John Clarence Stewart – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

By starrymag | May 3, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) They say that music heals, and right now we could use a great deal of that during this pandemic.  Music, art, and getting to watch these characters really adds so much to that.  It’s like this heartfelt humor and healing all in one for an hour on our Sunday nights.  When the season began airing this pandemic wasn’t happening, but as it has progressed, and here we are.  Sunday nights have become a community healing in a way.

 

A) I agree with that. And who would have known that? No one knew that the world was going to look like it does right now, specifically when we started, when the season was picked up and when we did the pilot.  But you have this need. I think it’s an international need, honestly, that people have for that kind – you said this earlier – that kind of heart and humor.  People want to be able to contact their vulnerability, but they want to do it combined with a joy. I think a lot of times people are afraid to contact parts of their vulnerability because at the same time there is sometimes a sense of hopelessness that is happening right now across the world.  On “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” there is a beautiful combination of this heart that we get to access and there is this beautiful humor that makes it safe.  There is this idea of holding space for each other and for some reason when “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” is on I feel like there is a sense that space is being held for them to laugh, to really laugh and to have a good time without being ashamed of it or without feeling guilty for having some joy.  There is room for that, which is wonderful.

 

Q) We can take a lot of levity, but also lessons as well because it does deal with these great nuances and balances between the stages of grief and other vulnerabilities and emotions.  It really layers them so wonderfully.  When it comes to the writing, how does the series balance these nuances that allows the viewers to connect with the series so well?

 

A) I love that you articulated that. The crux and catalyst of the show, Austin Winsberg, wrote this from a place that is true. It is truth. It is honest. He is very infinitely bound to grief in a way. He had the courage to peel back the layers and tell that unfiltered truth.  The beauty of the concept of the show is that we have the mask of people and we get to see behind it, which means we get to see the joy and we get to see the pain in a split second.  I think that the tone for the show is very specific, one that I haven’t seen before in television or in movies.  It’s a tone where you can have these moments of incredible levity and then transition seamlessly, but earned transition into these moments where there is grief and a profound sense of sadness.  The thing that I think is wonderful is that, a friend told me one time, “Even when we lose people or we are hurting, it’s not all bad. It’s never all bad.”  Like even if I am really sad about something and I am walking and I stub my toe and I laugh at myself for stubbing my toe, there is always light in the midst of everything.  It takes a lot of courage as a creator to make room for both the light and the pain and to hold space for all of it.  It’s very easy to want to lean more to one side or the other.

 

Q) It deals with this messiness and fragility, but also this resilience and reminds us that we are not alone in these stages.  We are having to struggle through grief, sadness, and whatever hurt we are trying to process, but we don’t have to be alone in it.  We see that so much when watching the relationship develop between Zoey and Simon.  They both deal with their grief in different ways.  Simon is constantly telling Zoey, your dad is still alive.  He hasn’t gone yet.  You are not in the same position as I am.  I can’t do these things that you can.  He reminds her as much as the diagnosis that the doctors are giving their family, he is still there with them now.

 

A) Yes. I feel like with grief, it’s like going into space.  You don’t know what it’s like to be in space until you go into space.  You can talk about it, you can theorize about it and you can even go into a chamber where there is zero gravity and all of these different things, but you don’t know what it’s like to be in space until you are in space. And once you experience that, you always know what that is.  For Zoey (Jane Levy) right now, I think where she is it’s like there is this simulation of space that she has been in with her father.  Then, there is getting right up to the stratosphere as there are different moments where Mitch (Peter Gallagher) is in really bad shape.  It’s like is he going to crossover now or not?  What’s going to happen?  But the is something very specific about when that happens to a person and there is no going back.  There is no semblance of even trying to create that old norm.  There is a new normal that has to be established and sometimes that can take a lifetime.

 

The beautiful thing that I find in the way that our series is articulating all of this is that Zoey is justified in what she is feeling in her experience as she is grieving because she is grieving her father as he is living, which is something that Simon has not experienced.  Simon has not experienced what it feels like to grieve someone who is still here knowing that they are about to go.  So, there is this complexity and this gray with the grief that I think is beautiful and so human.  I think that’s also why music is so valuable because it allows us access to the gray and that is what makes us human.  That’s why people watch the show and see themselves.  We are tempted sometimes as we see these characters to want to put them in a binary space.  For example, with the triangle between Simon, Max (Skylar Astin) and Zoey.  There is this desire to kind of place Zoey in a camp in a very binary way.  You can’t do that.  You can’t place her in a camp because, one, she has to choose – she’s the one who has to choose where she wants to go.  Also, life isn’t that binary.  It’s gray and moves and people are always moving at different paces and different rates.  Sometimes they make different choices based on their pain.  Simon has done that and there are consequences to that.  Then he has to choose is he going to take responsibility and own up to what is actually going on or is he going to blame and put responsibility on other people.  We get to see him do both, and the consequences of that, and then choose the best thing he can choose given the decisions he has already made.

