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00:00 Despite Claire actually being in therapy with your character,
00:05 Dani, she actually seems to get her real therapy
00:10 through the Dear Sugar advice column.
00:13 And I noticed it seemed like it was a trickle effect
00:16 of her healing actually rolled off.
00:18 And it seemed like Dani started to do
00:20 some internal views of herself as well as--
00:25 I'm sorry-- as well as the daughter, Ray.
00:29 And so I just wanted to get you guys' perspective on,
00:33 is it fair to say through the mother, Claire,
00:39 that everybody else basically kind of got healed
00:41 or started a healing process?
00:43 You know what?
00:44 For Dani, I think she was definitely behind Claire
00:47 in the healing process.
00:48 I feel like Claire, by the end of the series,
00:51 is really in a really nice finding herself,
00:54 stepping out for herself.
00:56 She's like, I'm leaving this job,
00:58 and I want to pursue this thing.
01:01 Finally tells me about the Dear Sugar.
01:03 And I think Dani's on the opposite side of that.
01:05 I think he's just beginning realizing
01:09 he needs to work on himself.
01:12 And I'm not sure if it was Claire rubbing off on him
01:18 or if it was--
01:19 I mean, it is Claire's words that push him to that point,
01:23 even though he doesn't know it's actually Claire's words.
01:28 But I do know that maybe through the therapy
01:31 or through the self-work, because he really does actually
01:34 practice some of the exercises that they learn in therapy.
01:39 And he really does buy in.
01:41 But I do know at the end of the series,
01:44 he's at a place where he's like, I've
01:45 got to figure out what's going on inside of me, for me,
01:50 not for us, for me, by myself.
01:55 And I'm not sure if it's a trickle down.
01:57 I do think one person healing themselves,
02:01 you can kind of see it and want that thing.
02:04 But I just think they were just on different parts
02:07 of their path.
02:07 And Dani was just starting his healing thing
02:12 as Claire was getting to a good part with it.
02:15 And how about you, Tanzine, your character, Rey?
02:19 It's like she's going through the typical kind
02:22 of teenage journey of figuring herself out,
02:24 dealing with things at school, and also combating
02:30 a little bit with Claire.
02:32 And I was wondering, do you think maybe the tension
02:35 with Claire in the household was--
02:38 you guys were kind of mirroring each other in like,
02:41 you don't really know what's going on,
02:42 but you're trying to figure it out
02:44 and trying to pick a path that works for you, which you kind
02:48 of both come to by the end of the series of standing
02:51 in your truth and standing your ground.
02:54 Yeah, I feel like--
02:56 I mean, there is so much that Rey goes through that I feel
03:02 like is very typical teenage things.
03:05 But I feel like a good chunk of her issues
03:10 are connected to Claire.
03:11 And then I'd say a good portion to Dani as well.
03:15 But I'd say mostly Claire.
03:17 And I don't even think it's something that--
03:24 it's like-- oh, how do I explain it?
03:26 It's like the second you get better,
03:30 I can kind of start to move forward.
03:34 It's not like, OK, I can fix this on my own.
03:36 I just have to wait it out.
03:38 It's like, I can't do anything if you don't do anything.
03:42 So I feel like running through Rey's mind almost probably
03:47 like the whole series, and I'm sure before we see this family,
03:51 is like, why aren't you trying for me?
03:56 Like, am I not worth it anymore?
04:02 So I think there's a desperate want from Claire--
04:09 from Rey to Claire to do something about it.
04:13 But she's just lost and doesn't know
04:16 how to communicate that with probably either of her parents.
04:22 So I just feel like she's sitting in a mindset where
04:25 it's like, I don't have anything to do.
04:26 I'm so confused.
04:28 The only thing I have is I can go full force with them.
04:32 That's the only way I can communicate.
04:34 That's how we've always communicated.
04:36 I don't know.
04:38 Yeah, it's just like a very confusing time.
04:39 And she's just waiting for it to be over,
04:41 but it doesn't seem to be over.
04:45 Gotcha.
04:46 And I like that you said feeling enough for your mother
04:52 because that makes me pivot to Quentin about Dani's role.
04:56 It seems like Claire, unfortunately, when she's first
04:58 dealing with the grief, she's having different encounters
05:02 with men through it all.
05:05 And it seems like when she meets you,
05:08 though, that it actually is a different type of encounter
05:11 of true love, even though we meet you
05:13 guys in the midst of conflict.
05:16 So I wanted to know, do you feel like your love in some way
05:21 kept her uplifted and maybe afloat throughout her journey
05:26 until she starts to heal?
