Everyone knew a Ja'mie King growing up. She's the HBIC with so much confidence that the girl who was actually the most attractive one in school would look like a wallflower next to her. She's the girl who's pretty racist and pretty homophobic, but could talk shit about anyone and walk away unscathed. She's the girl who you loved to hate and hated that you kinda loved. And now that girl's got her own show, premiering tonight at 10:30 onĀ HBO, Ja'mie: Private School Girl.
Created by Australian comedian extraordinaire Chris Lilley,Ā Ja'mie: Private School GirlĀ gives fans a closer look at the life of the Internet's (and Katy Perry's) BFF Ja'mie (played by Lilley, who first introduced the character in We Can Be Heroes) as she finishes high school. It's chock full of gossip, boy drama, and trying to get daddy to do what she wants. Naturally.
Complex got the chance to have a quick chat with Lilley about the inspiration for Ja'mie, the hardest part about playing a female character, and how comedy became a full-time gig for a man who was on track to become a teacher.
Whatās the reception to the show been like?
I donāt like to read much reviews on my stuff, so I havenāt read what the press is saying yet. Iāve been hiding just working on the last episode. But when I went out over the weekend, it seemed like everyoneās loving it! I thought straight guys would find it a bit provoking and intimidating, but theyāre the main people who come up to me. They love it. I think theyāve been deprived. The show is sort of like making fun of girls. It's doing all the annoying things that our girlfriends do.
You never know whatās going to take off, but the thing about Jaāmie is how she infiltrates the language. She uses the word āquicheā and that is going crazy on Twitter. The Prime Minister even tweeted that he thought he was pretty quiche.Ā
What inspired Jaāmie in the first place?
She came about when I was coming up with characters for Australian of the Year and thinking of different kinds of people from different states. I knew I wanted to do a school girl.
At first, she was going to be an overweight school girl and I was going to wear a fat suit and be an annoying goody goody. But as the series evolved, I imagined she was just the hottest girl in school. I thought that if i just pretend to be hot and tell everybody how hot I am in a confident way, then itāll work. It turned out she was the standout character that everybody really latched onto.Ā
There are parts of Sydney where all the kids in the area go to that one private school. I grew up in that kind of area and so I was surrounded by girls like that growing up. I really looked at youth culture and the ways they communicate. I certainly did a bit of Facebook stalking of teenage girls to see what kind of stuff they talked about. Itās based on general observations.
What motivated you to give Jaāmie her own show?
The first thing I thought of was doing a one-character shot so I could really expand on that world and not have to weave everything together. And Jaāmie had already been in two shows, so it was worth it to rget back into her family background and see where she was. Now sheās in year 12 and sheās on top of the world. Sheās school captain!
You studied education at university. Did that influence you at all?
A little bit, but I didnāt do it for very long and I wasnāt very good at it. And I studied primary school, which is a lot younger.
What got you into comedy then?
When I was in school, I was always writing scripts and dressing up as characters. I'd constantly be that guy whoād get up on stage. I used to write imaginary TV shows, like soap operas, for fun.
After finishing school, you get a reality check. You feel the pressure of going to university because you need a back-up plan, which is why I enrolled. But at the same time, I wrote and put on a musical my first year there. Then I started to do stand-up comedy. Iād go around to comedy venues and do open-mics.Ā
How were you discovered?
I kept entering comedy competitions and I ended up winning some. Through that I got an agent and started getting bigger gigs. Literally, someone sent me an email saying thereās a television network making sketch comedy and theyāre looking for submissions, so I just filmed a bunch of characters and sent it off. I didnāt hear anything for about six months and they finally rang me back saying, āWe just watched your video, itās genius and we want you to be in the show.ā It was called The Big Bite.
After that got canceled, I got to pitch the We Can Be Heroes concept. Itās finally come full circle. I used to be up on stage in front of school doing my characters, and now Iāve got a school-girl character on TV.
Whatās the most uncomfortable part about playing a female character?
We shot in a real girls school so itās a strange feeling to try to be one of them. And Iām not just acting, Iām directing as well, so Iāll have to communicate things to people as myself, and then all of a sudden I have to become Jaāmie.
In this series, sheās into boys a lot more. Thereās a love triangle and those scenes can be pretty awkward. But the actors are really good at dealing with it. The girls just accept me as one of the girls.Ā
I feel so guilty talking to the couple playing my parents because sometimes I expand from the script and say some mean things, sometimes a bit personal, to these poor actors who arenāt even actors. Theyāre just random people that we found. [Laughs.]
Is it hard to keep a straight face on set?
Definitely. Thereās something about Jaāmie that I canāt stop laughing about.Ā
Whenever I watch the show and Jaāmie says something hilarious, I try to look at the other cast members and see if their faces are breaking at all.
Right! Thereās one scene where Jaāmie farted in front of a boy and sheās trying to describe how terrible that is to the girls. We could not get through it. I was really nervous about shooting that scene ever since the script stage because I didnāt know how Iād pull it off. The girls were out of control, too.
What do you think about having an huge Internet following?
Itās strange. Jaāmieās really taken off on Tumblr. The number of people sending GIFs of Jaāmie around are crazy. I have Twitter and Facebook, but I donāt get involved that much, so people donāt think that they're really getting involved with me personally. Some fans obviously donāt think Iām checking my Facebook page because they say some really weird and nasty things about me as well. Theyād say things like, āLooking fatā or āLooking old,ā but most people are really nice. Iām getting a lot of people dressing up as Jaāmie and posting that.
Do you feel a lot of pressure because youāre everythingādirector, writer, producer, starāto the show?
Iāve always just liked being in control. Thereās a bit of pressure, but I get more enjoyment out of being able to spearhead something and see it through the whole way. It's so thrilling and so simple. Itās just me in a dress. The worst that could happen is people donāt watch and say, āWe donāt like you.ā But people could really love it. Thereās not much to lose.Ā
Do you find it hard for fans to separate you from your characters?
Yeah, but there are so many characters that people tend to have one they identify with. When I see people in public, I can tell that they expect me to be someone that Iām not. Usually they want me to be their favorite character. I can tell by the way they talk to me who they want me to be.
The show is more like an MTV reality show. People accept it. And thereās plenty of uncensored, gender-bending comedy out there so itās not that weird.
Do you just stay yourself?
Yeah, I get asked all the time to do characters in public, but then I tell them, āDo you realize how awkward thatās going to be?ā Iām gonna say it, but Iām not dressed as the character, and thatāll be weird. Iāve done it twice before and it was just so awkward.
Are you worried that people who are just coming to your work will be offended by some of your jokes?
I have always been surprised at how accepting people are of it. I feel like itās the kind of show that you can just get on board with. Itās all fresh and she explains who she is. You know what you're getting. The show is more like an MTV reality show. People accept it. And thereās plenty of uncensored, gender-bending comedy out there so itās not that weird.
Are you planning on creating shows for other characters?
For sure. I feel like I have to look after the characters. There are 12 of them now and people are always wondering what theyāre up to. Iād love to bring all of them back at some point. If you told me that Jaāmie would still be doing her thing years later, Iād think that was so ridiculous. But it feels exactly like the first day I played her.
So what's the method to your madness then?
I donāt like to analyze what I do too much, but I certainly never meet a single person and say, āYouāre the next character.ā People think thatās what I do. They also think that I sit down and observe and try to imitate random people. Iāve never done that at all. I think if you overthink it too much itās become too obviously processed. I just find things in people funny and I try my best to turn that into a story.
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