- Talk to me first about just being at Comic-Con.
Do you feel - Is this, like, your place?
Like, do you feel comfortable in this world or not?
- Yeah, it's nice to see everyone gather together
over things that they really like.
And I feel like we have prepared so long
just for this moment, to be at Comic-Con.
- Yeah, have you been thinking about it?
Have you had it kinda, like, marked on the schedule?
- Oh, yeah, yeah.
- This is the big, like, this is the big pot of gold
at the end of the rainbow.
- Comic-Con has been our big "what if" while we were filming,
and it's so great that this is the final stop
for our press tour and we're,
you know, giving it a go and -
[Laughs]
- When you guys heard about this,
had any of you heard of the Paper Girls,
what it's based on, or was this new to all of you?
- It was new for all of us.
I haven't heard about the comics
until I received the first audition.
And after, like, reading the breakdown
and diving deep into the comics,
I knew that this was something
that I had to be a part of.
The story was just so unique,
all the characters felt so relatable and real,
and I could find myself in each one of them,
and, you know, just being a part of this production,
I feel so humbled.
- How do you describe it to friends and family
when they're asking you, like, what 'Paper Girls' is all about?
Like what's the - Oh, you're up, apparently.
She's pointing at you, she's like "you."
[Laughs]
- She's good at this kind of thing.
- What is 'Paper Girls for the uninitiated would you say?
- Alright.
[Laughs]
- You've been gearing up for this, I can feel it.
Here we go.
- Well, I would say it's sort of a Trojan horse. - OK.
- You have - OK, I'm gonna change metaphors,
I'm gonna say it's a candy.
So on the inside, you have these beautiful,
beautiful friendships that these girls
have made with each other,
so beautifully developed characters,
and it's all wrapped in this delightful,
sci-fi, timey-whimey,
action-packed, amazing, brilliant wrapper.
- I love it.
[Laughs]
- Sold. You guys, you did it.
You nailed it.
"Timey-whimey," I'm trademarking by the way, as a new phrase.
[Laughs]
So obviously, yeah, this, like, keys on the relationships
between you guys here.
Do you just step on set for the first time
to, like, meet each other?
Or is there, like, are there chemistry reads
or a way to establish a relationship
before you start or what?
- So, we hadn't met prior to auditioning,
so we met for the first time while on set
because, you know, our show runners
really wanted us to meet similarly
to how our characters did
and that really affected our performances on-screen.
So, a lot of the times it felt, like, as our characters
were getting to know each other,
we as actors were starting to feel more connected.
And I have to say a lot of the times,
it felt like there were eight of us rather than four.
Like, it was us and then the characters that we play.
- Well not to mention, OK,
so time travel figures very prominently in the storyline.
I believe - Do all of you have, like, the older counterparts,
like the adult versions of you
that you get to interact with?
And is that surreal to see another actor playing
a version of you, essentially?
- I think it's so cool to, like, see future me
because they, like, put in contacts
to make her eyes look like mine
and it's just cool to see like
what I could look like in the future if -
- Yeah, you got a sneak preview of one possibility.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- I think it's really cool.
- So, you guys have shot the entire series.
Yes?
- Yes, correct.
- So,
I assume there are nerves Day 1.
By the end, was the dynamic on set
totally different from, like,
when you think back to the way you started
versus the way you ended?
- Yeah. - For sure.
There was a huge different dynamic.
- Yeah, well, when we first started filming,
there definitely was this immediate click.
I think watching us on-screen,
we all have really good chemistry
and that's definitely the same off-screen, as well.
But, you know, we were thrown into these
intense situations on set,
whether they were real or not,
while the camera was rolling they felt so real,
so we kind of bonded through those moments.
And so, by the end, we didn't only have
this familial relationship with each other,
but also all of our crew
and just the entire working space
just felt very welcoming and warm,
and we had a great camaraderie going.
- We were like one big family.
[Laughs]
- And you have to say it like that, always.
So the show, OK,
so as I said, time travel was involved,
but it starts out, I believe, the day after Halloween,
morning after Halloween, 1988.
- Hell day.
[Laughs]
So you guys, I can do math pretty well,
were not around then.
- Correct.
- Fair to say.
- As far as you know.
[Laughs]
- Wow.
