Claire Danes had real teenage existence ‘articulated’ by ‘My So-Called Life’
Opening up about how art mirrored reality, Claire Danes has admitted her real teenage existence was “articulated” by ‘My So-Called Life’.
Claire Danes had her real teenage existence “articulated” by ‘My So-Called Life’.
The actress, 45, fond fame starring as Angela in the teen drama, which ran on ABC from 25 August, 1994, to 26 January, 1995, with the show headed for a 30th anniversary celebration next year.
She told People about how the writing was a reflection of what she was going through as she grew up while shooting the popular series: “I was exactly Angela's age, maybe even a slight bit younger, but I don’t think I had ever read a more accurate account of the experience that I was having at that moment.
“I was just so thrilled to have my internal life articulated for me.
“It’s just an astonishing piece of writing, and I don’t quite know how (series creator) Winnie (Holzman) did that, how she time travelled as thoroughly as she did, and re-entered her 14-year-old self, or some version of that.
“It was very intuitive, and I didn’t have to reach very far. There was no sensory exercise that I had to perform. It was all immediately available to me.”
‘My So-Called Life’ told of Angela and her family and friends as they navigated high school and life in a fictional suburb.
It spotlighted controversial themes such as teen sex, guns in school and drug and alcohol use.
Claire added about the strict rules surrounding her work on the show as a teen actress: “I was only able to work 10 hours a day, because I was a minor, and three of those hours had to be in my trailer with my tutor.
“So every second spent on that set was really precious, but it was great. It was just an amazing introduction to television and film.”
She added about her love of the show’s co-star’s and crew: “I feel very blessed that that was my entry point and that I was working with such gifted, creatively ambitious, and also very thoughtful, caring, sane, nurturing people.
“It was a really good group, and we’re all still very close, which is amazing. It’s wonderful.”
‘My So-Called Life’ only lasted one season but still has a cult following among its loyal fan base, and also starred Jared Leto, AJ Langer, Wilson Cruz, Devon Odessa and others.
