If you haven't checked out the new Amazon FreeVee series High School yet, your '90s grunge heart implores you do so. Based on the autobiographical New York Times Best-Selling Memoir of the same name by pop duo Tegan and Sara Quin, the series follows the twin teens through high school as they begin to discover who they are as individuals, and what their place in the world is. Portrayed by real-life sisters Railey and Seazynn Gilliland, their roles as Tegan and Sara mark these actresses' debut onscreen appearances. In an interview with Variety, the pair discussed the importance of a show like High School, and the fears they had to overcome while filming.
If you're unfamiliar, Tegan and Sara are a queer indie pop duo who have been releasing music since 1999. In 2019, the twin sisters' co-authored memoir High School hit the shelves and earned a spot on the New York Times Best-Sellers list. That memoir, which chronicles their unique experience growing up in Canada in the '90s as twin lesbians who eventually become a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter team (it writes itself, honestly) is the inspiration behind writer and creator Clea DuVall's series adaptation of the same title.
One can imagine that tracking down twin sisters to portray these two would be difficult, but thanks to TikTok, the Gilliland twins were tapped as the perfect match. As dealing with coming out to yourself and others is a central theme to Tegan and Sara's story, the Gilliland twins both identifying as queer is both essential and laudable. Still, no matter how convenient their look or orientation, the roles would require actresses that could both act and sing. Fortunately, the acting came with their experience on TikTok where they were discovered. Unfortunately, neither considered themselves singers. In fact, despite a clip of them singing being required for the role, both Gilliland sisters refused to send one in, finding every reason not to until Railey sneakily captured her sister belting a Tegan and Sara tune in a parking lot. When asked how they got over their stage fright, Seazynn replied:
"Oh, I didn’t. Especially in front of the crew and everything. The first time I had to do it, Railey wasn’t even in the scene but she came into the room we were filming in and just sat there, because there was no other way I was doing it. Even every single time after that, when we had a scene where we were singing, it never got easier."
Adapted to screen by actress and director DuVall, who serves as showrunner, High School also explores themes of growing up gay, and how it can affect one's sense of self and their relationships with others. Both Tegan and Sara identify as queer, as do the young actresses who portray them in the series, and so much of the book and the show hinge on that self-discovery, especially while growing up in the tumultuous '90s. It's this part of themselves that begins to loosen the thread that held the two sisters so close together for so many years, allowing them each to try out new things, eventually leading to their successful music careers. On what message they hope to convey with High School, Railey said:
"I would say, especially to the young queer kids, that they’re not alone. I felt that way in not seeing myself on TV and being around homophobia and in the church and everything. I felt so alone. I didn’t have anybody that I could see myself in and relate to. But then being able to play this person that is feeling all of those things that are actually really normal, I just hope that people realize there’s other people who are going through the same thing."
High School also stars Cobie Smulders (The Avengers) as their mother and Kyle Bornheimer (Marriage Story) as their father. The first four of eight episodes are available on Amazon FreeVee, with the subsequent four episodes airing weekly on Fridays. Check out Collider's TIFF interview with Tegan and Sara and DuVall below: