Drama meets High School Reality in MTV’s “My Life as Liz”

By Kat Ahn on January 29th, 2010

• Share
• Link to StumbleUpon
• 7 Comments

MTV’s “My Life as Liz” starts off with the voice-over of angst-ridden Texas teenager Liz Lee saying “MTV made me do this.”  Well, I’m sure that they didn’t force her to have her own show, but the concept of this show is refreshingly interesting. Granted, I graduated high school a while ago, but those pesky feelings of being an unpopular outsider haven’t exactly left me. I got a chance to speak with Liz Lee about our mutual distaste for Abercrombie &Fitch, the joy of not caring what people think and is this Cory Cooper person really a mean b*&*h?

How did this show come about? It’s an interesting hybrid of scripted and reality.  What’s it like to star in “My Life as Liz”?
It started off in my broadcast journalism class. MTV was looking for a cast to do a spin-off of “The Paper,” so they had a posting up to answer questions on video.  I just decided to do this, answer questions, and sent my tape in thinking nothing was going to happen.  Then MTV came down, did an extended casting and then everything changed completely.  That’s how the show got started.

So the concept of the show is that you used to be a popular girl and then senior year, everything changed? Why leave the hot clique? Most kids wait their whole lives to be popular.
So did I. I felt like I was on cloud nine to sit at the table with these popular girls. Um … I didn’t really have fun with them.  I couldn’t be myself around them. One day Cory Cooper (the most popular girl in school) turned on me and she openly admits to wanting to destroy my life and be mean to me. It all started in 9th grade and me and Cory never got along. She doesn’t put it on for the cameras, she’s really that mean. She sort of just dethroned me. I just didn’t want to deal with it, and I made friends with the nerds. I decided I didn’t have to be popular and decided to just be me.

Is this really a reality show? How active are the producers in getting this show together?
The show is based on real events and relationships. Me, Troy and Miles, we are close. Me and Cory really do hate each other. People have said that we were actors.  One lady said we were all actors and that the kids were always really nice.  I was an outcast and it wasn’t like MTV came in and treated me differently. They didn’t try to be famous.

Interesting.  So, is there diversity in your town? I mean, I watched a couple episodes and I don’t see any at all.
It’s a white-bread town in Texas. There are rednecks, hillbillies and there are like five African-American students that graduated.  I just never saw them around. There are some Mexicans and its not a really diverse town. In a bubble — it’s so weird to live in Manhattan now. We have BBQ, we have fried chicken, and then to come here … restaurants and stuff.

There was a recent report that young people spend 7.5 hours per day online or using their phone, etc., how many hours are you online? Facebook? Twitter? Do you and your friends watch TV and movies online or on TV?
Umm, we’re pretty active online. We all have internet phones. Most of the time I think we twitter a lot because of the show! We can reach a bunch of people at once.  Its a really awesome tool to keep in contact with the fans.

I love your character’s openness.  Is it strange to be so open? Do you think that being a teenage girl is harder than ever with Facebook and every random blog where people can anonymously post rude things?
I try not to read too much of it.  You know, it’s pretty crazy what people can say about you online. They can say some hurtful things. Me and Sully always say…haters gonna hate. We just live by that and accept it.

You’re pretty self-aware for a teenage girl. Any plans to pursue acting or the world of entertainment in the future?
I don’t know about acting.  It’s not really a goal of mine. I don’t know how to play anyone else. If there are roles for nerdy chicks with Star Wars and sneakers though, I’d be good at that.

This show is really angsty.  Are you the new Angela from “My So-Called Life”? Do you like being the poster-child for that angry outsider girl?
I love Juno and Daria and almost feel honored. It’s the weirdest thing ever. Crazy, not sure if I’ll ever be used to that.

Tell us something no one knows about you. A weird quirk? Style? Abercrombie to Urban Outfitters?
Pretty much all out there.  A&F, I bought it because it was cool. Just a bunch of tans, grays and it was boring.  After I dropped out of the popular crowd, there was no reason to keep buying from there.  Everyone dresses like that at my high school.

Abercrombie sucks. So, Hills or Jersey Shore?
Jersey Shore. Snookie is the most entertaining!

Got any advice for any outcast, angsty teenager out there who doesn’t fit in at school?
Stick it through. Nerds get the last laugh because I feel, like my parents always said, “Don’t be mean to the nerds because they’ll be the boss one day.” We’re the silent majority. Once you get out of high school, it’s such a big world. High school is such a small fishbowl. They have so much to look forward to!

Ain’t that the truth.  Thanks for talking to us, Liz.  And if you’d like to channel your inner geek girl, check out “My Life as Liz,” on MTV every Monday night or at MTV.com.