[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Me.]
The Big Picture
- Barry L. Levy’s ‘Me’ on Apple TV+ follows a 12-year-old named Ben who has shapeshifting powers.
- Co-Stars Lucian-River Chauhan and Abigail Pniowsky discuss character development, themes, and life lessons.
- The 10-episode eries hints at potential for a Season 2, continuing to explore how life has changed for Ben.
From creator Barry L. Levy, the Apple TV+ series Me follows 12-year-old Ben (Lucian-River Chauhan), a kid in middle school who thought his biggest challenge was learning to adjust to a newly blended family. When he suddenly realizes that he has the ability to transform into anyone he meets but has no idea what to do with his new superpower, he gets some help from his stepsister Max (Abigail Pniowsky). At a time when they’re just trying to stay off the radar of bullies and mean girls and get through school dances without a complete disaster happening, Ben and Max form a real friendship as they try to figure out what comes next.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Chauhan and Pniowsky talked about why they got so excited about being a part of this series, the great themes and life lessons their characters can teach the audience, how superpowers really do come with a great responsibility, how they would react if they had the ability to shapeshift in real life, stand-out moments from the season, the red hoodie, and how excited they are to hopefully get the chance to do a Season 2.
Lucian-River Chauhan and Abigail Pniowsky Felt Very Connected to Their ‘Me’ Characters
Collider: This is a story that has a lot of different things going on in it. There’s the family aspect, the friendship between your characters, and whatever is going on with all these abilities. What was it about this series that you guys each most connected with and that you were most excited about really getting to explore?
LUCIAN-RIVER CHAUHAN: When I first read the script, I thought the writing was expertly done, especially in terms of character development. I really enjoyed how Barry L. Levy, our writer, developed each character to its full potential in all the scripts. That’s what really drew me to the series. And something that I really connected with was Ben. He’s pretty confident towards the end of the season, and I feel like I’m a pretty confident person too. He also has empathy, and that’s something that I learned from him and also was able to connect with him on a little bit.
ABIGAIL PNIOWSKY: I think the script was overall amazing. It was such an interesting read, and I was really intrigued from the beginning. I also feel like I connected with Max the most, and the theme of learning who you are. I will take that theme with me throughout the rest of my life. But also on set, I really just learned a lot from everyone else. I learned from Riv. It was great working with him. And I definitely learned a lot from Max’s character development.
Especially with shows that have young people at the center of them, you don’t always get so many layers and the depth that this show has.
CHAUHAN: One hundred percent. We talked about all these really great themes and really great life lessons that Ben and Max can teach the audience. What’s really interesting and unique about the show is that anyone out there in the world can relate to one of the characters or another because I know I did.
Abby, what is your character’s state of mind that makes her want to be Max and not Maxine? Personally, I think names are really important. It’s taken me a long time to get people to stop calling me by my childhood nickname. So, why is she more of a Max, at this time in her life?
PNIOWSKY: That’s a really great question. Maxine is a name that’s connected to her mom, and she really wants to be her own person. She dyes her hair to switch things up. She expresses herself through her looks and also through who she is and how people know her. I think that Max is her, and Maxine is maybe the person that her mom wants her to be. She really wants to stay independent, and being Max instead of Maxine is her way of being that.
I do love the color that Max has in her hair. Did you get any say in the color choices? How did you feel about how it looked?
PNIOWSKY: The process of figuring out what the colors were was a very, very, very long process. We did a lot of different colors. I actually had 16 different clips in my hair when we were filming. Some of them were taped on and some of them were clipped in. Getting them out at the end of the day was definitely a big relief. We just had to figure out what looked best on camera, but I definitely liked all the colors.
‘Me’s Lucian-River Chauhan Is Learning What It Takes To Be a Superhero
River, if having power doesn’t change who you are, but it instead reveals who you are, what does having powers teach Ben about himself? What does he learn about who he is with this thing that’s happened to him?
CHAUHAN: With power comes a great responsibility. At first, he doesn’t really want these powers. He doesn’t really believe that he can stand up and do what’s right. He’s too afraid. But with these powers, he learns that other people have struggles as well. He learns a lot. It’s okay to make mistakes. He realizes that there’s a hero inside of him. With or without his powers, he can always be a hero.
Abby, how does what Ben’s going through affect Max? Do you think she wishes that she could do what he can, or would she rather be there to help him instead of directly having to go through it herself?
PNIOWSKY: It’s part of her learning process, as a sister. She has to learn how to be a sister. In one of the episodes, she says that she’s not his sidekick. Maybe a part of her wants a little bit of what he has, but I also think that she likes being herself and I don’t think that she would want to change in that way.
How do you think you guys would react if you realized you could suddenly shapeshift into anyone else? Would you freak out? Do you think you would find ways to use that ability?
CHAUHAN: I would probably be very similar to Ben and his reaction in the first episode. I would be very, very confused and I would go into solitary because I wouldn’t know what’s going on. But after, I would differ from Ben because I would be open to the possibility that I could use these powers to my advantage and learn about them a little bit more.
