Yahoo Entertainment Amy Schumer works on 'letting go' in first look at new series Life & Beth
Amy Schumer is returning to television with a story that she says "just came to her" one day and was something she felt she "had to get out." The result is Life & Beth, a moving series about how our past can affect our present and what it really means to move forward in life.
The Emmy-winning comedian serves as a writer, director, executive producer, and the star of the upcoming Hulu series, which follows Beth (Schumer) as she realizes that her perfect-on-paper life might not be what she really wants. And when an incident forces her to confront her childhood, she embarks on a (realistically messy) journey of rediscovery. All the while, the show follows Beth in two timelines — as she's approaching 40 and in her awkward teen years, the ones that seem to scar the deepest.
The series, which also stars Michael Cera, Violet Young, Yamaneika Saunders, and Laura Benanti, takes a deep look at how those teen years can stick with us for years to come.
EW has an exclusive first look at Life & Beth, which will premiere all 10 episodes on March 18 on Hulu.
Scott McDermott/Hulu
Below, Schumer talks about the show's inspiration.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's start at the beginning. Is this something you've been thinking of doing for years? How did this all start for you?
AMY SCHUMER: My dad had restored this old, broken-down farm from the 1790s. We would go all the time when I was a kid. And then when we went bankrupt, that was one of the things we lost. So when I made money, I bought it back. And so [my husband] Chris [Fischer] and I have been really bringing it back to life because he knows how to do that. And so while I was pregnant, we were up there, and I had time to think and slow down and daydream. Being in that place where my parents had gotten married, I started writing this story. It just hit me. It felt like something I had to get out.
I also just loved the movie Eighth Grade and was like, "God, you really don't see this moment in girls' lives," and how much it shapes you for the rest of your life if you don't heal and deal with it. And I do have my journals from about 10 years of my life starting around that age. So for a million reasons, I just really wanted to get this out.
Jeong Park/Hulu
You mentioned Eighth Grade and I feel like in recent years we've just started to actually accept and show how awkward and terrible those years can be. I can vividly remember every horrible experience from my pre-teen and teen years.
Right. It's so deep and so intense, and you just have no idea what the f--- you're doing. Navigating it is so hard, and you can just be sexually humiliated so young and all these things. And then you're just stuck with all this armor when you're older. I'm trying to deal with it every day, you know? I really think so many people will relate to this.
I love that you show Beth just now dealing with it at 39, because it feels like something that's so raw, you almost can't deal with that trauma until you're so far removed from it.
No, exactly. I feel like I've been dealing with it slowly for 10 years, and then some things I'm just starting to deal with.
Speaking of that, how much of this is based on your life and experiences?
It's based on themes from my life. But there is stuff that Beth does that really happened. There's an episode where she flashes some boys. That happened to me. And episode 9 has a dark moment that's real.
Jeong Park/Hulu
Throughout your career, you've always shared really personal things. Are you ever hesitant to do something so personal? Is it cathartic for you?
It is cathartic for sure. I am a communicator. As a comedian, you feel like you have something you want to say, and you want people to hear it. So the idea of, and this is in the trailer, but the MRI tech going, "Do you have any preexisting conditions?" And Beth says, "I'm a woman." That is saying something, you know? And so aside from all these little behaviors I want to shine a light on, it does feel good, and for the same reasons that standup feels good to me, because the idea of making people laugh and/or feel better about themselves is all I could ask for. I'm so grateful because other artists have done that for me. And especially right now, I feel like so many people are having such a hard time. And so creating something that might make people feel a little better about themselves and entertained is my dream come true.
Marcus Price/Hulu
For so many people right now, television might be their only escape.
Absolutely, and I'm the same way. I watch everything. Like tonight, I cannot wait until The Bachelor. I'm going to watch it with commercials. You know what I mean? And I'm so grateful because part of healing is giving yourself that break. I put my son to bed, and then I watch TV for eight hours. Isn't that what we all do?
Absolutely. I do also want to make sure I touch on casting Michael Cera as John, a love interest for Beth.
Isn't he such a heartthrob?
I'll be honest, it was a little weird for me to see him like this. It feels different, but I love it.
Right. Yeah, I know. I was thinking about the kind of person that I have really fallen for over the years and my husband. It's not the person that you usually see as the romantic lead. I thought, "What would this really look like? Who's someone that I would feel safe enough with to speak this way and do that? That I could fall in love with?" And then I have to remember what happened, but I think I just texted him and pitched it to him. And he was down to read, and then I still cannot f---ing believe he did it. It's insane. It's the dream.
Scott McDermott/Hulu
The last thing I'll ask you is: What do you feel, ultimately, this show is about?
It's about so much. It's really what I am thinking about every day, which is releasing your own shame and fear. Because of these early traumas, we arm ourselves, and it's about letting go and trusting and how to let yourself figure out how to be happy.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Life & Beth premieres March 18 on Hulu.
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