05:29 That's actually super interesting
05:32 because in a lot of ways, when I initially looked at it
05:38 in the way I was looking at it, I kind of felt like,
05:41 in a sense, both of their--
05:45 it's hard to say, but both of their loves, in a sense,
05:49 held them back from the path that they were on.
05:54 Because I think when they met--
05:56 and let's go back to their younger selves--
05:58 I think Claire's idea was travel the entire world,
06:02 right in this city, right in that city, live in--
06:05 I think it's Argentina, wherever it is.
06:08 And I think Danny's was, I'm going to be--
06:11 and he was.
06:11 He was out performing.
06:12 He was out on tour, his South American tour,
06:16 that was coming up and really become a rock star, XYZ.
06:20 And they meet, and their love turns into the two of them,
06:25 in a sense, eventually turning their backs
06:27 on those careers.
06:29 So I don't know.
06:31 I think their love and their connection,
06:34 and also partially routine, and their love for the daughter
06:39 kept them together, maybe for a while,
06:41 until we get to the point where we're at,
06:43 and things kind of hit at the head.
06:46 But I don't know.
06:50 They were on very different paths before they met.
06:53 And you can say one thing about whether that was a path
06:56 they were supposed to go down, or this was the path
06:58 they were supposed to go down.
06:59 But I like the way you said it.
07:01 I like that their love kept each other afloat.
07:04 Because otherwise, I was like, their love sunk both of them.
07:06 [LAUGHTER]
07:10 OK, well, that is my time.
07:12 And it was a pleasure speaking with you both.
07:14 And great job on the series.
07:16 I really enjoyed it.
07:17 So with "In Tiny Beautiful Things,"
07:20 we meet Claire in the height of chaos in almost
07:23 every aspect of her life.
07:26 And as the series continues, we learn
07:29 that she's been in a deep state of grief
07:32 that she hasn't quite overcome.
07:34 And I was wondering, since the film really highlights healing
07:38 and diving deep within, could you
07:40 relate to, Claire, your character when
07:43 it comes to having a huge loss?
07:45 And if not properly dealt with, could it take a big toll on you?
07:51 Well, not getting into anything really personal.
07:56 For sure, yeah.
07:58 I mean, I think--
08:00 and to get vague about it, I would
08:04 say that the Cheryl Strayed behind it, who
08:13 wrote "Tiny Beautiful Things" and has been very--
08:17 has written about her unimaginable loss
08:20 in the death of her mother when she was in her early 20s.
08:23 And her decision and bravery to write
08:32 about that loss in such detail, I
08:35 think what that has done has made
08:39 humans feel maybe potentially less alone
08:43 in their unimaginable losses.
08:46 Because I think if you scratch behind the surface
08:51 of any human being, there is unimaginable loss.
08:56 And it doesn't look the same for everybody.
09:00 It doesn't feel the same to everybody.
09:02 It's not the same event.
09:04 Doesn't even have to be the same.
09:08 But there is, right underneath the surface,
09:13 that is what it is to be a human is to experience that.
09:17 We all experience that.
09:19 No one gets through it unscathed.
09:23 Someone can-- and I also don't know very many people
09:29 who process it healthily, whatever that means.
09:35 Right.
09:37 There's no proper way for it.
09:38 [LAUGHS]
09:39 [INTERPOSING VOICES]
09:40 I'm like, what?
09:41 How the fuck?
09:42 Like, what does that even fucking mean?
09:45 I don't know what that looks like or what that means.
09:48 And that whole idea of the five stages of grief or whatever
09:56 that people are talking about how now that actually
09:58 has nothing to do with--
10:02 that's actually for the person that is dying.
10:04 That's not for the person that's grieving.
10:06 Yes, and continuing to live.
10:08 It's a circular thing.
10:11 It's always there.
10:13 So that's-- I mean, that was radical to read that.
10:18 I was like, of course.
10:20 That's for someone that's--
10:22 the five stages are when you find out that you're going to die.
10:27 That's not like when--
10:29 You're still living through it.
10:31 So that's like, of course, it's a circular thing
10:35 that you'll-- it's never-- you never stop.
10:39 That loss is always there.
10:41 So it's like--
10:42 You just learn how to live with it.
10:43 Live with it.
10:44 Right.
10:45 Where does it live?
10:46 In your body or in your--
10:48 or in your relationships or in your friendships
10:51 or in your--
10:52 actually in your body.
10:54 So I think that that's what connected me to this,
10:57 was like--
10:58 was like that this person in this life, in that--
11:03 this character has chosen to connect with other souls that
11:11 have experienced that and is choosing to find connection
11:19 and feels--
11:21 not only feels less alone in sharing it,
11:24 but in that generosity is allowing those people
11:29 to feel less alone.
