Laura Prepon Explains Why October Road is the Best New Show

By Tv Maven Archives
Cover image for  article: Laura Prepon Explains Why October Road is the Best New Show



Originally Published March 27, 2007

"You feel like you know this place," star Laura Prepon said of her new ABC show October Road.

Contrary to the belief of many television critics, October Road is the best new show on television. Prepon said, "Some people will get it and some people won't." If you grew up watching Dawson's Creek, you'll get it. If you're a teen now, you'll get it. If you're in your teens, twenties, thirties, or still have the mentality to feel like you're that age sometimes, you'll get it. And you'll not only get it, but you'll love it.

Prepon told me one of her friends called the show "a warm cup of hot cocoa," which is exactly what it is. There's no crazy backdrop. It's just a show about people. "You have all the CSI's and ER's, and don't get me wrong, I watch those shows. I'm into it. But with October Road, there's no hook. People can have reality with this world," Prepon said.

Reality seemed to be a trend in our interview, which makes sense considering the show could not feel more relatable. Referring to the writers, Prepon said, "The way they write human behavior is so real. I'll read a script and start crying. That never happens to me, especially with a show I'm on!" It's because the show feels real. The emotions resonate with viewers.

There are two scenes in particular in which Prepon demonstrates flawlessly just how real the emotions are. In October Road, author Nick Garrett (Bryan Greenberg) returns home after not having been back in ten years. When he first left, and was supposedly coming back after only six weeks, he was dating his high school sweetheart Hannah (Prepon). When Hannah first sees Nick after ten years, the look she gives him is priceless. It's not overdone in the slightest, but Prepon so perfectly gives the look that every female in her position would express on their face.

Hannah has every reason to be furious with Nick for leaving her with no explanation. By the time he returns, Hannah has moved on, but it's apparent that all of her emotions regarding Nick's departure have returned to the surface. She hates him, she loves him, she's hurt by him, she wants to be with him, she wants him to go away; all of those feelings are there. So after an argument with Nick, Hannah discusses it with her best friend and suddenly realizes, "Oh my god. I wanted to kiss him and grab him." The look on her face and the tone in Prepon's voice once again resonate with females everywhere. She nails the scenes.

Only six episodes of October Road have been completed, so Prepon truly doesn't know if Nick and Hannah eventually get together. Yet she does have feelings on the subject. "In her situation, I feel like she always knew Nick is her man. When you have a true love like that, you always love them." In the ten years Nick was gone, Hannah had a son (Who's the father? More on that later!), and started dating the antithesis of Nick, Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo. As for her character's relationship with Big Cat, Prepon said, "She does love him...but Nick, she is in love with him." Prepon's continued explanation proves she's perfect for the role. She completely gets how most women feel when it comes to the male gender. That quality is necessary in order to play Hannah to a T, like Prepon does.

"Nick makes her sick. Whenever a guy makes you sick, it's the real deal. I monitor how much I like a guy based on how much I'm going to throw up around them. I think around Nick she feels like she's going to throw up. Around Big Cat she's okay, she loves him. But Nick makes her sick in a good way."

Prepon also isn't totally sure who Hannah's son's father is. She joked, "I'm on the show and I don't even know whose kid it is!" Prepon won't say who she thinks it is, because the writers have given her some hints she might be on the right track, but she will say that she wants Nick to be the father. Prepon thinks the audience, if...no...when, they stick with the show, will view Nick and Hannah as a golden couple.

Prior to October Road, Prepon played Donna Pinciotti on That '70s Show, and said, "When Eric and Donna broke up on '70s we got mail like you wouldn't believe. People were saying things like 'I can't believe you're breaking them up,' and people were getting pissed because Eric and Donna were this stable thing. I think it's the same with Nick and Hannah. When people like that break up it rattles the audience. I think they'll want them to get together. I think they should be together... Will they be? I don't know."

On another front, there's some good news for the guys out there: you won't have to read any articles about how to watch October Road with your girlfriend... because you'll want to watch it. Sure, with the cast mainly comprised of men there are fewer ladies to watch (I'm pretty sure the ones who are on the show will make up for that), but it also gives male viewers more characters to relate to. The men on October Road are varied enough that, Prepon said, "Guys can watch it and think they're so much like one of them."

Prepon, who said she chooses her roles carefully, had her mind set that she was not going to do the pilot season following the wrap of That '70s Show since she wanted to focus on movies. Then her manager found the script for October Road and convinced her to read it, since, as Prepon said, "He knows my taste better than I do. He knows I love character driven films." She continued, "I completely fell in love with it." And, after Prepon's first meeting with the producers, she said, "It was a done deal. This was it."

If you watch October Road, it will be a done deal for you too. Viewers must tune in to ABC this Thursday at 10 p.m. to watch the great new drama. If you need to catch up, check out the first two episodes in full on ABC.com. If you liked the first episode but weren't totally hooked, it's because the pilot had to introduce you to the story and lay all the groundwork. I can promise that each episode only gets better and increasingly draws you in to the story and the characters' lives.

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