Charity Cervantes – Teenage Bounty Hunters

By starrymag | September 3, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) In the breakdown you received originally for Hannah B, what really stood out to you about how she was written, and then subsequently what was the process of crafting how you wanted to play her?

 

A) I remember getting the breakdown and thinking, “Oh my gosh, this is me! This is me! This is amazing!  It’s clicking! This is me!  I can do it!”  Sometimes you get auditions and you’re like, “Okay, I’ll do it, but I know I am not what they want.”  When I saw this one, I was like this is my role, this is me.  Some of the funniest parts of the breakdown though that were written in there was “She’s legitimately kind and has been taken friend hostage by the meanest student in school.”  Which I was like, this is interesting.  I love it.  Another really funny point is, “She is not afraid of April (Devon Hales).  She just understands the human plight so compassionately and she sees all sides of the argument,” which is definitely Hannah B in a nutshell.

I just loved that breakdown.  They go to a private Christian school, so I wanted to play Hannah B as a good Christian girl that was built on love and kindness.  And really her intention in almost every scene was love.  When you set that as a goal and the other characters don’t necessarily have that intention, I think that’s where a lot of the comedy comes out.   We are such very skeptical people nowadays I feel like, too.  A very cautious people.  I think she goes in with both feet first.  Like all love, all the time.  And that’s really how I wanted to play her.

 

Q) When you say, “She’s been taken hostage by the meanest student in school,” that’s what I see on screen, that’s exactly it. It’s really true for her. April probably doesn’t necessarily like Hannah B, and she’s like this is who I have, and whatever happens she can’t get out of this.  This is a silent binding contract.

 

A) She has her collection of friends and I think we get something out of it as well.  Especially the first two episodes, definitely friend hostage. [laughs] It’s very fun to watch though.

 

Q) Hannah B could be this one note character, but your inflection and expression bring a depth and comedy to your performances that really teeters and balances so well in your delivery. How did you add in and hone these sharp humorous elements without it coming off too set up or over dramatic?

 

A) Thank you. That means a lot. I think the most important part of comedy is the commitment and I think in every comedic show or movie or play that we watch, the more committed the character, the funnier it is to us as an audience.  So, yeah, when we are laughing, I think it’s usually when the character is feeling the most passionate about the situation that they are in.  I think that was the most important part to me.  Committing to the situation and my reactions to those situations and then letting the writing tie it all together.  I didn’t want to play the funny.  I just really wanted to take each moment so seriously, and I think that’s why it came off so funny.  I usually don’t laugh at myself, but sometimes some of those scenes, they were just quick little moments, but I would laugh out loud.  I was like wow, that is hilarious.  The writing is just so incredible that if you just commit to the set of circumstances it kind of does the job for you I guess.

 

Q) I mean we get these overdramatic moments from April and the reactions that we get from Hannah B as the way she absorbs these moments. You know that April is being extra, but the way Hannah B is taking it all in is just so serious and stoic. And that’s what makes the comedy of it all and the show so absolutely fantastically enjoyable.  You’re laughing at such a non-reaction by everyone to someone being so intentionally and exaggeratingly overt about trying to have and hold her moment within the moment.

 

A) Yeah. Yeah. I think that it’s like you said, that’s what makes the show so great. The creators and writers, they are just so intelligent in the way that they have crafted the relationships in those situations. Even the chemistry of all of us in the cast has been so carefully handpicked.  I think that when it came time to film, everybody was just ready.  Like the nuance just comes from everyone filling their roles so well that every little tiny reaction was so natural, and most times unplanned, that it adds a layer of connection and I would say authenticity which is like you said, it’s part of the reason it’s so fun to watch.

 

Q) From what I have seen on Instagram, fans have kind of compared Hannah B to Phoebe from “Friends” and I compared her a bit from Brittany on “Glee.” I mean those are obviously iconic comedic characters who the actresses behind them have played so exceptionally, but they also had that great way of making these characters who might seem flighty in a way that’s also so relatable on a great deal of different levels.

 

A) When I saw that on Instagram it was definitely an honor. I was like, “Are you kidding me right now?” Especially Phoebe Buffay.  The queen of comedy!  It was like what an honor, wow.