 

Q) The connection that Simon and Zoey share isn’t all just about grief.  They share things through work as well and that’s what I enjoy about the dynamic, too.  That it’s not just one aspect that connects them, it’s that they are both struggling through this grief, but at the same time they are able to have a relationship which steps outside of that as well.  I am excited to see how that continues to develop the rest of the season.  We have seen the budding relationship start and now it’s getting deeper and that’s wrought in so much emotion.  I am looking forward to what the next set up ends up being with them. A few episodes ago they danced the hell out of their feelings. Now that they have gotten the anger out, I am looking forward to what is left and next for them.

 

A) I am really happy that Austin had that episode and wanted it to go where it did where there is this explosion. There is this tension that is released and they dance it out because it is only in that moment that they see each other clearly.  Everything is on the table and they see each other clearly and they are able to make decisions not motivated by whatever emotional tension is there between them because it has been released, which is why I think it is so beautiful at the end of that release and all of that when they are looking at each other and Simon is like, “Hey I do want this, but I don’t want it like this.”  He’s at a space where anything like that, if they would have been in a situation and it looked like that a while ago, it probably would not have been the same way that he would respond.  There is a perspective now because there has been that emotional release. You can tell that there is this mutual care and it’s not just about helping someone through the grieving moments.  It’s about caring for them and their lives and the wholeness of their being and being curious about what’s going on and kind of showing up for them.  I enjoy that.  I think that it’s beautiful to see that relationship unfold.  I am excited for you to see. Knowing where it’s going, I am excited to see how you respond.

 

Q) We do get these incredibly intricate dance numbers that really are visceral.  It’s not just about the emotional acting of it, and I love how that is juxtaposed too.  It’s also musically another way to have these characters express themselves.  What is it about that aspect that also really makes the series work so well on a visual level as well?

 

A) That is all Mandy [Moore] and Austin.  That’s Mandy and Austin.  Mandy is incredible in crafting these numbers and giving everyone what they need.  Each number she shoots it on an iPhone before we get there on set to do it.  She is shooting and she’s experimenting with different angles and she’s seeing what works and what doesn’t.  She’s collaborating with Austin and he’s experimenting and seeing what works and what doesn’t.  They are trying to figure that out so that by the time that we get on set and we are working on it there is this understanding.  There is also Bradley, our camera op, who is a genius. He is a titan in my mind because all of these visceral numbers where the angles change so frequently and you have to catch the people’s eyes and you have to keep them in the frame and all of this as we are moving dynamically.  He is catching all of that in real time.

 

Q) There are so many people involved in these dance numbers, too.  Then, to see this angle and cut to something else where you see someone else’s expression in the background and all of these intricate details which go into the numbers as well.

 

A) Yes! Yes!  All of that, none of it is spontaneous. Everything is thought about.  It’s meticulous to the different dancers that they have and the fact that they have a dancer that is way back in the corner that has that hat and looks like that. Does that draw focus in this way from this moment that is happening further up?  It’s all so thought out.  The artistry and beauty of it is that it is so seamless.  Please trust me. It is so meticulously woven together by Mandy, Austin, the performers, by the set and by the crew.

 

I feel like it’s kind of an amoeba. Like it just has to live and breathe in that way.  That only comes from a lot of craftmanship, a lot of artistry and a lot of time.  Not as much time as we would like.  But we always take and capitalize on what there is. I must say, those moments where it may feel like we don’t have time or feel like not enough time, Mandy, Austin and Jeff will put in more time.  Way more time so that we are even more prepared by the time we get there.

 

Q) I love watching the dance numbers because I catch something different when I rewind and watch over and over.  Even when the social media account shares a gif or clip of a dance number, something new catches my eye and I see something that adds another depth to the dances.

 

A) That’s so good.  That’s wonderful.  That’s phenomenal.  Hearing that, hell yeah.  That’s like the best thing.  Isn’t that the beautiful thing about art?  You’ll go to see art at a gallery.  You’ll go and see it once and you’ll see it twice and there will be something new because there is so much depth.  The same thing with art and music and songwriting.  There are so many things that reveal themselves when you listen to something, etc.  It’s the same thing with this. There is such beautiful artistry, heart, humor, and soul put into this so that as you are watching it, you may be drawn to one person at one time and then catch something completely different and it will move you or make you laugh or affect you in a completely different way.  I think that is a gift.

 

Q) Getting to watch you working off of Jane Levy and this connected chemistry and dynamic that you have built off each other is so fantastic to see weekly.  There is so much emotion, tension and you two play it all so electrically.

 

A) I think we both respect each other as artists with what we do.  I have an immense respect for Jane and her craftsmanship.  The way that she approaches work from where she is willing to go.  When I am working, my whole thing is that I just want to tell the truth.  Whatever that looks like, whatever that means, however raw that is – I want to speak from that space and tell things from that space.  I know that I can trust her and I feel like it’s mutual.  So, we are able to spar and go back and forth with one another and know that we are not going to be let down.  That there is going to be something on the other end.  It’s wonderful to be able to work with her.

