting characters and their interactions with the main 3 and as well as each other?
Megan Lizford: I consider the supporting characters as the main characters and the cast that play them are just the best. We have the Baker brothers who are the heirs to the network fortune.
Then there's Caroline Wilson who is the very cut throat and serious producer and head writer acting as boss and mentor to Madeline and Cassey. She's very manipulative and nasty and then there's the higher powers and seniors, Judith Robinson and Arthur. They are gold. Very suave and pleasant characters but they have a very intense side
Ryan Hendrix: Amazing set of characters! I personally cannot wait for the show to premiere! It's got the makings of a great success! Now let's hear about how you changed your central plots and subplots.
Megan Lizford: Well, the synopsis of the series is about these three young women who are trying to reach their dreams. Madeline and Cassey are climbing the ladder to become screenwriters whilst Nicola is aspiring to be in the world of fashion. Season one is mainly about getting to know them as a character and discovering them as they discover and get to know each other but even though it's about them realizing their dreams, life still goes on and thus beginning the drama and chaos
Ryan Hendrix: Drama and chaos, I bet you're gonna have fun bringing that to the show but every good show has a softer side? What can you tell us about the girls' love lives?
Megan Lizford: Do not get me started on this! Haha. Their lovelives are quite tragic this season. Without spoiling you, they will each learn a tough lesson with relationships and how you can easily get burned when you put all your eggs in one basket. You'll have the relationship that should have been, the relationship that never was and the relationship that really wasn't a relationship....or was it?
Ryan Hendrix: Interesting, and scandalous. All the things you can expect from this VPN drama. The fans of the show are excited about the shows new producer! Many of them are already fans of "Watchdogs" and want to know how Keisha will contribute to the series.
Megan Lizford: Keisha is a brilliant writer and plot writer. For the first season, she'll be serving as helping me plot out episodes and that is all she can do due to her commitments on Watchdogs which is amazing I might add.
Ryan Hendrix: With her help, I'm sure will see many seasons after the first.
Megan Lizford: I hope so. I have yet to approach the Network of me only producing for now, 5 seasons. I don't want something to go stale. If there are more stories to tell and I know it's doing well then it can return for sixth season but I'm not sure I'll return for it. It's all undecided.
Ryan Hendrix: Hopefully you'll know more about it after it airs!
Megan Lizford: Yeah, here's hoping.
Ryan Hendrix: haha. It's been great talking to you today. Best of luck to you and the show. Megan Lizford everybody!
*APPLAUSE*
Megan Lizford: Thanks for having me Ryan.
Ryan Hendrix: This has been a VPN Exclusive Report. I'm Ryan Hendrix. Have a wonderful day.