EXCLUSIVE | 'Love Life' actor Peter Vack on his role as Jim, viewers' attraction for 'flawed characters'
HBO Max's new series 'Love Life' is an anthology that follows its protagonist's "quest for love" in its half-hour episodes - Season 1's main gal is Darby Carter (Anna Kendrick). We are taken through a journey from "first love to last love." While the story revolves around Darby's life, we are shown glimpses of her best friend and her relationship. Sara (Zoe Chao) had been Darby's roommate since college and is in a long term relationship with her college boyfriend Jim (Peter Vack.) Jim is a fun and calm character giving his relationship with Sara a bit of the structure that it needs;Sara is wild for sure. While they were the poster couple for Darby, they too had some relationship troubles that made for some very emotional and relatable scenes. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Vack reveals what he thinks viewers should take away from the series and how his favorite and hardest parts to film both involved his on-screen girlfriend Zoe Chao.
Vack explained that he had worked with the production company and the producers of 'Love Life' before and was interested in the project because it came from a "trusted and well-respected source." He further expressed that he was drawn to the voice of Sam Boyd, the creator of the series and also to the writing that Vack described as "sensitive and sympathetic." "It contains a deep understanding of people and relationships and was just very funny. So, you know, those two things in the same package made the show very, very appealing to me. When they were interested in me to play the part I was of course thrilled and it was a no-brainer that I would do it," said Vack on landing Jim's role.
'Love Life' explores Darby Carte's relationships from her childhood to her adult life but Vack's character's relationship with Zoe Chao's Sara is also a narrative that helped bring the story together. So, we wondered if Vack thought if the Jim-Sara relationship was explored enough in the series. Vack said, "I think each character in 'Love Life' and each relationship could have its own series attached to it, which is part of what makes the show an interesting watch. So I think for this season it was explored as much as it could be, given the interest of the writer's room. But my feeling is what makes the show worth watching is all of the storylines have that rich three-dimensional quality that you're looking for in characters on TV."
The series is a season anthology which can be a strong point for character development as writers have one season to bring multiple characters to life. These characters will not be present in the next season as that will have another protagonist and another set of love stories. While Vack thinks that anthology series is another form of media, he also explained why viewers are drawn to 'Love Life.' "We're just presenting the viewers with a series that is a contained experience in one season. And the viewer of 'Love Life', I think, is turned on by just the concept that each season they are going to get a deep dive into a different protagonist's relationship and journey," said Vack.
With every production, creators and actors hope that their audience is able to connect to the series and Vack explained how we, as viewers, watch "flawed characters to get a better handle on our own flaws or our own merits and to have a cathartic experience through a protagonist is relatable and easy to love." He further explained, "My feeling is that when you're presented with a story about love and relationships that gives you an opportunity to reflect on your own dealings in love and relationships. And perhaps, the mirror is held up to nature as it were. And you see a moment in your history. 'Oh, I could've done that better' or, 'Oh, I relate to that'. I think these shows about life allow us to consider our own lives more deeply."
Vack also shared sweet words about the "phenomenal" cast he was able to work with. Explaining how not all experiences are as such, the actor said, "It's always a joy to get to act with others, but sometimes it's just the job, but this one, it felt more like a family." The actor said that every day with the cast was a "gift" revealing that "on the last day of shooting everyone was sort of revealing to each other, how sad and nostalgic they were about the experience. And that's just not the experience you have on every show. And I remember being so charmed by everyone in their own way, coming to that statement. I remember being like, 'Oh, wow, this really was an important group and a special cast.'"
Vack had to work closely with Zoe as most of his scenes reflect the duo's experience as a couple. When asked what his favorite and hard parts of the series were to film, Vack's immediate response was a shoutout to his on-screen girlfriend. "I was very lucky to get to work with Zoe Chao because she's such an excellent actress and a cool person. The majority of my scenes are in a relationship with her and I just was so lucky that I was working opposite someone who was so smart and funny and easy to be with," said Vack. He also expressed how in the series the couple go through some intense hardships in their relationship and how that was hard to act out even though it was fictional. "You love these actors, and then you have to fight with them and go through these traumatic interpersonal moments and even though they're quote-unquote fake, they still sort of affect you as if they were real for a moment. The more you vibe with someone as a friend, sometimes the harder it is to break up with them as your fake girlfriend," continued Vack.
The last four episodes of 'Love Life' drop on HBO Max on June 11, 2020.