 

When you’re watching the show, she is in every scene.  She is in every single scene and every scene is alive.  Every scene has nuance.  Sometimes it’s more humorous and there is a quirk, sometimes it’s more devastating and it’s raw, but there is a line of humanity that runs in Zoey that opens up her world to everyone that’s watching.  That is very specific and intentional and it is crafted by Jane.  So, I have a lot of respect for her.  Not only just the acting, but the way that she is there for us her costars. A lot of times we may be doing a number around her or that involve her and she may have less time.  (She does secretly have less time than we do with the numbers.)  She’ll come in fifteen minutes or thirty minutes before we are shooting it and they’ll say, “This person is going to dance around you or this is going to happen.” And she’s like, “Okay, okay, okay, cool.” Then we do it.  The only reason it works is because she is there.  She is present.  She has these incredible instincts.  She has craft.  She is wonderful.

 

Q) There is such palpable energy we see play out on screen so much between the two of you.  It’s really a testament to the two of you to the talent, power, and perfectionism and professionalism that is wrapped up in this little pixie that is Jane. [laughs] You end up sitting on the edge of your couch and you realize you have been holding your breath at the same time too. Your eyes go wide because it’s so fast and rapid, then you are seeing and living through such a range of emotion in such short periods of time.

 

A) When you say that to me, the thing that hits me deeply is the idea of tempo.  There is a pace to the show.  That’s crafted and woven and cut together in the scripts and the edit and the pace.  That allows the audience to feel like they are on a roller coaster where they are not ahead of it.  It’s very difficult to get ahead of the show because you don’t know where the next song is going to come from.  You don’t know what the song is going to be.  You don’t know what the next thing is that is going to happen.  Right when you think you can settle in a reality; something happens that throws it off.  When you think you can settle into some pathos, something happens to deflate that or bring joy, levity, humor, romance, or passion.  Then, something all of a sudden something undercuts it.  And again, the tempo of that, in my opinion, is very life like.  We are living our lives and that’s what is so difficult right now when everyone is home, because our tempos are off.  Our tempos are completely shot.  We don’t have a pace or rhythm that we can get in.  It’s gone.  So, we have to try and establish that where we are in this rhythm. A lot of times we are just living our lives and we aren’t affected by a lot of things until something happens and stops us in our tracks.  For everyone that is different.  It makes us have to drop into a moment.  It takes us off guard so much that we just laugh so much that we are crying or something like that.  Those moments are earned.  It generally doesn’t happen every moment of the day, those moments are built.  That’s the writer’s room. They did that.

 

Q) Speaking of tempo, the show really does feel like a symphony and orchestra where you get these strings that set up then you get a crescendo of power, poignancy and angst.  Then, you go back into the story with the woodwinds that adds in spritely levity and then you end up back into another moment where the orchestra gives this heated build up with the cellos that sends everything over the edge.

 

A) Yes! Yes! I love that.  I love that analogy.  That’s so accurate. That makes so much sense to me.  And everybody has an instrument to play.  That’s so right.  When a composer is composing there is this thing that they are moving from when everybody is on board and learning this number or getting on the same page about the music. There has to be room for it to breathe and grow and become whatever it needs to be.  I see that in the show. I see that in the process.  It’s really great to be a part of the symphony of this thing.

 

Q) What have you really taken away from being a part of the series whether it was challenging you and pushing your boundaries in both acting and singing, or anything else that has really resonated with you?

 

A) This has definitely pushed my boundaries because all of this is out of my comfort zone.  Singing, dancing and acting with these people on this stage, I have never done anything like this before. So, it’s all new and I am learning and evolving.  Each step of the way there is this thought of okay, all right, can I do it?  Can I do it?  Can I do it?  Then, by the end I was like, “Okay, I can do this.”  So, that was one journey – going from can I do it to, I can do it and learning exactly what it needs to be for me and my vessel.  But also because Simon is so close to me personally, it’s brought me kind of full circle with my story and the stories that I care about.  I am going into these projects that I have decided to embark on that have to do with me and my stories and what I want to say.  I found a lot of inspiration in Austin in him being able to dive into his story and life and craft something beautiful.  I have been inspired by that and I am on that journey myself.  Being able to do that in a way that has been vulnerable and honest and sometimes achingly honest and had a light to it.  I learned a lot from him watching him.  Those are two of the big things that come to mind.

 

Q) Is there anything that we didn’t touch on that you’d like to tease or share with fans to look forward to?

 

A) I wasn’t in the episode last Sunday, but the episode had Bernadette Peters and she is legendary.  You got to see Bernadette Peters giving power, beauty and grace.  I didn’t have any scenes with her, but from what I heard she is a gem of a human being to work with and be in a space with.  She’s so gracious.

 

I would say get ready to have your minds blown again because everything you thought with this show, whenever you think you have settled on a thing and you are certain of that it will take you in another direction. And the ride doesn’t stop.