As a die-hard fan of Heartbreak High, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and sadness as the series gears up for its final season. Growing up with this show has been an incredible journey, watching these characters navigate the complexities of teenage life while tackling important social issues.
The much-loved Australian teen series produced by Netflix, known as Heartbreak High, is gearing up for its final goodbye. It was announced last week that filming has commenced on the third and concluding season of this successful high school comedy-drama. In celebration, The Hollywood Reporter made a trip to the show’s Australian sets earlier this month, where they spoke with both the cast and creators about their emotions as the students of Hartley High bid farewell to school and welcome adulthood.
Originally aired in the ’90s as a popular Australian series, Heartbreak High is now reimagined, focusing on a multicultural cast of students and faculty members dealing with teenage love, struggles, and the social challenges present in modern-day high schools. The show has garnered global acclaim on Netflix, with its second season appearing among the top 10 most-watched series in more than 53 countries, including the U.K., Europe, Africa, and Asia. Additionally, it received an international Emmy for the best live-action kids program.
Heartbreak High is known for filming at a genuine Australian high school – Maroubra Bay High School in New South Wales. On our THR visit, they had cordoned off and occupied about one-third of the school’s amenities, with regular classes and activities taking place everywhere else on campus. Although the series has gained popularity, the actual students of Maroubra were generally uninterested in the now-famous teenage actors wandering around their school during breaks in filming, as they had grown accustomed to observing television production processes over the past few years.
Each season of “Heartbreak High” has a central theme that runs throughout, as stated by executive producer Carly Heaton. This trend won’t change for the final season. The first set of episodes delved into the matter of consent, while the second season tackled the issue of harmful masculinity. Hinting at the third season, the producer mentions that each character’s storyline will revolve around a universal experience – the brink of adulthood as high school concludes, but with an Australian twist.
This story is truly about growing up, as we watch our characters transition from childhood to adulthood. Heaton notes a distinct Australian aspect: the requirement for 17-year-olds to choose a specific university course, without the option of a general degree first, as seen in other countries like the UK or USA. This decision, coupled with the pressure of end-of-year exams, is a common source of anxiety across Australia. The show explores how they cope with this and questions whether one needs to have their future fully planned out at such a young age.
As a gaming enthusiast, I’m thrilled to say that we’ve got some amazing closure planned for all the heartwarming connections in this game we’re creating.
Heartbreak High significantly influenced the careers of its young main actors, who were largely novices in big-budget TV shows, much like how high school can have a profound impact on one’s life, as Heaton points out.
What’s particularly thrilling for us is that we didn’t expect the show to be such a hit, as she puts it. ‘We aim to contribute to popular culture, and I believe we’ve managed to do so in numerous ways,'” (paraphrased sentence)
The show has struck a particular cord on TikTok, amassing more than 2 billion views for reaction clips and character remixes tagged with #HeartbreakHigh. Many online discussions revolve around the distinctive Australian teen lingo as well.
Hannah Carol Chapman, the creator of “Heartbreak High,” collaborated closely with the series’ youthful cast members, discussing not just dialogue but also character development aspects such as their future destinations.
Heaton mentioned that it was crucial for the actors to be able to convey a story and have influence over their characters. He stressed that Hannah ensured everything portrayed was authentic to the intended audience. This authenticity, he believes, is likely why the show was so well-received. After all, it wasn’t just someone speculating or assuming how children spoke on a playground.
Actress Ayesha Madon, known for her role as Amerie in “Heartbreak High,” expresses her conviction that a significant part of the series’ novelty and genuineness comes from having numerous cast and crew members who were newcomers to the industry.
In simpler terms, Madon expresses that everyone involved, including Sarah Freeman, was fresh to the project. What made this special, he suggests, was that the creators were open to giving opportunities to newcomers. For many of the cast members, it was their debut role and we essentially learned acting in front of a camera for the first time, which was both nerve-wracking and incredible.
James Majoos, who portrays Darren, shares that working on ‘Heartbreak High’ has been an educational journey for him,” he says. “As we bid farewell to our characters and venture into the uncharted, there’s a sense of uncertainty that we can infuse into this new season.
Majoos remarks, “This experience has been truly unique, and I believe we’ll never find another job quite like it… Our team has become incredibly close, and I think it’s raised the bar for any future projects.
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2024-11-13 13:25