On The Scene: "Younger" Season 6 Premiere Party

TV Land original scripted series “Younger” celebrated the premiere of its sixth season at The William Vale in Williamsburg.

The beloved comedic show follows Liza (Sutton Foster) as she returns to the publishing industry after her sudden divorce. A fortysomething mother, Liza claims she’s 26 to be hired as an intern by Diana Trout (Miriam Shor) at Empirical and befriends coworker Kelsey (Hilary Duff), a young editor on the rise with the Millennial imprint, and public relations guru Lauren (Molly Bernard). Liza’s love triangle with “fellow” 26 year old Josh (Nico Tortorella) and publishing boss Charles (Peter Brooks) leads to further complications as she tries to navigate her new life in New York City with the help of best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar).

Season five of “Younger,” which aired last summer, was its highest-rated season to date, and the devoted fanbase to the show has spurred a weekly podcast, post-show special, and even the launch of a book entitled Marriage Vacation, mirroring a major plot point. Last season left viewers on edge with a cliffhanger ending involving career shifts at Millennial affecting Charles, Kelsey, and Kelsey’s on-again-off-again love interest and competitor, Zane (Charles Michael Davis), as well as a new development with Josh and his former fiancé (Phoebe Dynevor).

From left: Molly Bernard, Miriam Shor, Debi Mazar, and Sutton Foster on the red carpet for “Younger”

The ensemble cast gathered at The William Vale to walk the red carpet, reflect on the start of the series, and celebrate the new season with a sunset rooftop party. Much like their respective characters, the cast shared their own personal stories of growth over the last six years, while reminiscing about first becoming attached to television icon Darren Star’s “Younger.” “I went with my heart instead of my mind,” Debi Mazar said, explaining her return to New York after finishing “Entourage” in Los Angeles. Mazar first auditioned for the role of Diana Trout, an arguably similar character to her “Entourage” no-nonsense publicist. “When Darren [Star] said ‘I think I want her to play the friend Maggie,’ I was like ‘oh this could be great, something different.’ It’s not the power suit.”

Mazar’s Maggie brings a sarcastic charm to the ensemble cast with biting one-liners and fierce compassion for both Liza and Josh. Understandably, Mazar sees herself in her character. “I think the writers used my best abilities in terms of physical comedy and comedy-drama to bring into [Maggie],” Mazar explained. “This season is a little bit more mature for Maggie. She’s challenged in situations because of what Josh is going through and because of what Liza is going through, and it gets a little messy and then ties up really nicely [at the end]. It’s a rollercoaster.”

Nico Tortorella also felt a natural connection with their role of swoon-worthy leading man Josh. “He’s quirky, he’s a dork just like me,” Tortorella joked. “He leads with his heart, he loves tattoos. He’s like the watered down straight cis version of me.”

Charles Michael Davis similarly found the role of charismatic Zane perfectly suited to him. “When I first auditioned for [Zane], one of the things Darren said just after a few seconds of watching the tape was ‘that’s our guy. You walked in as the character,'” Davis said. “I felt like I had a good grasp of [Zane].”

Charles Michael Davis relates to his character, Zane.

Davis especially found himself drawn to how Zane challenges Kelsey to push herself. “I relate to the character a lot because he has a deep desire to see women become stronger, and that’s a dynamic between Zane and Kelsey. They kind of torment each other.”

As for what’s next for Zane? “When we last saw him, he didn’t have a job, he was unemployed, so hopefully we see him get back into it,” Davis teased. “But it’ll be a surprise to see who he teams up with and then what the result of that is. I’m excited for the fans to see how it plays out.” A fan-favorite, it’s clear Zane has a plan behind his charming mischievous smile.

Eccentric Lauren–played by the magnetic Molly Bernard–also had a career pivot at the end of season five, with her teaming up with Diana Trout. Like Lauren, Bernard too has a lovable confidence. “[Lauren] is amazing. I relate to her drive and her ambition; I relate to some elements of her sexuality,” Bernard said. “I love her boldness, how fierce she is. I love how goofy she is, and I relate to her quirkiness because I’m quirky too.”

Molly Bernard poses on the red carpet

On-screen roommates Bernard and Hilary Duff also are real-life friends, with Duff recently naming Bernard as godmother to her daughter, Banks. “It’s really nice to work with one of your best friends,” Bernard gushed. “When we’re on set, we’re such goofballs. I love working with [Duff].”

Aside from the evident camaraderie between the ensemble cast, “Younger” is most noted for its timeliness in tackling real-world topics such as #MeToo, ageism, and sexuality. The cast has frequently voiced their support for LGBTQ+ rights, including recent partnerships with The Stonewall Inn in honor of Pride Month. Bernard’s upcoming film, Milkwater, further gives voice to this important subject; the film, written and directed by Morgan Ingari, is centered on Bernard playing a surrogate for a homosexual man to have a child. Ingari sought out Bernard for the role after seeing her on “Younger” and “Transparent.” “I read the script and I loved it,” Bernard explained. “It was a huge challenge to play someone that complicated but it was the best experience I’ve ever had.”

Nico Tortorella and Bethany C. Meyers on the red carpet

Tortorella too has numerous powerful projects in the works, including their highly-anticipated upcoming book Space Between and a slew of international Pride charity fundraisers alongside fitness entrepreneur spouse Bethany C. Meyers. “Pride is so much more than a rainbow. Pride is a fight,” Tortorella mused. “We have to remember why this month started in the first place. Legislation is getting worse for this country and all around the world before it’s getting better and we have so much more to fight for.”

Meyers’ body-neutral fitness app, The Become Project, also is about to celebrate its first year anniversary. “It’s crazy, super exciting,” Meyers gushed. “This year is great because I’m focusing on community and building up the brand. It’s been exciting to watch Nico and I explore together two different realms of businesses and see where they collide.”

Meyers and Tortorella were traveling to Vienna the following day for the charitable Life Ball, “a queer Met Gala” as Meyers described, to benefit those fighting HIV and AIDS. Both Tortorella and Meyers also made statements about this year’s Met Gala theme of camp, encouraging more conversations about the inspiration behind the theme. “Trans women of color are really the people who created the entire look of camp, and so we think this year was really important at the Met Gala to make sure we were honoring them and recognizing where it came from,” Meyers explained. “I think it was really incredible to see how many queer conversations were happening at the Met Gala and how much representation was there. We’re seeing more than we’ve ever seen before which is amazing.”

Following the red carpet, the actors mingled at the rooftop bar with attendees like “Real Housewives of New York” star Tinsely Mortimer, former “Younger” costar Jennifer Westfeldt, comedian Arturo Castro, and “Younger” stars Chris Tardio and Phoebe Dynevor. Guests sipped on drinks like Molly’s Margarita and the Millennial Spritz, and the evening concluded with a surprise rap lip sync performance by Charles Michael Davis on the dance floor to Kanye West and Jamie Foxx’s “Gold Digger.”

Like their characters, the cast of “Younger” brought a sense of family and love to the premiere party– a delight for fans as we countdown until the season six premiere.

“Younger” debuts on Wednesday, June 12 on TV Land, 10pm ET/PT.

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On The Scene: “Younger” Season 6 Premiere Party

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