But all of those things like we talked about before that they have in common is definitely just the commitment to the circumstances.  Especially with Hannah B.  She really does have the best heart.  I just think it’s so funny to watch.  Yeah.  Just the commitment to everything has really been the most fun to play.  I couldn’t believe that I was compared to some of my female comedy icons.  It was a moment for me that I definitely had to let sink in.  Yeah, it made me really happy.

 

Q) Phoebe Buffay ran, so that Brittany S. Pierce could walk, so that Hannah B could strum a guitar.

 

A) Yes! [laughs] I love that! I learned to play guitar for the show.  It was a really fun journey for me.  And it is really interesting in that first scene because when you’re watching it you don’t know any of the characters yet.  Looking back on the moment that April makes Hannah B stop playing the guitar you realize, “Oh, did Hannah B even want to play this song in the first place? Or did April make her take lessons, make her learn guitar, make her learn this song?”  There are all of these things that when you go back because you learn so much about April throughout the season, but when you go back and watch it all of these little moments they tie together.

I think that’s why a lot of fans have been messaging and saying, “I’ve watched the show twice, I’ve watched the show three times.”  I think it’s like what you said, there are so many small moments that you learn throughout the show that when you go back and watch it everything just really ties back together.

 

Q) We do see these song performances from Hannah B, and bless her heart (as they say in the South), she sure does try her best. But there is also this great soundtrack and musical element to the series that is also unexpected in a way as well which adds to the emotional tug as much as it also does with the comedy.

 

A) Yeah, they did an amazing job with the soundtrack. It flows and brings out so many emotions, and some shows do that and it’s good, and it flows okay. I feel like with this show it just brings so much connection to the characters and the scenes and what they are going through.  Music, and I know everyone feels this way, it speaks to our souls in such a way that words alone can’t do.  So, I think that’s just another element that adds so much to the beauty of our show.  Like you said, even the comedy.  Luke (Spencer House) playing during the funeral.  There even was a moment with Anjelica [Fellini] when Blair was in the studio.  I don’t know why, but when I saw that, I started sobbing when she is recording her song.  I think it’s just because of the authenticity of the moment.  She was so connected.  The song is not going to win a Grammy, right?  But the way that she was doing it, I was like, “This is so beautiful, why can’t I stop crying?”  It was just Blair connecting in the moment, and connecting to herself and having a moment of self-realization that was so beautiful to watch.  Yeah, the music, it was beautiful.

 

Q) I think a lot of people don’t talk enough about that moment. Obviously, she is put on the spot and has to come up with something, but the way she connects so well with her emotions in that spontaneous moment we see, it’s huge.

 

A) I think that’s what I love about the show, I think teenagers are so underestimated sometimes. We are all learning as we grow. But the way that the twins just really own their emotions in the moment, it’s just really inspiring, it really is.

 

Q) The dynamic and rapport between the Holy Trinity throughout the season is just as spunky, sassy, and sarcastic as it is off screen with all of the posts each of you have been sharing through Instagram. You all seem to be such an extension of one another with you, Eric [Graise] and Devon. Was that a natural bond that was built around this core group of characters or was that formed beforehand between you three?

 

A) I didn’t know either of them before. I think it was our first day of filming and you know you are always nervous, especially when you are in a trio like that because it’s not going to work if you guys don’t get along. It will be a little bit forced and it will show on screen.  I met Devon at the table read and then the three of us I believe the first time we met was in the makeup trailer before we started filming.

It’s a comedy, right?  So, it’s a lot easier when we’re not filming to kind of joke around and play with each other and be natural and get to know each other.  All three of us really have the same sense of sarcastic dry humor.  We just bonded so well over that and just started making jokes.  That was really important for our characters and I think it shows on screen too that we just felt really natural and confident to work with each other and trust each other.  The ability to play on screen, if you don’t have trust, you won’t feel like you can play.  And if you can’t play than it doesn’t seem as natural.  So, yeah, I am so happy that the three of us got along.  I am so glad that I have these people in my life now and I am not going to let them go that’s for sure.  We clicked really well.  It was so fun.