Abby, are there people that you’ve thought about wanting to shift into?
PNIOWSKY: That’s such a great question. Oh, my gosh, I haven’t even thought about that. I feel like, at first, I would be so terrified. I’d be like, “There’s no way I am going outside ever again.” But like Riv said, I think I would learn how to use them for good, especially if I could have a better impact on people’s lives by using it, like Ben learns to do in the series.
Abby, was it ever weird for you to randomly have to change scene partners, as Ben would shapeshift into different people?
PNIOWSKY: Yeah, that was definitely an experience. I feel like I just had to stay connected to how Max was feeling in the scene. It was really cool seeing the switch out. That was a process. We had to learn how to do that. But it was really cool connecting with other people, especially when those other people were still Ben, in the context of the scene. I feel like that was really cool.
River, in the second episode, you throw a bunch of things into a blender and make this horrible looking drink. Did you actually have to drink that? How many times did you have to do that?
CHAUHAN: Why did you have to bring that up? It’s bringing back memories! We did obviously have to film that many times, and it was not fun. In terms of the blender, we definitely put some weird stuff in there. I don’t even know. I don’t wanna think about it. I don’t know how I endured it. It was a lot a fun, either way, especially since I got to do it with Abby.
What the Biggest Challenges Lucian-River Chauhan and Abigail Pniowsky Faced on ‘Me’?
With everything that you guys got to do for this, was there anything that felt particularly challenging and that you worried about being able to pull off, but that ended up being cool or being something you had a lot of fun doing?
CHAUHAN: The stunts would be one thing because I didn’t know a lot about that, at first, but then I really enjoyed doing them. The other thing is that there are emotional scenes in the show and some of them were a little bit difficult to do. We had conversations with Barry L. Levy, our creator and showrunner, and also Michael Dowse, our director, just about the character and the character development. They helped a lot. That process was a little lengthy, but I’m happy I got a chance to do that with them and experience it and see things from their perspective.
PNIOWSKY: For me, I feel like a lot of the difficulty was mainly just getting Max right. I know how special this project is to Barry, so I wanted to make sure that I really hit the nail on the head. I always use the phrase that Max is a burnt marshmallow. She’s hard on the outside, but she’s really gooey on the inside. I think that Max truly is a caring person, and getting her demeanor and her character fully right, for me, was definitely a good challenge. As much as I did relate to her, I also felt that there were a lot of differences between us. It was very satisfying when it all clicked in my head. Each scene was a new way to explore her as a character and that was really interesting for me.
How much of the stunts did you guys get to do yourselves? Was there a stunt that you found most fun to do?
CHAUHAN: Personally, I really love the scene where I got thrown through a window. That was really interesting and I got a chance to learn a little bit from the rigging crew and the stunt crew, in that portion of it. And I got a chance to work with blue screen for the first time, which was really interesting. I’m lucky I got a chance to do that.
PNIOWSKY: I didn’t do as many stunts as Riv did, but I did mostly everything myself, apart from a scene where there was two of me. That was really cool, to see somebody else who looked exactly like me. We probably have some pictures standing next to each other where it’s like, “Oh, my God, they’re twins.”
That scene with the two versions of you was really cool because you’re in a dressing room that’s surrounded by mirrors. How did you even shoot that?
PNIOWSKY: It was a very long process. I had to keep switching sides. It was super interesting. I’m really glad it came out the way it did. It was really cool to see. It was also a really cool experience because I had to embody another person, in a way. That was really, really cool.
CHAUHAN: I’ve gotta say, from an objective point of view, that scene was really, really incredible. First of all, the acting was amazing. And then, the mirrors were mind-bending, which I really enjoyed.
River, you also get a cool moment where you have to fight yourself.
CHAUHAN: That scene is particularly interesting because I got a chance play a villain, as well. I had to get into the mind of the actor that plays Yates a little bit, so that was pretty interesting.
River, how did you feel about the red hoodie, especially since it’s something that Ben is so identified with? Did that feel like it really became a part of the character for you?
CHAUHAN: Yeah, one hundred percent. I really did enjoy that red hoodie. I actually got the lucky opportunity to keep it after the show, so that was really nice. I have it hung up in my room. When my friends would come over, they’d be like, “Why is this hoodie here?” And I would try to explain it to them, even though I couldn’t say too much. So, not only did it become a big part of Ben’s character and Ben’s life, but also a part of mine.
There’s Still a Lot That Lucian-River Chauhan and Abigail Pniowsky Want To Learn About Their Characters
By the end of the season, we get the sense that there’s definitely more to this story. What do you think happens next? What would you guys like to see your characters get to do in another season?
PNIOWSKY: That’s such a great question. I’m not really sure what’s next for them. I feel like there are a lot of new opportunities. For Max, especially, I’m really excited to see where that goes, but I don’t know. That’s really difficult.
CHAUHAN: From my perspective, it would be pretty interesting to see Ben’s life in high school. At this point in time, we don’t really have anything to share about the next season because we don’t have any information ourselves.
Me is available to stream on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer:
Watch on Apple TV+
