The actress discusses playing a pop in A mom to teenage twins on the new HBO Max dramedy.
And not just about that, but about the whole megillah."
And I think she’s leery of what may come," adds the actress.
Martha Plimpton as Megan on HBO Max’s ‘Generation’.Warrick Page/HBO
And I also really, really love Zelda.
I really loved her, and I just thought this girl, she’s so sharp and so lovely.
I just thoughtI gotta do this.
Actors Sam Trammell and Martha Plimpton star on the HBO Max teen dramedy ‘Generation’.Warrick Page/HBO
This makes perfect sense.
I want to be with these people.
I want to work with these people.
Actress Martha Plimpton plays a Type A mother to teenage twins on HBO Max’s ‘Generation’.Warrick Page/HBO
I just felt like it was something I hadn’t really done before.
I mean, this was way more sort of nuanced.
And obviously, that was a comedy, and this is just so much more than that.
Actors Martha Plimpton and Chloe East play mother and daughter on the HBO Max teen dramedy ‘Generation’.hbo max
I just thoughtthis is something I could really sink my teeth into.
I think it’s great.
I mean, look, the perspective is really important in this show.
They don’t pull any punches.
That was really exciting to me.
Is that an active choice on your part?
No, I haven’t really actively chosen it.
I think with this show, it’s hard to say it’s really focused on the son.
So no, I’ve never noticed a pattern like that.
Well, I don’t know.
I don’t know why I’m asked to play these roles.
I’m certainly of that age where I get asked to play moms a lot.
But I’m not sure.
I’m not sure.
Well, I definitely lean on the script more.
This is a person who doesn’t react at all the way I would react.
She doesn’t deal with her life in any way [that] I would deal with my life.
She’s completely different from me, but I think I find that interesting.
The pace with which the culture is moving forward, that so scares her, you know?
Would you describe Megan as conservative?
Do you think she’d describe herself as conservative?
Yeah, I think she’s conservative, but I think it’s more than just politics.
Because they’ve been her whole life, you know?
She doesn’t have a job per se, except for raising them.
When they’re gone, who is she?
I think that that’s pretty universal.
That’s a good way of putting it too because in her introduction you see how organized she is.
I love her giant calendar wall.
Everyone can be a part of maintaining control in this household, that’s what she does.
What’s your take on her relationship with Joe and Patrick,J.
August RichardsandJohn Ross Bowie’s characters?
Well, she loves them.
And I think there are a lot of people like this.
you’re able to do what you want to do.
But my son’s not, my son is different.
My son is mine.
And my son is not an adult."
Well, do you think that she uses that friendship as a shield from any allegations of homophobia?
And I don’t think she would consider herself a homophobe.
She wouldn’t at all consider herself that.
I think “hate the sin, not the sinner,” that’s kind of her perspective.
It’s just, when it comes into her house, it’s a completely different story for her.
And she doesn’t understand why other people don’t understand that.
Well, the thought of other people talking behind her back is untenable for her.
She can’t stand the thought of not being in control of whatever the image is of her family.
She’s very interested in appearances.
First of all, they’re absolutely fantastic.
I mean, they really, really are.
Uly and Chloe just work so well together.
They’re so funny, they’re so touching.
Uly looks like he’s just gonna explode at any moment.
All the kids in the cast are excellent.Excellent.
And just stay sweet, I guess because they all are so lovely.
I just love them.
The show’s calledGeneration.
What have you learned about Generation Z while making the show and working with this generation of actors?
Gosh, that’s a really tough question.
I think what I noticed is just how far ahead of us olds they are in so many ways.
And also when I get around all of them, I’m just so intimidated.
But yeah, I think that’s pretty much it.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