 

Q) Devon was telling me about how you contacted her through Instagram before she even knew that she had been cast as April. You must have some serious detective skills!

 

A) Yeah, I just have those detective skills! [laughs] I was actually having my hair done for Hannah B beforehand for some initial photos and fittings and Kathleen (Jordan) the creator was there. They were talking about how wonderful the character April is and how they had found the perfect actress to play her. I kind of leaned my head over and was like, “Oh my gosh, I am so excited!”  Especially all I had at the time was the first script and I was like, “They found my April!  My April! I can’t wait!”

Everyone always jokes because in person I am a pretty, in real life I guess you could say, I am a pretty independent person.  My loved ones and friends laugh when they see the show.  They’re like, “You just puppy dog around, don’t you?  You just follow April and do whatever she says?”  I’m like, “Yeah, yeah, that’s correct.”  [laughs] It’s fun for them to see me play a little bit of a different character.  Yeah, my detective skills are pretty on point.

 

Q) We obviously get to see a lot of fun behind the scenes photos and videos you share through social media. It’s like you got to play as much off screen as you did as well on screen. Talk about getting to be creative behind the scenes as we see on as well.

 

A) I love that! Well, obviously, – warning spoilers ahead – Devon got to play with the rest of the cast a little bit more, but we didn’t really get to be involved with the rest of the story because we are at Willingham! We don’t adventure into the bounty hunting world.  Occasionally, when it was appropriate and when we weren’t in the way, I would love to go and sit and watch the girls and Kadeem [Hardison] work.  Because they are just so talented and a little bit of a master class in watching everybody on this cast work.  It was just so nice to be able if we had wrapped and they had some scenes shooting later that we would just go sit and watch.  At the same time, Kadeem if he got there early or if he wrapped early, he would occasionally come watch us and support us.  It was lovely.  It was so nice getting to know each other.  It was so fun when we had those moments when we didn’t have to be on, as you say, when we weren’t working it was fun to play around and joke with each other.

Yeah, the director video, I had the headphones on to listen to the audio and I was like, “Devon! Devon record this really quickly!”  There was a break between filming, and it was really fun.  I mean you get to see directors work all of the time, and there are similarities that a lot of them have in their process. [laughs] It was really fun to get to know everybody.  I think it’s rare.  I have been on a few sets and some are great, and some are not so great, and some are okay. But this one, I think was a really rare jewel.  Everybody that I met and worked with was an amazing human being and just good people.  Not to mention so talented.  I think the love that everybody had in their hearts for each other really makes for such a tightknit set and supportive set.  It was a really great working environment.

 

Q) Yeah, you had this downtime to find a different kind of fulfillment in a sense while you were not on screen.

 

A) Yeah, these little moments that we had in between and in our passing time that kind of brought two storylines together in a way for us was really nice.

 

Q) Although we don’t know much about Hannah B’s backstory, she definitely is put through the ringer by April along with Ezekiel who seems to kind of get Hannah and sympathize with her the most. What is it about their dynamic that really keeps both Ezekiel and Hannah B in line when it comes to April, but not so much that they don’t bend to her every whim or beck?

 

I think as the saying goes, “There is strength in numbers.” [laughs] I do think that Ezekiel kind of takes on the number one position when April is going a little off track. There is a little bit of an exclusive culture going on in this clique that I think Ezekiel and Hannah B both benefit from.  But, at the same time, they are both teenagers who are still learning and growing just like the other characters.  Maybe we don’t see that as much in the storyline.  But I feel like when you’re in high school, you are friends with who you are friends with and it’s not the easiest to make a whole new group of friends.  So, it’s part of the reason that Ezekiel and Hannah B stick together and let April have her time going off the rails as they see it.  They are not quite sure what’s happening, but while also keeping their image.  I think a lot of it is about keeping their image and how the other students see them.  I think that’s part of what bonds them.  Working with Eric was really fun.  We kind of got to be ourselves but elevated in a way. [laughs] It was very fun.

 

Q) Hannah B and Ezekiel know who they are, and they know their roles within the trios dynamic and yet they definitely don’t try to reign April in. They just go with whatever she is putting out there, so she gets the attention she’s after.

