If you love Pretty Little Liars, MTV’sScream or just really good TV, then you’re going to get instantly hooked on AwesomenessTV’s new series t@gged. This suspenseful show follows three high school girls who come from entirely different cliques as they get blackmailed on social media by an unknown character named @MONK3YM4NN. Friendships are tested, lines are crossed and the rules of love are blurred as Hailey, Rowan and Elisia try to discover who the perpetrator is. We sat down to get to know the three leading ladies, Lia Marie Johnson, Katelyn Nacon, and Lulu Antariksa, and to find out what they’re like on- and off-screen.
Hi girls! You’re all huge social media stars (which I’ll come back to later), but right now you’re on t@gged where you each play one of the girls who gets some unwanted attention online. Can you each describe your characters: Hailey, Rowan and Elisia?
Lia: Hailey is technically one of the popular girls at school, but she wasn’t always like that. So, being popular is pretty new to her. She has a lot of anxiety and she takes a lot of pills to calm her nerves. She’s kind of addicted to them.
Lulu: Rowan is a typical teenage girl that comes from a broken family. She feels abandoned by the people around her like her mother, her sister and her best friend. So, as she’s going through feeling like an outcast, she’s searching for love and for friendship in ways that maybe she shouldn’t. But, underneath all of pain and loneliness, she’s actually an incredibly loyal person, a woman of conviction and a woman who’s willing to protect the people she loves no matter what.
Katelyn: Elisia has a lot of issues going on with herself and in her personal life, so to bring in all the outside stuff is just making it worse. She’s really mysterious, so we don’t know a lot about her past because she just locks everything up. But, from the looks of it she does have a cutting problem and a bulimia problem, so we’ll have to see her develop from that.
Do either of you notice any similarities between yourselves and your characters? Or do you all play someone totally different?
Lia: I think Hailey tries a little bit harder than I do, especially to fit in with the popular crowd and the way she dresses is definitely not my style. But, at the beginning of the show she stands up for Rowan because they used to be best friends, so we have that in common.
Lulu: I feel I’m very different from all of my characters because none of my characters are truly me, but like Rowan, I was also very much a lonely girl when I was going through public school. I spent a lot of years not having many friends and feeling alone. Thankfully that changed as I got older and it’ll change for Rowan in the show, too. Other than that, she’s a very protective girl just like me. I grew up with three older brothers and in a huge family, so I’m very protective of them and of my friends.
Katelyn: Well, I mean Elisia and I obviously don’t have a lot in common because that would probably be bad! But, whenever I play a character I usually put myself in the character’s life (metaphorically) and do what I would do if I really was experiencing that situation.
Wow. You’re all so different, which is what likely causes the tension between the three of your characters at the beginning of the show. But, in real life, what is like being on set together?
Lia: They are both so amazing. Not only are they wonderful actors, but we love each other on a personal level. We hangout off-set! Katelyn lives in Georgia, so it’s hard to see her, but we all love each other so much.
Lulu: It’s absolute joy. I worked with Lia previously on another AwesomenessTV project and we got along so well, so I was so thankful when I heard that she was going to be a part of this show. Then I met Katelyn in New Mexico and we just clicked. They’re both younger than me, so a lot of the time I feel like I’m their big sister, plus they call me “Grandma Lulu!” I’m just so thankful to be with girls who are so different than me because the more different someone is from you, the more you can learn from them and I feel like I learn from them all the time.
Katelyn: It’s so great! I got to see them when we went to New York recently, and it was just like seeing your sisters that you haven’t seen in forever. Everyone just loves each other.
Can you guys think of one moment where you all really bonded?
Lia: I think it was off-set where we made the best memories, because we had two or three days off and we would all just go out and explore New Mexico. We spent the best nights together and I’m really excited to see everyone again for season 2.
Lulu: I was driving them around one day and Lia was working the iPod when she put rap music on and I’m like “who is this? Kanye?” and they were both like “NO!” I just don’t know rap music, I like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, so they kept calling me “Grandma Lulu.” On top of that, I didn’t understand social media very well before the show and I dress in a certain way that’s very different, so the grandma nickname stuck.
Katelyn: I mean, everyday we all get closer and closer. But, it was really when we would be working until like 5 am, crazy hours, when everyone really bonded. We just stayed up talking, which isn’t good because we were all delirious! It was like having a big sleepover party all the time.
It’s like getting paid to spend time with your best friends! That sounds like the life. So, I watched the first three episodes of the show and I am both hooked and creeped out! What do you guys hope people will take away from “t@gged?”
Lia: Nowadays social media is taking over our lives and it’s good to be a little cautious about what you post because it’s there forever. I know I sound like a mom right now, but it’s true! So, I think just being more careful.
Lulu: That there’s a really big prominence when it comes to finding your identity in what you put online and that there’s a danger in trusting the wrong people on social media and basing that trust off of how you see them online. But, I also hope that people take away that friendships need work and sometimes they fall away, but if you create a great foundation with someone that friendship never really dies.
Katelyn: The world is filled with people who think nothing will go wrong and I think that also extends to social media. So, I hope the show enhances what can really happen online and help get a better message across the younger audience about the need to be more careful.
Definitely! And you’re all major social media stars in real life, which I’m sure comes with a fair share of cyberbullying. How do you guys deal with the haters?
Lia: Oh, I used to hate it. I used to cry over like one hate comment! I’d say “this person doesn’t know me, why would they say this?!” But you learn that it’s just them and it’s not you and that they’re hiding behind a computer or a cellphone, so you can’t take it too seriously.
Lulu: The thing is that I’m an artist. So, most of the things I put on social media are about my art since I try to keep a lot of my personal life offline. But, art isn’t supposed resonate with everyone. There are going to be people who find something in my art and people who don’t care for it and that’s okay. My identity isn’t found in what people think of me.
Katelyn: When I do read the hate comments, it’s kind of hilarious. I remember one time this one girl was like “your cheeks are so fat,” but I was like “my cheeks are my favorite part about my face! I’m not going to feel bad about that.” So, to be honest, if you try to build up your confidence and self love as much as you can, it’s hard to let haters get into your head.
This is all really great advice for your viewers! But, back to the show, what are you all most excited for in the upcoming episodes? I know I personally can’t wait for Elisia to find out Rowan is dating her cousin!
Lia: I’m really excited for people to see a lot more of the action scenes. There are a lot of dramatic scenes that are coming up. I’ve actually only seen the first three episodes, so I’m also excited to see the rest!
Lulu: Hannah Macpherson (writer/director) is such an exceptional writer and when we filmed the scene where Elisia finds out, there was just so much tension in the room that you could cut it with a knife. I’m very excited for everyone to see that!
Katelyn: Hannah is a genius. There’s this one scene where Elisia just lets everything out. You get to see her open up and you learn more about her. I think we still have some time before that happens, but it’s so beautifully written. I’m actually scared to see it because it’s very dramatic!
I can’t wait to watch the characters develop and see more intense scenes! Okay, I saved the best question for last. Do you guys know who the @MONK3YM4NN is?
Lia: Haha, yes!
Lulu: I do! It’s really cool seeing everyone’s theories on who it is and I know that when they find out who the “Monkey man” is they’ll be really freaked out!
Katelyn: Yes, but my lips are sealed! If you think it’s crazy now, just wait! It only gets crazier and crazier.
Well, I’m excited to keep following along and to find out myself! Thanks so much for talking to me!
Be sure to catch t@gged every Tuesday on Go90!
