Originally devised as a 30-minute dramedy, Studio City delves into the inner-workings of the fictional show-within-a-show Hearts on Fire, and its stars. Beyond the drama of the show, the short-form digital series also tackles topical issues surrounding Hollywood like #MeToo, LGBTQ, Transgender, ageism, suicide, and family dynamics. "Hearing you say that out loud, it's like 'Oh my God this is such a downer!'" laughed Kanan when he spoke to MediaVillage exclusively about the project. "It's not, but those are all important things, and things important to me and the other creatives on the show. I think ultimately when you can weave that stuff into an entertaining story, with characters that the audience feels for, it becomes a very potent recipe for building an audience.
"Studio City was a project I've been trying to get off the ground for quite a while," he continued. "It evolved into this short form digital show as that's what we were able to make based on the budget and what we had to work with. It worked well in this form. So many people want to watch things at their discretion now, and on whatever device. Gone are the days of meeting as a family to watch a show, so this format lent itself to that and getting an audience across different demographics. It was uncharted territory for me. I had acted on some digital dramas but had never produced one. [So] we jumped in with both feet and so far we're still swimming."
In assembling his diverse cast, one that includes daytime stalwarts Carolyn Hennesy, Sarah Joy Brown, Patrika Darbo, Tristan Rogers, Scott Turner Schofield, and newcomer Juliet Vega, Kanan trusted his wife Michele Kanan (co-writer, producer and casting director). "It was collaborative in that we had worked with most of the actors we hired," he explained. "I first worked with Patrika on Step by Step, and we've done several films together. Carolyn and I worked together on General Hospital, Tristan and I did a play together, so we looked to people we knew, especially when you're asking for people to basically work as a favor. Michele did a terrific job as some of those characters were specifically written with those actors in mind.
"This may seem tangential," he added. "But Juliet Vega is my real-life step-daughter, so it really [was] a family affair in that respect. Juliet had been wanting to start her acting career, and I told her I wasn't handing her the role. 'This is my baby and if you can't pull it off…' To her credit she auditioned and brought it, giving us exactly what we needed. I did tell her she was getting thrown in with seasoned professionals, so she had to bring her A-game. She did and for that, I'm so proud of her."
One of Studio City's most important characters and storylines belongs to Max, a transgender actor starring as Dr. Brantley on Hearts on Fire, who through his group meetings, explores his own transition journey. When writing the part, Kanan had one actor in mind - - Scott Turner Schofield - - a real-life trailblazer, and the first trans actor to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy [for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series]. Scott is an amazing human being and a pioneer," said Kanan of his friend. "I met him when working on The Bold and the Beautiful, where he made history as the first trans man in daytime. Years later I encountered him and asked him to participate in my book Success Factor X and I got to know him.
"When Studio City became a reality I wanted to find something for him," he added. "He has such an amazing story to tell, so we had some discussions and explained we wanted to do [this] storyline with integrity, realism, and he was the guy to do it. But more importantly, he 'had' to be a member of the cast. Not solely because he's a trans man, but because he's a terrific actor and I wanted to continue working with him. Scott has a great presence on Studio City, but it's not always about him being trans. It's about him being an actor."
Kanan tells me following the accolades, "12 indie series awards, eight daytime Emmy nominations, we won one for Tristan Rogers after 50 years in the business and his first," he's using his quarantine time devising season two. "Coronavirus has played a very specific, and frustrating role, in what happens with the show," he explained, "Having family involved has been good creatively, but at the end of the day, you have to get in there, get everybody together and film it. We're doing it, one way or another."
He also had words of wisdom for anyone looking for an acting career. "I was fortunate in my career that at such an early age I became involved with a world-famous franchise (Karate Kid III), which changed the trajectory of my career and in many ways my life. Just be very sure you want to go into acting. It's a career fraught with psychological frustration, as highlighted in Studio City. But if that's what you want, treat it seriously. Take classes, study, and do everything to learn as many aspects as possible. I found studying foreign languages helps as you never know what role you might play. There's always something you can be doing to further your journey."
Studio City is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime.
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