"Sierra Burgess Is a Loser" and "Set It Up" Have an IRL Connection

Kara Nesvig
Updated

Netflix original movies are having a serious moment right now, what with the massive success of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the romantic comedy Set It Up, and the anticipation around Sierra Burgess is a Loser, a modern retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac starring Shannon Purser of Riverdale and Stranger Things fame. The streaming service has been killing it with its special programming — this we know. But did you know there’s a connection between Set It Up and Sierra Burgess that may have been right under your nose this whole time?

Actor Zoey Deutch is the star of Set It Up, where her character helps her boss (Lucy Liu) find love. And while Zoey doesn’t appear in Sierra Burgess is a Loser, someone in her family does: her mom, the actor Lea Thompson, who plays Sierra’s mom. (Lea is, of course, a noted actor in her right, who gained fame in the ‘80s in the Back to the Future movies, and was a ‘90s TV mainstay with her show Caroline in the City.) It’s a Netflix momception!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgS7fDPFAf5/?hl=en&taken-by=lea_thompson

According to a Teen Vogue interview with Shannon, Sierra’s mother is a motivational speaker, which helps contribute to Sierra’s wonderful confidence. (In the first scene of the movie, Sierra is standing in front of the mirror giving herself a pep talk.) “That’s one of the things that really interested me about [Sierra]: she is this very self-assured, confident woman who is not bothered by the opinions of anybody else,” Shannon said.

“I think part of it comes from her mom being this motivational speaker," she added. "I’m sure she’s told her, every morning you need to tell yourself self-affirmations. But I love that scene... It could very easily have been bad and self-pitying, and instead she knows who she is and happy to be that.”

While we’re not sure if Zoey and Shannon have met IRL and compared notes on their on-screen and off-screen mother, it’s fun to know that the two have this little connection outside of their Netflix success. Sierra Burgess is a Loser premieres Friday, September 7, and we’re pretty sure it’s going to be just as obsession-worthy as its latest rom-com predecessors.

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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Shannon Purser Redefines the Rom-Com in Sierra Burgess Is a Loser

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