Tell me a bit about the research you had to do into eating disorders and how to bring the truth of them to the screen – what was important to you in how it was portrayed?
We definitely leaned on the expertise of people who had either been working in film and TV longer than I had, or were more seasoned experts on the topic of mental health. We had all these consultants who would gently steer us in the right direction every time we would maybe make a misstep or do something that could be considered triggering. It was very important that we were very real and raw with it and not glamorise it in any way, whilst also taking care not to show anything too triggering or anything that could be detrimental to someone else’s journey.
How does it feel to have Everything Now compared to Sex Education and Heartstopper, and what do you hope these shows are doing for young people who are watching?
I hope people can feel empowered through this show to embrace their own self expression. It’s an obvious point, but I think women and queer people are too often portrayed as very one note in media and hemmed in by the stereotypes associated with that identity.
Whereas in the show, the characters are continually evolving and nobody is tied to one thing, nobody feels like an archetype. I hope people will find something to love and aspire to – seeing that there are infinite ways of being, infinite ways to be queer, infinite ways to be a woman, nothing is fixed. I hope that people will find freedom in that fluidity in the same way so many people have found it from Heartstopper and Sex Education.
The show balances the sheer joy and the paralysing lows from being a teenager – what was it like bringing those feelings to the screen?
It was hard to find that balance of light and dark and not switching too frivolously between the two – making it all feel balanced. Being a teenager, it’s such a heady time and all emotions are so heightened.
The process of writing the show was also enormously nostalgic, remembering that dichotomy of teenage life where you can wake up in the morning and feel like your whole life is over. And then by the evening, you’re dancing your heart out with your friends. I thought writing Everything Now would make me being nostalgic for being 17 – it also made me really proud that I’d survived it.
Friendship and family is at the core of the show – how important was that for you to portray?
There’s just so much beauty in seeing how Mia’s friends are there for her. Especially in seeing how often they get it wrong, and I guess seeing that support doesn’t always feel good. While she is maybe not in a place to look out for her own best interest, they are looking out for her. I guess they’re kind of her anchor in the storm.
Similarly to the friends, we were eager to show people like Mia’s parents who are trying so hard and just always getting it wrong to varying degrees, sometimes only slightly, sometimes catastrophically. It’s so important to listen to your kids and adjust your expectations based on what they need and what they’re capable of at that time.