“I loved Heartbreak High,” Luu says. “It was really groundbreaking for its time. It was the first time I felt seen and understood by a show. We’d go home every day and at 5.30, it would be on, I’d be watching it religiously.”
Nearly three decades on things have come full circle, with Luu commissioning a reboot of Heartbreak High for Netflix, one of the streamer’s biggest local productions so far. It’s a bold, and risky, move given how much widespread adoration there is for the original series, but Luu says the time is right to explore contemporary teen culture.
“What is that Australian teen personality? Like, really? Let’s interrogate what that is. What makes it different from a British teen or a US teen? We love watching Sex Education, we love watching 13 Reasons Why, we love watching Euphoria. What makes our teens different? There is joy in the familiar, in the ubiquity and the universality of that teenage experience. But what is that sort of secret sauce of Australian teenagedom?”
Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria. Netflix is hoping to recreate the success HBO has had with Euphoria by showing an unflinching portrayal of life as a modern teenager.
While the show has been deliberately constructed to reflect a diverse vision of Australia – across gender, sexuality, race and class – Luu understands that the basics of storytelling are what will ultimately make it successful
“We know that representation is important. But I don’t say it in a kind of worthy way. It’s about reflecting what our lives are like. But at the core of that is, what’s the cracking story? The story has got to be propulsive and fun, a bit of a romp and really, really engaging and universal.”
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In her conversation on Good Weekend Talks, Luu discusses in-depth the decision-making process behind commissioning Heartbreak High, how the show came together, and the broader goals of Netflix in the local market. She also explores the balance between the need to make profitable work and art and idealism.
“We need to grow those creative voices from an industry point of view, and to kind of push Australian culture and art itself. But the only way we make it more successful, truly successful, is if it connects with an audience.”
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