Interview with Liz Lee: "My Life As Liz" Star Gives it to Us Straight

Published on Monday, February 08 2010

Written by YH STAFF EMILY

I'm talking about Liz Lee, the star of MTV's "My Life As Liz," a new documentary-style series that follows Liz as she deals with her day-to-day ups and downs and the social politics that govern her high school.  So far I've really enjoyed the show because Liz, idiosyncrasies aside, is very relatable and you don't need to be just like her or have had a similar story to get where she's coming from.

I also like that I don't feel as though I'm causing damage to my brain when I watch, which is often the case with reality TV.  That's probably because unlike most reality shows out there, this one focuses on a bright and witty person who confronts real-life situations.  Because we see events unfold from Liz's perspective, the show's structure is also different from what we're used to for a reality show; MTV explains that it's a new form of storytelling.  With this in novative approach, clearly staged, stylized representations of Liz's thoughts are integrated into the real footage.

As someone who's in the habit of always wanting a context and backstory for pretty much everything, I found myself really frustrated after my failed attempts at getting some more info on Liz and how she landed this gig.  I mean, she's a TV star yet she has no IMDB page and a Google search on her barely turns up any information beyond what can be obtained just by watching the show.  This left me with many unresolved questions so I was very excited at the opportunity to interview Liz andfinally get some answers directly from her in our one-on-one.

 

-On how the show came about and the concept behind it-

L: It started off as [MTV] trying to do a spin-off of "The Paper" and a friend from my broadcast journalism class saw where we could send videos about ourselves to MTV.  So we sent them in and MTV actually came down to do a casting and it just sort of changed directions.

E: So did they say they wanted to capture your voice and your version of what your senior year experience was like?

L: Yeah, exactly, it was like my senior year through my prism.

E: So all of that is real? Those aren't actors and there's no script?

L: There's no acting"¦ l I really do love Star Wars, I love comic books. I have an amazing bond with Sully and Troy and Miles I love them with every fiber of my being. And"¦ On the other end, I hate Cori with every fiber of my being and it's been that way for years and years, before the MTV cameras ever even came into my life. Of course certain parts are scripted [i.e. things that are clearly shot in a studio against a screen to illustrate the thoughts in Liz's head] but everything else is true to life, it really happened. There's not a script though, we weren't handed scripts"¦ But there are some parts that are just molded to be in my view. Does that make sense?

E: Kind of"¦

L: It's such a new hybrid way of storytelling for MTV, so it's been sort of throwing everybody off-guard

 

-On having her life captured on TV for all to see-

L: Yeah, it's a morning ritual"¦ to dance in the car like an idiot [to Chromeo]. I think people can relate, it's just that somebody actually caught me on camera. Sometimes I'll stop at stoplights so people don't see it, and now it's all over"¦

E: What's that like, having all this attention and all that exposed now?

L: Kind of hard at times to see those vulnerable moments, like getting dissed on by Cori [the blond arch nemesis who picks on Liz]"¦ that's kind of hard and embarrassing. It's the kind of stuff that you don't want people to see. But in the end, it's good because I know that other kids are going through that and I think that's the most rewarding part of this, that other people see that it's happening and they don't have to feel as alone. And they can see that they can get through it. I feel like nerds and outcasts are the silent majority yet the popular kids still reign and there's no reason for that.

E: Well I think it's pretty evident to people who watch the show that you're actually the cool one and [Cori and Co.] are lame. And that's exactly how high school is, those popular people, even if they're lame, determine what's "Ëœcool' and what's not, but once you're out of high school it's so not like that.

L: Yeah, it's amazing"¦ it takes my breath away to hear someone say that [...] Now it's totally different. In high school that was really how it was. I didn't win any awards in the yearbook"¦

E: So you don't still consider yourself an outcast?

L: I don't. Now I feel like it's such a big world and high school was such a tiny little fish bowl. Now you can't really lump people into categories like that; you can't like go to Brooklyn and find the popular kids. In NYC I feel like there's such a wide variety of groups and people.

E: Some of the things people have written out there are negative reactions to you claiming to be a nerd, as if you're trying to be something you're not.

L: It's pretty crazy what people say and they don't even know you. It's crazy the stuff people were saying about the show before it even aired.

E: I think that's just what happens, any time you're in the public eye people are always going to have something negative to say.

L: Hatahs gonna hate.

E: True dat. Do you have any plans to pursue a career in TV/film development?

L: I like being behind the camera more than in front of it, which is kind of ironic with how this worked out.  It's actually really fun. I don't know how I'd be able to deal with trying to act in real life instead of just being followed around and having to adhere to a specific schedule and having to be someone else other than myself. That's what's awesome about the show, that I just have to be myself on camera, I don't have to put any work into it.  It's the most fun job ever. Everybody wants their story told and I've got that opportunity.

E: What do you like most about it?

L: The most rewarding part is getting feedback from people. This one girl said that she basically has the same story as me and she was having a hard time dealing with getting picked on by the mean girls and now that she sees someone else was going through that, she doesn't feel so alone in it. I think that's really awesome, I can get my story out and maybe help other people that are going through the same thing.

E: That is really awesome. And I think that regardless of your social status, anyone who went to high school can relate to your experience and the social dynamics portrayed on the show.

L: One chick said that she was one of the blond girls [a la Cori] and that after watching the show, it helped her appreciate her genuine, nerdy friends. I think anyone can relate to being an outcast in some sort of way

E: Or at least feeling like one.

L: Yeah. I feel like there's a little nerd in everyone.

 

-Just for fun-

E: What's on your current playlist?

L: Right now, there's N.W.A"¦. "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes is one of my favorite songs right now. I love"¦ well I don't know how to pronounce her name [begins to spell it].

E: Oh, Lykke Li!

L: Yes! And Eazy E, of course.

E: Oh so you're in a bit of a gangta rap phase at the moment?

L: Yes, I like me some thug raps.

 

Liz graduated from high school last spring and is currently in her freshman year of college in NYC.

**Watch all new episodes of "My Life As Liz" Mondays at 10:30pm ET/PT on MTV.**

 

For my review of the show click HERE

 

-Emily Green, YH Staff Editor

@green_emily