NEW YORK (AP) – Jaren Lewison was at his USC freshman hosting when he received the call to screen test for the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever.” He got the job and did the first season while living in his college dorm, which he remembers returning to at night after work on the set.
“Sometimes I would show up at 3:00 am from a late Friday night shoot. I would see everyone get home from the bars and parties, “he said.
Lewison, now 20, recently talked about Zoom during his summer vacation at his parents’ home in Dallas. As a major in psychology with a minor in forensics and crime, he also takes a writing course at home, but takes four lectures per semester.
With his foot firmly planted in Hollywood’s doorway, Lewison could drop out of school, but he says graduation is a priority.
“I love being in class,” he said. He is well on his way to graduation in the spring of 2022 while still technically a junior.
“I look forward to getting started with what’s next and dedicating 24 hours a day to my career and growth as an actor.”
In “Never Have I Ever,” which will be released on July 15 for the second season, Lewison plays Ben Gross, an ambitious high school student who wants to graduate from the top of his class. He is fiercely contested with Devi Vishwakumar, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who is his archenemy, friend, confidante and crush.
Ben’s father is a successful entertainment lawyer, and that’s how he regularly calls his father’s famous clients with boastful pride, though his classmates fail to understand how his parents, even though they love him, regularly leave him at home and his housekeeper is the stable adult figure in his Life.
Lewison credits his psychology degree for helping him understand his character.
“Ben wants to feel confirmed. He’s so competitive with Devi and wants to go to Ivy League schools because he wants to prove to himself and his family that he’s as good as his father. That’s a lot of pressure for a sophomore high school student to put himself up. “
He also admires the complexity of how Ramakrishnan portrays Devi’s character in her first acting role. Devi sometimes has inappropriate outbursts of anger over the recent, unexpected death of her father, and often makes bad decisions. She sees a therapist (played by Niecy Nash.)
“Devi is an incredibly complex character and so beautifully written,” said Lewison. “Our show deals really well with the chaos of teenage life and approaches these issues with such care.”
He may juggle a full load of classes while filming, but one of Lewison’s lecturers, Leslie Berntsen, credits his implementation. Berntsen had Lewison as a student on her introductory course in psychology and says he called in early with a warning about his crazy schedule.
She recalled via email, “He said he had just been cast on a new Netflix show and was committed to making that job come with a full course load.” She said her answer was congratulations, but she also made it clear that he would be “kept” to the same standards “as his classmates.
When Berntsen later saw “Never Have I Ever”, she made the connection that the Ben Gross character was played by Lewison, her student.
“I saw his name during the opening credits and spent about a good minute wondering where I recognized him. It struck me as soon as his character was introduced, so I emailed him to let him know how impressive it was that he was doing this at the same time as my class, ”she said.
Lewison also makes sure he communicates with the Never Have I Ever production coordinators about school conflicts.
“If I let them know enough, if they can, they can change a scene so they help me when I have an interim semester and have to sit for it. We work together, ”he said.
Lang Fisher, the co-creator and showrunner of “Never Have I Ever,” says she knew early on that Lewison wanted to go to college during the show, but it was never a problem. He is always prepared and organized.
“When I think of 20 year old men, I think of open ramen containers like underwear, unmade beds, and basically just sluts. I have three younger brothers and I think of sluts, ”she said. “And he’s just so mature and really pushing himself. He comes to the set. He knows his lines coldly. He always has the smartest questions about a scene. Whenever we have table reads, he is like the only person who has his zoom ready and has no technical difficulties and the right headphone setup. “
Co-creator Mindy Kaling believes Lewison made the right decision to continue school and believes he will be better off.
“I learned so much during my college years and I think his years at USC will influence his artistic skills. I admire Jaren for facing two great, life changing challenges, ”she said via email.
Lewison says that while he has good time management skills, he was obviously worried about the demands of both work and school.
“I thought I was more stressed and very scared. It really was the opposite, “he said.” I’ve found that every second I’m at work, I just can’t believe it. Every time I’m there it really feels like my dreams are coming true. “
The friends he made through school aren’t in business.
“I have friends who are studying economics. I have friends who are before medicine. I have friends who are business administration. There is great diversity in my circle of friends. But the only thing they have in common is that they are all incredibly smart, supportive, and kind people, “said Lewison.
That optimism and obligation to be present is a family mantra: think about the feeling. He often uses it in social media posts.
“It was passed on to me from my grandfather, from my father, and one day I will pass it on to my children. And that often means stopping and remembering how lucky you are in a particular situation. “
“Never Have I Ever” debuted its first season at the height of the pandemic and was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2020. Due to timing, there were no red carpets or parties to hang out with other Hollywood guys.
Lewison says he’s just glad the show made an impact in a dark time.
“Mental health is something I’m very passionate about. Being part of a show that has been such a ray of hope for so many people is really impressive to me personally and to the rest of our cast and crew.”
Fame is catching up. “I got a little recognized in my hometown and on campus,” said Lewison. “Sometimes I even got private messages via Zooms during class if I had my camera.”
Lewison isn’t the first actor to go to college while working as an actor. Brooke Shields is known to have graduated from Princeton. Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard, but later revealed that she feared classmates would assume she was only accepted because she was a famous actress. Claire Danes went to Yale for two years before leaving and said she felt “basically fulfilled”. Emma Watson graduated from Brown University in five years. She took two semesters off to work.
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