11:30 So it's like that--
11:32 those-- that circle happens with the sharing
11:35 of that--
11:36 those experiences.
11:38 And I think it was a triple effect,
11:39 because it definitely helped her child and her husband
11:43 and so forth, the others that she was giving advice.
11:46 So I love that you said that.
11:47 Yeah, it's starting to.
11:49 Yeah.
11:49 I mean, at least it's like--
11:51 starting to.
11:55 Right.
11:55 Yeah.
11:57 Well, thank you so much.
11:58 I enjoyed chatting.
11:59 Thank you.
12:00 That was a quick, deep dive.
12:03 Great job.
12:06 And I was wondering, from my point of view watching it,
12:09 it seems like a major concept of it
12:12 was helping someone else could actually
12:16 end up in turn helping you.
12:19 As Claire, we see through the Dear Sugar column--
12:23 advice column, in her giving advice,
12:25 it made her self-reflect and look
12:26 at monumental moments of her childhood and just growing up
12:30 and her college experience.
12:32 And so I was wondering, was that a big lesson or something
12:36 that you were really trying to highlight
12:38 when you and the other executive producers
12:40 were discussing filming the series?
12:44 Absolutely.
12:45 I mean, I think that that's so inherent in Cheryl's work.
12:51 And yeah, this idea that--
12:55 I think it's a really profound thing that--
12:58 I mean, we all know it.
12:59 It's like-- it's the same way you feel as--
13:02 you feel almost better giving a gift than getting one.
13:06 I think that in trying to help somebody else,
13:09 the byproduct or the result of it, even unintentionally,
13:13 is that you end up helping yourself.
13:16 So I don't think somebody necessarily
13:18 sets out to save themselves.
13:21 That generous act of probably the help that you want
13:26 and the healing that you want, when
13:28 you decide to give that out, it comes back to you multiplied.
13:32 So yeah, I think that was something
13:35 that's so inherent in Cheryl's essence and in her work
13:42 already.
13:43 Yes.
13:44 And I love that you said that, because Cheryl,
13:48 thank you so much for the book and sharing your story.
13:50 Oh, thank you.
13:52 I know that based on Tiny Beautiful Things,
13:56 we see that you have already started healing
13:59 from your mother's passing.
14:02 And I know probably through writing
14:04 the book that might have been a therapeutic way
14:06 to continue your healing journey.
14:08 I was wondering how it was to actually see
14:11 your life unfold on film or on screen through this series.
14:17 Was that a different type of experience for you?
14:21 Did it provide maybe some additional healing
14:23 you weren't expecting?
14:25 Yes.
14:26 I think that every time you narrate
14:29 a story about your life, and especially a story that's
14:32 about something painful or traumatic or something
14:34 you'd rather forget, that some air is let into the room,
14:40 right, and some light is let in.
14:41 And that you are healed.
14:43 I don't write for therapy.
14:46 But boy, has writing been cathartic to me.
14:50 I write because I'm a writer.
14:51 And I want to share stories with the world.
14:54 But it always ends up healing my heart.
14:56 And so to see it again, to see the things we did with it
15:02 in the series, to see those actors on the set
15:05 like acting out scenes from my life in some cases,
15:08 it always ends up being like, wow, that's another look
15:11 at that experience.
15:12 And I learn something new from it every time.
15:14 And I think ultimately, that's what healing is.
15:17 It's actually seeing things in a more complicated light.
15:21 And maybe being able to look at yourself
15:24 and be more compassionate with yourself
15:26 or be more gentle with yourself.
15:28 Or to say, it's time to release some of those stories
15:30 I've been telling myself that have been holding me back.
15:33 OK.
15:35 Thank you guys so much.
15:36 Those were my--
15:38 I know it was quick to questions,
15:39 but it was a pleasure speaking with you.
15:41 And again, great job on this series.
15:44 I was like on an emotional roller coaster.
15:46 Oh, thank you.
15:46 Wonderful.
15:47 Thank you so much.
15:48 Your character had a range of emotions and different things
15:53 that we saw as you were the younger version of Claire.
15:57 I was wondering what interested you
16:00 and how did you prepare for the role of a character who
16:04 experienced a lot of trauma growing up
16:07 and then also experiencing the grief of her mother
16:10 during what was supposed to be a magical time in her life
16:13 graduating from college.
16:15 Then how she dealt with coping with the death
16:20 and some of the encounters that she
16:21 had with the men that she met throughout her life.
16:27 Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot
16:31 of formative relationships in Claire's life.
16:34 The relationship that she has or lack thereof with her father,
16:39 I think certainly strengthened that bond
16:44 to Frankie, her mother.
16:46 And then when she loses that, she's sort of--
16:51 I think she's parentless in a lot of ways.
