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1 of 5 | Justice Smith stars successful "I Saw nan TV Glow." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
LOS ANGELES, May 2 (UPI) -- Actors Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine said their caller movie, I Saw nan TV Glow, successful theaters Friday, reminded them of shows that made them consciousness little alone.
The actors play fans of a fictional '90s show, The Pink Opaque, who judge a real-life conspiracy exists down nan show.
"I deliberation that media -- TV and movie -- helps america find ourselves," Smith, 28, told UPI successful a caller Zoom interview. "It helps to person reference aliases a characteristic we tin place pinch -- a characteristic who represents nan personification we want to become."
The Pink Opaque tells nan communicative of 2 teenage girls pinch supernatural powers who conflict evil forces each week. Maddy (Lundy-Paine), introduces nan show to Owen (Smith) successful 1996.
Maddy is older than Owen and already discovering her ain sexuality. For Maddy, nan magic successful The Pink Opaque represents same-sex love, which her ain family does not accept.
Lundy-Paine, 29, said Maddie recognized a akin buried emotion successful Owen. Maddy besides thought sharing The Pink Opaque pinch Owen would springiness her a confidante.
"I person to thief him truthful that he tin understand me," Lundy-Paine said of Maddy. "I person to thatch him to understand me."
Smith said obsessing astir movies and TV shows tin go unhealthy, adding that he hopes uncovering practice tin lead fans to further research real-life developments.
"I deliberation there's a equilibrium of uncovering yourself, uncovering your practice successful media and past getting to cognize yourself arsenic a personification extracurricular of that," Smith said.
Lundy-Paine, who goes by they/them pronouns, said nan characters they related to ranged from Gene Wilder successful Young Frankenstein to nan relationship betwixt SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star.
"I saw myself arsenic nan frazzled, huffy intelligence type," Lundy-Paine said. "[SpongeBob and Patrick] are champion friends, and being champion friends has ever been a halfway constituent of my life. [I] emotion my champion friends."
When they first meet, Owen's parents don't fto him enactment up until The Pink Opaque airs. So Maddy sneaks VHS tapes of nan show to Owen.
Maddy's belief that Owen will get a batch retired of The Pink Opaque proves correct. The Pink Opaque characteristic Isabel (Helena Howard) awakens thing further successful Owen, which Smith did not wish to spoil for audiences.
"He's acrophobic of what identifying pinch this characteristic means," Smith said. "So, he tries to tally distant from it, moreover though he finds himself drawn to it clip and clip again."
Both Lundy-Paine and Smith person appeared connected TV shows, though nary that generated nan level of obsession arsenic The Pink Opaque. Lundy-Paine played nan sister of an autistic teen who herself explores relationships pinch different girls connected nan Netflix show Atypical.
"I ever hide to deliberation of nan worldly I've been successful arsenic existent because I was successful it," Lundy-Paine said. "So it feels much for illustration a camping travel that you're looking backmost connected VHS footage of."
Smith played a young rapper successful nan Netflix drama, The Get Down, and a modern-day precocious schooler successful Max's Generation. Smith said fans of some still attack him connected nan street.
"All those shows person a really beardown cult following," Smith said. "I don't cognize if it's a acheronian obsession for illustration Owen and Maddie have."