I mean, do you guys have any questions
about the 80s and 90s I can answer for you
'cause I was there, I was very much there.
- What was your favorite fashion piece -
- Oh my god. - Of the 80s?
- That's a great question.
I don't know, I don't have - What was yours? What did you embrace
about the 80s and 90s aesthetic?
- The 80s, 90s -
- What do you wanna bring back or, yeah -
- The music.
Like, the Aaliyah, the Tupac, the Prince,
the Cindy Lauper. That,
and then also, like, the walkie-talkies
and the Walkmans and everything, those were really cool.
- What about the double socks?
- No.
[Laughs]
No, those were hot.
I was running in the woods in double socks.
- Did they give you, like, a cheat sheet?
Did they give you, like, a box
full of, like, 80s and 90s paraphernalia
and be like, go to town, enjoy?
- Well, our cheat sheet was the comics, you know?
- Yeah. - Right, fair.
- That's the best cheat sheet we could have gotten.
So, it was such a great blueprint to work off of
and, you know, everything was explained in there, so.
[Laughs]
- Well, again, Season 2, if you need help,
I'm around for you.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
We should cast you as the fifth Paper Girl.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- I'm looking for extra work.
- We'll exchange information after.
- Perfect, I love it.
I love it.
Do you guys embrace or, like, run away from -
Like, there are always gonna be comparisons
to other shows, right?
And 'Stranger Things' is obviously, like, the big one out there
and it is a genre show in roughly the same time period.
Do you see comparisons?
Is that flattering to even think about
or does it feel like it's a much different
vibe on your show?
- Well, we love shows like that
and we're so honored to be,
you know, even considered in the same
genre or field as them.
But what our show is is very unique, we think.
It's kind of its own genre
and when you're watching it,
it has a very specific and unique tone.
And we've got time travel
and we really emphasize the importance
of female friendship without,
you know, shoving it in your face,
and it feels very
unique.
I've said that three times now.
- No, but it is. - But it is, yeah.
I think so.
- And, like you were saying,
it is about female friendship and empowerment,
but I really feel like this show is for everyone
no matter who you are.
You know, something I took away from the show
and what I hope other people can take away from the show
is that it's completely OK to not have it all figured out
and that you were more than capable
of taking your fate into your own hands.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, sorry, go ahead.
- Oh yeah, and another part about it,
that I would add on to what these guys were saying,
would be the depiction of the 1980s.
I think that it showcases both the exciting, cool things
that people think of when they think of the 1980s,
like the music, the fashion, the mall bangs.
- Yeah.
[Laughs]
- But at the same time, it also shows
some of its discrepancies,
kind of, it wasn't,
no time is good.
Not, well, I, oh wow.
[Laughs]
- You don't have to be over idealized and yeah.
There's - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Every time has its issues, this time is no exception,
same goes for the 80s,
and I think that it does a good job
with kind of showing that.
- And just now, OK,
being here, I know as we tape this,
your panel's gonna be tomorrow,
which is gonna be a treat, I'm sure.
Like, are you geeking out about anything in particular
that you know is here?
I mean, like, there's a lot of big,
big time movie and TV stars here, a lot of big shows.
What in particular would you not mind,
like, running into the cast of?
- D.C.
If John Cena is here, I'll probably cry.
John Cena from 'Peacemaker.'
[Laughs]
Or Lucy Liu, I heard a rumor
that Lucy Liu was gonna be here,
I love her in 'Kill Bill.'
- Nice.
- I wouldn't mind running into Marvel people.
Like, if Elizabeth Olson was here,
if
Xochitl [Gomez],
America Chavez.
[Laughs]
And if, like, the 'No Way Home' cast,
which is very, like, not gonna happen, probably,
but if they were, amazing.
- Not with that attitude, come on.
We have to really think positive.
- Please, I'm so positive right now.
I would be so happy.
- Alright, so what happens?
'No Way Home' cast walks in the door here.
What do you do?
What do you say?
Who do you target?
- Zendaya.
[Laughs]
I'm going to be so honest with you.
I love Tom [Holland], but I'm going straight for Zendaya.
- Do you play it cool?
Have you played it cool?
Would you play it cool with someone that you -
- I would, I'd say hi
and then I'd go FaceTime my friends after.
- Scream in another room afterwards.
- Yeah. - Yeah, keep it cool.