16:53 And she has to take on this mothering role
16:57 to mother her brother, which sometimes is
17:01 met with a lot of resistance.
17:04 And I think that in terms of the relationships
17:08 that she has with men in her life,
17:12 she got married quite young to a man
17:15 that she had some doubts about before she walked down the aisle.
17:20 And I think that--
17:23 and that was before she lost her mother.
17:25 I think that Claire has--
17:30 I don't think that's something that she looks at as a mistake.
17:34 And I think that's one of the beautiful outlooks
17:36 that she carries with her.
17:39 I think also that can sort of lead
17:41 her to continue some self-destructive tendencies
17:46 because maybe things aren't looked at as a mistake.
17:50 But I think in terms of how she has relationships with men
17:56 after her mother dies, it's--
17:59 I think it's less about the person
18:02 and more about just looking for something, just anything.
18:07 I don't-- she doesn't even know what it is.
18:09 But she just needs something to take up this space.
18:19 And then she finds someone really great in Danny.
18:22 And he becomes, I think, a partner in a way
18:25 that she hasn't really experienced before.
18:29 Her brother sort of steps up to that role
18:32 before her child's born.
18:35 But then Danny really comes into her life
18:40 to be the father and her husband.
18:44 And I think that's very new for Claire.
18:47 I think that's-- we would have discussions about why--
18:54 like she says straight up, what am I saying?
18:58 We can't have a baby.
18:59 Like you're a musician.
19:02 And I haven't really been able to write anything.
19:07 But she makes that decision, I think,
19:11 because Danny has been so good.
19:13 And Danny-- and she can--
19:17 she's able to pass on this love that she had for her mother
19:20 through her daughter.
19:24 And that's a story that Catherine's Claire
19:30 expands upon more than I think--
19:32 than younger Claire.
19:35 But yeah, what drew me to this project
19:38 was just how expansive her experience was.
19:43 That just-- I haven't even touched on--
19:48 I've touched on so many things.
19:49 And there's still so much about this character
19:51 that she experiences and that we see her go through.
19:53 And it's messy.
19:55 And it's not-- it's such a great reflection of how I think most
20:00 of us find ourselves just dealing with--
20:03 you just say, I can't believe this is my life.
20:05 And yet here I am.
20:06 This is my life.
20:07 And you have to--
20:10 like the only way out is through.
20:11 And I think that's sort of what Claire
20:13 is doing this whole time.
20:14 And it's not very calculated.
20:18 It's just-- she's just pushing through it.
20:24 And I like how you brought up Dani being a new love.
20:28 Do you think, although we meet Claire and Dani
20:31 in the midst of conflict, that during that point in her life
20:35 where she met him, he was somebody who actually was
20:38 able to help keep her afloat?
20:40 Or just at least walking and just breathing almost?
20:46 Yeah, I think that--
20:49 Stavante Hart plays young Dani.
20:52 And he's so incredible.
20:55 I loved working with him.
20:56 And I think that what we were trying to find was just
21:00 like, what is this goodness of two--
21:03 they're two artists.
21:04 He's a musician, and she's a writer.
21:06 And I think they find this sense of just
21:10 feeling like they met their match in a way
21:12 and feeling seen and feeling supported.
21:20 And that they can make this tiny, beautiful thing
21:25 in their daughter, in this little life
21:27 that they have together.
21:28 And I think they're--
21:32 it's interesting as well that the love that Claire
21:37 has for Dani and her child, she ends up
21:42 writing an essay.
21:43 And it is published with significant revisions
21:49 as per her editor's request.
21:53 But a lot of her writing career, she
21:55 got this job at a retirement center
21:57 so that her husband could continue living
22:01 his dream as a musician.
22:05 And that changes over the course of their life,
22:08 like most things do.
22:10 But I think there is this--
22:14 I think when you see them get together in the young Claire,
22:17 young Dani storyline, it is just this absolute desire
22:22 to be with one another and make things good to continue
22:28 going towards the good thing.
22:29 And I think that's where they get their support.
22:33 And this is an interesting story considering you see them later
22:36 down the line of--
22:39 they're in these therapy sessions.
22:40 And Claire and-- I mean, Catherine and Quentin
22:43 are probably better to talk about this than I am.
22:47 But you see how that young love and where it got them to
22:52 and what remains and what doesn't and what's changed
22:56 and what needs to change.
22:58 But two ever-evolving people.
23:00 But I think they--
23:02 when you meet them when they're young,
23:04 they really see each other for who they are,
23:06 which is what connects them and draws them together.
23:10 I love that.
23:11 And my time is up.
23:12 But thank you so much for your time.
23:15 And congratulations on such a great series.
23:17 Thank you so much, Aria.