The Cast of Heartbreak High Talk Love, Teenage Drama and Eshays
Forget Euphoria, there’s a new teen drama in town, and this time it’s an Australian one.
Netflix is releasing a fresh take on the 90's Aussie Classic, Heartbreak High.
The original show was huge, running from 1994 to 1999, and aired in over 70 countries around the world.
The OG was based on the 1993 film The Heartbreak Kid (which was based on a stage play of the same name), and covered the lives of the students of Hartley High in NSW.
Netflix’s new take on the classic launches it into the 21st century, and follows the story of Amerie, who after a revelation, becomes an instant pariah, isolated from her friends and forced to repair her reputation.
We got the chance to chat to Thomas Weatherall, who plays Malakai, and Will McDonald, who plays Ca$h, about their experience making the show.
Will’s character, Ca$H, is the classic ‘eshay’ character, and he said he really enjoyed getting to explore that kind of character.
“I wanted to really put the subculture on display and give a proper authentic portrayal of it. So, I just tried to research as much as I could, I tried to talk to as many people as I could. But it’s fun playing an eshay and get to really step outside myself.”
Malakai, Thomas’ character, acts as a love interest in the show, and being a proud Indigenous man, Thomas said the representation the show strives for was really important.
“That love interest title, to have that be a young Indigenous man, was a really special thing to read on the page and to get that opportunity. It sticks out when you see that because you don't see a lot of scripts like that.”
With teen shows like Euphoria so popular these days, Will and Thomas said Heartbreak High sets itself apart because of the raw Australian-ness of it all.
“I think the way that we stand out is we leaned a lot more into that comedy. I think that's something that comes through in the Australian-ness of it; the laidback-ness and the lightness of it all.”
Heartbreak High hits Netflix on September 14.