 

A) I think they secretly love the attention as well. And I think that maybe they get to hide behind her drama and still bask in the attention too, which I have known some people who do that. [laughs] Yeah, they have a very fun dynamic. They don’t necessarily talk back to April, but they do have their ways of standing their ground and sticking together and kind of saying this is the way we do things at this school and you’re kind of not following the rules right now, and we’re not sure if we love that for you. [laughs]

 

Q) Hannah B has this wide-eyed innocence to her that she kind of absorbs April’s disdain, but doesn’t quite see the malice (intended or not) behind it. Does Hannah feel like April means to be that mean or is it more about how that’s the way April delivers how she expresses herself?

 

A) I really do think that Hannah B is written to see every side of the story and she is so loving and caring. But she does have her limits, too. That’s something that I love about her character because she is so underestimated and I think overlooked by a lot of the students, and I know she can use that to her advantage.  In the moment she may seem oblivious or naïve.  I really think it’s because she is fully focused on someone’s good intentions which makes her such a fun character.  I think the naivety comes from her full focus on the light and seeing the good in everybody, which is a nice balance to April and Ezekiel for sure. [laughs]

 

Q) It’s so greatly epitomized in the lamb chop scene where Hannah B gives April the container of food since April was supposed to have dinner at her house the night before.

 

A) Exactly. She’s like, “I brought you your dinner. You’re not being a good friend right now, but I love you and I am here for you and you should eat some food.”  [laughs]

 

Q) I mean at that time April’s dad is in prison and her mom is absent in a sense. So, it’s like Hannah B is taking care of her friend because she knows her friend probably isn’t taking care of herself right now.

 

A) Yeah. And, I mean, I do that too. Where there are some friendships that you love your friend so much and you need to take care of them and maybe the way that they are acting isn’t the way that they would always act and it’s just because of the situation that they are in.  But, also, there is only so much a human can take of being kind and giving your whole self to someone and them not ever showing thanks or appreciation.  I kind of respect that in Hannah B because she does take care of April and she does love her, but at the same time she doesn’t let her walk all over her towards the end.  I think that’s a really mature moment for this character in knowing her limits and knowing when she has to take time for herself and she can’t just be pushed around all of the time, which I need to learn that lesson sometimes in my life.

 

Q) The fans of “Teenage Bounty Hunters” have been so embracing and engaging on all of the social media platforms. What has that feedback and interaction meant to you, and do you think it helps the hopefulness for a Season Two?

 

A) It’s meant so much. When you work so hard it’s nice to hear that people appreciate the product that you put out there and the art that you have made. I think with acting one of the hardest struggles that we have is you put your heart and soul and you express all of these emotions and feelings and you open yourself up and you’re vulnerable; and then it’s permanently on film on Netflix, on the Internet, for the world to judge and comment on and screenshot and record and give any opinion on anything that they have.  And it’s terrifying! [laughs] You’re like, “What have I just done?”  Thankfully, we had such an amazing show and such a great connection and the fans have responded so beautifully to it that it has really warmed all of our hearts and made us feel proud to be part of the story that we are telling.

I know a lot of factors go into a show having a Season Two, but I really believe the team behind “Teenage Bounty Hunters” is so strong and creative and the fans we have are truly wonderful and loving fans.  I think the fans that we do have are very committed and love our story.  They are not just random people who randomly watch the show, they love the story which means so much.  I think because of that it gives me hope for Season Two and just how amazing and strong the writing and creators are.  And, personally, as a fan of the show I really need a Season Two!  Like yesterday!  I need to know what happens!

 

Q) I mean that finale is completely obliterating in all areas of the characters and storylines between The Wesleys, between April and Sterling, etc. Every single part of what makes the story so driven gets completely shattered.

 

A) I have no words.  When I read the final script, I was actually crying my face off.  I was like, “Where is the rest of it?!”

 

Q) It’s definitely a huge testament to the writing team, because I empathize with April in that moment of the finale. I empathize with Sterling in that moment. And with Blair in that moment as well. Every single character you find this part of you with an emotional connection to each one.

 

A) You’re not sure what side you’re on; which is amazing! You’re on everybody’s side all at the same time. It’s amazing.