It’s won her a Golden Globe (Best Actress: Television Series — Musical or Comedy) and Critics’ Choice Award (Best Actress in a Comedy Series). Come Monday and you will get to be a part of the life of Rebecca Bunch. This high-strung young woman gives up her life as she knows it to move across the country to be with the man she loves, in the widely popular and hugely successful show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. In doing so, she has to make a string of tough choices and sacrifices for a love that’s largely unrequited. Ahead of the show’s India premiere on Monday night, t2 caught up with show creator Rachel Bloom who also plays Rebecca.
What was the idea behind creating a character like Rebecca Bunch, a woman who is many women in one?
First of all, we wanted to come up with an idea that would seem like a classic romantic comedy — flying across the country to win back your boyfriend. Then we got thinking that how many people would actually give up their lives as they know it and go halfway across the country for a man who she doesn’t even know loves her or not? Second, we wanted to explore a situation like this from a woman’s point of view… taking a look at the life of a perfectly smart person and seeing how love makes them irrational.
Did you always know that you would play Rebecca?
I always knew I would play this character. But when we were pitching the pilot, I realised that no big network would green light this with me as the lead because I am not famous enough. That’s why we pitched it to a TV network like CW that is far more receptive to newer concepts and faces. And yes, I had to play this part because the show is partly influenced by the music videos that I have made in the past.
Are there any similarities between you and Rebecca?
Yes. I would say it’s 80 per cent emotionally autobiographical. I think Rebecca is a heightened version of me. She’s high-strung, anxious and somewhat lost (laughs). I am not like her now, but I have definitely been like her in the past.
Like her, would you ever give up on a comfortable life and familiar surroundings for love?
No, I wouldn’t. Even when I have not been happy, I have been fortunate, throughout my life, to pursue the career and passions that I always wanted to do. Rebecca is someone who hasn’t allowed herself to pursue happiness, in the real sense of the word. I have never been as unhappy as Rebecca is.
Have you grown as an actor and a person after playing Rebecca?
I have definitely grown as an actor after playing Rebecca. She’s someone who is spontaneous and just being her, I have felt that I never really needed to put an act on. It all just came so naturally and that is the approach that I have now adopted towards all my roles.
As a person, after playing her, I just feel a little more grateful. When I am playing Rebecca, all her unhappiness becomes mine for a couple of hours and then when I go home, my life is so different from all of that. I have a wonderful husband who keeps me grounded and I have the freedom to pursue a career that is very fulfilling.
It’s being hailed as a show that dismantles stereotypes. Was that the objective you set out with?
Ya, the show is all about reconstructing stereotypes. Though the narrative is from Rebecca’s point of view, the title Crazy Ex-Girlfriend makes people invariably think that this is a dumb show, stereotypical show that talks about an obsessive former lover. But what we wanted to always make was a dark comedy from her perspective. It wasn’t our intention to have an inflammatory title… but we definitely wanted a title that makes people think. And the content of the show mirrors its title.
Did you ever think it would become the success it has?
We are still kind of spreading it word-of-mouth in America. But its ratings show us that people have loved it. But even if the ratings didn’t show it, I always knew the show was good. I am very pleased that it’s a success, but I am not shocked because I always knew it was a good show and I have always been proud of it.
Priyanka Roy
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend premieres tomorrow and airs Monday-Friday at 10pm on STAR World and STAR World HD
