On SYFY’s new series Astrid & Lilly Save the World, its two leading ladies have a lot to be proud of. Not only are they two women with “luscious curves,” but they are representing in a way not seen much in TV or film.
In an exclusive interview with PopWire, Jana Morrison and newcomer Samantha Aucoin discuss the representation they’re bringing to their new comedy and preview what viewers can expect this season.
Within the little Asian representation in the media, there’s even less Filipino representation on the screen. Filipino-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist Jana Morrison shares that she is excited to represent her culture in Astrid & Lilly Save the World.
“I just feel a lot of passion for representation for Filipinos and for Asians in general because we’re underrepresented,” Morrison tells us, “but we are a part of this world, a part of our community is just like everybody else. To represent my culture is extremely important to me. For SYFY to have me as the lead hero, that doesn’t happen for a lot of people and I’m hoping I make our Filipino community proud.”
Canadian singer, songwriter, and actress Samantha Aucoin reveals that being plus-sized and getting treated differently than someone who’s not was very prevalent in her life growing up, even as a kid. “I was always the chubbier friend or the fat friend or whatever,” Aucoin says. “It’s so important to me that I am representing this, especially to young girls, but to everyone, to show that you don’t have to look a certain way to be accepted or to be loved or to be treated the same or equally as anyone.
“Body neutrality is such an important thing and it’s such a thing that should be prevalent in our society and so I’m really pushing for that to be really prevalent for everyone because I feel like fatphobia is really detrimental to anyone’s mental health, honestly. I’m trying to prevent that and talk about it and to bring awareness to that.”
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Aucoin brings that awareness to Astrid & Lilly Save the World, where she makes her television debut. With the help of acting coach Catherine McNally and everyone else on set, the actress says she was able to make her introduction into TV production a smooth experience.
“When I was on set, I didn’t really know what a mark was and that you had to angle your face a certain way or maybe limit the facial expressions and such,” she admits. “It was a massive learning experience for me, but everyone around me made it so much easier. Everyone was so welcoming and so warm. The set was amazing and the crew — and Jana, obviously, was such a great support system.”
On Astrid & Lilly Save the World, outcast BFFs Astrid (Morrison) and Lilly (Aucoin) accidentally crack open a portal to a terrifyingly quirky monster dimension. It’s up to them to vanquish the creepy creatures and save the world, becoming the badass heroes they were meant to be. That is, if they can survive the horrors of high school.
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“I would say ‘Astrid & Lilly Save the World’ is a little bit of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ a little bit of ‘Booksmart,’ and any kind of girl-empowerment best-friend TV show or movie,” Morrison says of the series. Teasing what viewers can look forward to, the actress says to “expect surprises. Expect monsters you’ve never thought of in your life. Expect hella badassery.”
“Relationships, relationship drama, friendships, different sexual orientations, expect it all,” adds Aucoin. “There is really something in it for everyone, and I reiterate that a lot because this show really touches on a multitude of topics and a multitude of themes.”
As for what the dynamic duo hope viewers will take away from the series, Jana Morrison had this to say: “I think that the overall message is you can be a hero in any body, in every body… body-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody.”
Astrid & Lilly Save the World premieres Wednesday, January 26 at 10pm on SYFY.
