That ’70s Show is one of the greatest ensemble television comedies in history. Eric, Donna, Fez, Kelso, Jackie, and Hyde had instant chemistry and the series was a balance of modern humor and nostalgic vibes, that both celebrated and skewered the decade that was the 1970s. Now with Netflix’s reboot, That ’90s Show, the creators are back to give a new decade that same treatment.
This time around there’s a new cast of teens exploring relationships, identity, and the joys of cannabis. But instead of bell bottoms and Star Wars, the backdrop to this coming-of-age story is raves and riot grrl. Also, queerness enters the narrative with one cast member looking to come out.
PRIDE spoke to the new cast about connecting with their characters, embracing the ’90s culture, and, of course, that oh-so-sweet and hilarious coming-out story.
For Callie Haverda, playing Leia Forman, daughter of the original series’ Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon), it was a case of life imitating art. “I’m very much like her. I remember when I got the original audition, I felt like I was just reading about myself. She’s trying to just figure out who she is and who our friends are, and what she kind of wants to do with her life. And when she needs Gwen and everyone else, of course, she kind of realizes what she’s been missing out on. So it’s nice to watch her go through this journey of discovering herself. ” she tells PRIDE. “And I think just that whole process was very relatable to me, because, during the time that we were filming, I kind of felt like I was going through the same thing. You know, with all these people that are very much like me, I kind of found my friends and my family and grew with them. And I’m a lot like Leia in that way.”
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While Leia is still on the journey of discovering who she is, Ozzie, played by Reyn Doi, knows he’s gay; it’s just a matter of letting the world know it. In the first season, we see him lay out his grand coming out plan, one step of which involves coming out to Leia’s grandmother Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp, reprising her role). “It was a big week for me,” Doi recalls to PRIDE. “I would say 99% of my scenes in that episode I had to film live, which is always so fun doing it in front of the audience. But it was definitely nerve-racking. And to do it with Debra Jo, who is amazing — she’s like an icon of the ’90s when That ’70 Show was airing... when I watched the episode, it was a sweet moment between the two of them. I got a little emotional.”
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The scene really speaks to the tenor of the series which is incredibly sweet and refreshingly wholesome. While the aesthetics of the series are unquestionably ‘90s, the dynamics of the friendships have a much more modern lens. Take for example the relationship between the erstwhile jock Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan) and resident ladies man Jay (Mace Coronel). Beneath the very thin veneer of these tropes are greater depths, not the problematic characteristics that, had the series taken place in the actual 1990s, would have gone unquestioned and unexamined. Here, these characters not only aren’t the stereotype, but their friendship eschews all the trappings of toxic masculinity. It’s a connection that the actors themselves excitedly share they can relate to.
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“I really do love their friendship, but they’re both just so comfortable in who they are,” Donovan tells PRIDE. “I feel like that’s true of Mace and I as well. I mean, we just instantly clicked. I remember the very first day on set. They gave us these character bibles. And it was so cool. And they gave us all the music that we liked. And mace and I were just like, all of a sudden, we realized we were humming the same song on the way down the stairs, and we just started belting it at the top of our lungs and like I feel like that’s kind of how Nate and Jay are. They’re just very much in sync but not afraid to be who they are.”
Courtesy of Netflix
There are some definite callbacks to ’90s culture in the series. Notably, the kids go to a rave at one point, audiences are treated to the haunting tones of dial up internet, and Ashley Aufderheide’s Gwen is a self-described riot grrl who frequently refers to zines. “Gwen is very cool,” gushes Aufderheide to PRIDE. “Getting into Gwen as a character, with the eyeliner and the outfits and everything and becoming that Riot girl. And even my first scene, when I’m just jamming out in my bedroom, I feel like it’s so emblematic of Gwen and I feel like it was the perfect way to introduce my character.”
Needless to say, we were thrilled to be saying “hello, Wisconsin” again and have no desire to say goodbye again, anytime soon.
