'Young Americans' share life's mysteries in
WB summer series
By Jay Bobbin
A new show's main characters
may be "Young Americans," but it's a sure bet that not all teens have
the same adventures.
The WB drama is set largely
at an exclusive school in a blue-collar New England town. Local youth Will
(Rodney Scott) has earned admission to Rawley Academy, but he's done it in a sly
way that a faculty member (Edward Quinn) soon discovers. That makes Will think
his new roommate, privileged and self-assured Scout (Mark Famiglietti, formerly
of NBC's Saturday-morning show "Hang Time"), has exposed him.
However, Scout has bigger
concerns. Attracted to gas-station employee Bella (Kate Bosworth), he initially
can't figure out why she's so prejudiced against the academy and it's students.
That's because he doesn't know the link he shares with her, something that is
destined to drastically affect their budding romance.
Another relationship
sure to have a bumpy road is that of Hamilton (Ian Somerhalder), the son of the
all-male college's dean, and boyish fellow student Jake (Katherine Moennig).
They quickly become pals, but Jake later starts taking an interest in Hamilton
that the latter wouldn't expect of another fellow. (Really big hint: Take
another look at the performer who plays Jake.)
"Young Americans" had a fleeting introduction toward the end of last
season on WB's "Dawson's Creek," in several episodes that featured
Rodney Scott in the role he plays on the new series. "I think that was a
really good opportunity for our show." the actor says, "trying to
latch onto that established audience, but 'Dawson's Creek' has it's own thing
going on. If I'd had any say, I would have wanted more of my own story
line."
That's not a
problem now, since Will is trying to escape an unhappy home life, a reason he
deems attending Rawley Academy imperative. Scott allows that the show's theme of
different classes coming together has a long ancestry: "You saw it earlier
in 'The Outsiders,' with guys from across the tracks meeting up with rich kids,
then in 'Dead Poets Society.' You'll always have that kind of social totem pole,
so it's a theme that never really goes away.
"The thing about our show is that Will and Scout are both smart enough to
realize they need each other, even though they might not admit it. They're both
broadening their horizons, and each is curious about the other's world. There's
a still a bit of hostility between them, though." Some of that could result
from a rivalry over Bella, who has known Will for years. "You never
know," teases Scott, who's being given his first major role by "Young
Americans."
The
show's depiction of teen life comes from someone who knows about portraying it:
Creator and co-executive producer Steven Antin is a former actor. He was in such
fare as TV's "21 Jump Street" and the movie "The Last American
Virgin" before turning writer-producer with "Inside Monkey Zetterland,"
a 1993 film-festival favorite in which he played a struggling Hollywood
screenwriter. "I have a lot of friends who wen to private schools, though I
did not," Antin explains of the genesis of "Young Americans,"
which he also owes to a New England vacation he took two summers ago.
"I wanted to write a series that would tell classic types of teen-age
stories, about star-crossed lovers and all that. Basically, I wanted to do a
high-school 'Peyton Place,' but I wasn't exactly sure how to get into that
arena. Then I just fell in love with New England. While I was there, I pulled
into a gas station that seemed to be operated by 16-year-old girls. A
convertible pulled up with these preppie guys in it, and I just went, 'Bingo!
This is a show.'"
As modern a sheen as "Young Americans" has, Antin feels it pays homage
to William Shakespeare in numerous ways. "We have a lot of 'Romeo and
Juliet,' a little of 'As You Like It' and some of 'Twelfth Night.' The
characters are definitely inspired by those plays." That's certainly true
of Jake, whose gender-bending masquerade will seem familiar to anyone acquainted
with the Bard's works.
"It was a little scary to watch so much of (actress Moennig's) hair
off," Antin reflects, "But we made a commitment, though we still
wanted her to look somewhat like a girl. She's really able to pull of that
androgynous haircut." That subplot may echo "Boy's Don't Cry,"
but Antin maintains he came up with it long before Hillary Swank's Oscar-winning
movie was released. "I wanted to tell a story about the power of
love," he says. "If you're attracted to someone, that person could be
in a bear suit and you'll still find him or her."
As an actor, Antin also had a recurring role on "NYPD Blue" as a
detective who went from narcotics to homicide. He sometimes pulls that out as an
ace if his "Young Americans" cast questions his creative decisions.
"They say, 'We can't do that,' and I tell them we did it on 'NYPD Blue,'
Then they say, 'But you were an actor on that.' I tell them, 'What's the
difference? We did it anyway."
