One of those fun projects for me was playing “Janine”, mum to two headstrong teenagers, in The Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers series.
Hosted by New Zealand’s go-to clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and straight shooter, Nigel Latta, this wasn’t your typical drama series.
Directed by Stephen Campbell and produced by Razor Films, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers series seamlessly wove together Nigel’s expert insights and our comedic sketches. Part live show, part documentary, part sketch comedy, Nigel’s no-nonsense, science-backed take on teenage behaviour was broken up with fictionalized scenes to drive his points home. That’s where our family came in.
Between me as “Janine”, John Leigh’s “Larry”, the ever-mischievous Teenage Fairy, and “Mad Uncle Jack” played by the wonderful Stephen Hall, the set was a powder keg of belly-laughs and quick wit ready to explode at any moment.
Filming days were a joy filled with unpredictability, fast-pace, and full of genuine laughter. The production team was brilliant, keeping us all on track while letting the creative chaos run just wild enough.
Behind the Scenes
One of the things that made filming The Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers so much fun was the creative freedom we had. While some scenes were tightly scripted, others gave us room to run wild…we’d be given a direction and then go full improv. It was exhilarating to be completely in the moment, reacting naturally (in character) to whatever chaos unfolded.
A few scenes stand out as personal favourites:
The car radio meltdown. Picture this: I’m in the car with my teenage daughter, locked in a battle over control of the radio (my beloved classics versus her thunderous heavy metal). All the while, the ever-scheming Teenage Fairy is in the backseat, whispering mayhem and egging us both on. And of course, the actual music was added in post-production. Just as well, as the fits of giggles that erupted after the scene was shot, would have drowned it out anyway!
The Sock Monster attack. I finally got to do my own stunts! In this particular gem of a scene, I was on a mission to locate some dirty laundry in my teenage son’s room (you know how that goes). Things took a turn when I was suddenly ambushed by a full-blown sock monster and literally dragged off. Absolutely brilliant.
Needless to say, working on this show was a joy. Every day on set brought something new, and it was a delight to be part of a project that wasn’t afraid to be a little bit bonkers in the name of storytelling.