|
AP: What’s hot
in “The O.C.” right now?
Schwartz:
We’re in the home stretch, like the last 10 episodes of the
season when the show always kicks it up a notch. I think it’s
going to resemble those first six episodes of the (first) summer.
It’s got that kind of vibe to it, kinda crazy, anything goes.
The kids are getting into colleges, the Cohen family life is about
to explode, it’s going to be pretty cool. It’s all going
to get very emotional, very explosive and really fun.
AP: You started a
genre, and a frenzy, with “The O.C.” What is it about
the show that really captures the young audience?
Schwartz: It’s
a certain alchemy of great cast and a really fun world. I think
the show has a really fun kind of tone. We try to tell emotional
stories, but we don’t ever try to take ourselves too seriously.
Hopefully some really good music. Hopefully an entertaining package
and people want to watch.
AP: Does the show
resemble your life?
Schwartz: Not at all.
I grew up in Providence, R.I. My family life probably resembled
the season one Cohens, before it got dark in the Cohen house. It’s
sort of a little bit based on my experiences at USC, as kind of
a neurotic Jewish kid from the East Coast who arrives in the land
of water-polo players and their girlfriends. I guess that was the
original impetus behind the show, and it’s sort of evolved
from there.
AP: What do you think
of the imitators of “The O.C.?”
Schwartz: Who would
those be, “Laguna Beach?” Now there’s this desperate
housewives of Orange County show on Bravo. It’s crazy. It’s
weird. The tent’s big enough for everybody to come hang out,
I guess.
AP: You were surprised
by it?
Schwartz: I continue
to be surprised. We didn’t think we were going to last past
the first six episodes of August (2003). So everything that’s
come after has been kind of amazing.
AP: Do you have plans
in the works for other shows? Where do you see things going next?
Schwartz: Every time
I’ve tried to go off and think about or start writing another
pilot, I end up finding myself drawn back to “The O.C.”
It’s too much fun to work on, too much work to try to do both.
AP: What kind of impact
has “The O.C.” had on your career and your life?
Schwartz: It’s
been just the most remarkable roller-coaster ride in the last couple
of years and it was totally unexpected and really thrilling. I had
no idea what I was doing when I started and now I feel like I’ve
learned to become a professional.
In your mid to late-20s, it’s
kind of a crazy time in your life anyway, you’re just kind
of figuring yourself out and coming to terms with growing up and
all that, and to have that simultaneous with something like this
happening was doubly overwhelming.
AP: Will we be following
“The O.C.” characters into college and beyond?
Schwartz: I think
we’ve got at least one more good year in us, so we’re
going to do some pretty radical stuff at the end of this year. The
season finale is going to be the craziest thing we’ve ever
done, and it will launch the show in a whole new direction next
year. So I’m excited about next season. And then beyond, I
don’t know. We’ll see.
|
