Genera+ion is an upcoming show premiering on HBO Max this Thursday, March 11.
The show, created by 19-year old Zelda Barnz and her father Daniel Barnz and written by an entirely LGBTQ+ writers room, follows a group of teenagers navigating modern sexuality and their deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love, and family in their conservative community.
It is a show specifically aimed at illuminating the experience of Gen Z who “has made being politically active cool again and thanks to having grown up with social media, potentially grappled with identity more than any previous generation.” Of that group are a set of twins, Nathan and Naomi, played by Chloe East and Uly Schlesinger. Their closeness, despite their sibling rivalry, causes quite a bit of drama between them as they both struggle individually with understanding their sexualities.
You may know Chloe from her debut role as Sheriff Andy’s daughter in the HBO series True Blood or from her role as Reese in ABC’s Kevin Probably Saves the World. Uly was a student of The New School where he studied theatre before he eventually transitioned to television. He’s had roles in the shows Search Party, Chicago Med, and The Sinner.
I got the chance to sit down with Chloe and Uly about their experience working on Genera+ion and what we can expect for the first season.