ill-advised Creator Kayla Hopkins Talks Early 2000s Nostalgia, Complex Characters & Making It All Happen
Interview Conducted by Skylar “Blue” Sanders
ill-advised (the pilot) is about three Queer, BIPOC, twenty-somethings trying and often failing to make it through the modern troubles of living in NYC, finding love, and settling on a career. Like all youngsters in the times before, our crew relies heavily on the (mostly ineffectual) advice they give each other.
Kayla Hopkins is the creator of ill-advised. Based in New York, Kayla has had the opportunity to write and star in a well received short film, A Few Parties then Dinner (2023), shown at OUTSouth Film Festival and the Black Film Space Symposium. She has also recently directed a short film set to be released this year called Trust All is Well (2024). Kayla looks to highlight BIPOC and Queer folks in a manner that does not include trauma or unrequited love but rather focuses on the importance of friendship and community. ill-advised is everything she loves and cares about all wrapped up neatly in one 30 min comedy.
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Q: How would you describe the show in three words to someone who’s never heard of it?
A: GenZ, Sexy, & Hilarious
Q: Who are Beau, Patrice, and Donna to you? How did they come to life?
A: Beau, Donna, and Patrice are my imaginary besties! They came to me in… 2020 – I know, jump scare! – they were having brunch in fabulous clothing and talking about anal and for the first time in a long, treacherous time, I laughed to myself. It’s like these girls materialized to show me that no matter how bad it gets, there’s nothing that good company, good drinks, and a good amount of delusion can’t fix. So, I wrote down all the lessons and fun adventures they had to offer and ill-advised was born.
Q: Why was it important for you to set the show in New York City? What does the city bring to this story?
A: There’s a freedom in NYC that you can’t find anywhere else. It’s historically where people like my characters have gone for solace which makes it the perfect backdrop for ill-advised. I feel like only NYC can grant the safety needed for a series featuring black queer and trans women, coming into their own. This is a comedy, highlighting the growing pains of being in your twenties, and no other place is going to truly kick your ass and then kiss your bruises like New York.
Q: There’s a very specific 2000s vibe to the styling and tone — why that era? What draws you to it?
A: I think it’s also important to note, when looking at our creative choices in which we’re trying to convey the vibe of the show, it’s all very early 2000s because that was the last time women in their 20s/early 30s were on a popular TV show. We had to pick the bones of what was already there (Girlfriends, Living Single) to show a comparative idea of what we’re trying to make. I’m drawn to it because it’s the reference I have. That era is also what got me writing. Before recently I didn’t have Survival of the Thickest or Sex Lives of College Girls. When I was in college and coming into my own I watched Friends, Sex & the City, and A Different World just to name a few of the fun 90s sitcoms I was drawn to. Of course, while watching these shows I noticed there wasn’t a show that was similar, modern, and young. So I made it and I thank them for starting the spark.
Q: ill-advised feels like a deliberate response to the stories we've been fed for decades. What dominant narratives are you intentionally disrupting with this show?
A: Queer people and BIPOC people have more to offer than trauma porn! So often in the media we’re seeing our queer family members either experience abuse or unrequited love and for our BIPOC siblings we’re more times than not, offered up stories of trauma or their being used as a mouth-piece for educating the masses on racial sensitivities. ill-advised pushes against that! I wanted to build a world in which our main characters experience love, make mistakes, and have fun just like my friends and I do IRL. Our show is so important because, if we look at our fairly “progressive” shows now there’s still no series out there that highlights BIPOC and Queer folks coming of age in their twenties. That’s unfair and I believe it bleeds into the bigger picture of how people perceive us. Life imitates art. So I’m making art worth imitating.
Q: What are some small, specific choices you made in the writing or styling of ill-advised that rewrite or reclaim representation in subtle but powerful ways?
A: So many! And tbh most of them weren't intentional. There’s a rule in writing that I really love and try to abide by at the core of everything I write – Write what you know. For instance, one of my characters is trans and is being played by beautiful trans actress/influencer Antoni Bumba. Another character is actively finding out she’s queer in the pilot episode. These are significant for obvious reasons but also in the way it's approached in the series. These aren’t groundbreaking things in the world of ill-advised and therefore aren’t treated as such. Sometimes bitches be gay and that’s just life. I’m working to eliminate this “need” to explain to an audience why it’s okay to be trans, why they shouldn’t be racist, why sometimes girls kiss girls and no one should care.
Q: The show seems to lean into the messiness and contradictions of your characters. Why is that complexity so essential to the kind of representation you're building?
A: My goal, in everything I write is to have fully formed, real and complex characters. I write because I’m fascinated by human existence and I’ve never met a person who doesn’t have multitudes within themselves. The people richest in this multitude is Black and Queer people. We have to carry so many ideas, emotions, and identities within ourselves and we never fail to do it gracefully. It’s easy to write black, queer characters that are messy, funny, learning, and growing because that’s what being black and queer in your twenties is all about. We’ve passed the age in media where we have to put on certain characters, we are who we are, no explanation needed. This show isn’t to teach others outside of these groups but rather to simply show the world we’re here.
Q: What does true representation mean to you — not just in front of the camera, but behind it, too?
A: You can always tell when something is just there to get the minority coin. The language is off, the personalities don’t make sense, and the lighting is usually all wrong. There’s so much that goes into making a show that people will relate to and that has so much to do with EVERYONE on this production. Simply put the girls that get it, get it and the folks on my set get it. With a mainly queer/BIPOC crew we’re able to go beyond the script and truly let our creative juices flow. Representation to me is that special moment when you relax into a show. You feel safe, and taken care of and ready to ride with us to the end.
Q: Do you remember the first time you felt genuinely seen by a character on screen? If not, what would that moment have looked like for you?
A: I was lucky enough to grow up with That’s So Raven and The Cheetah Girls. So, I was always able to see some version of myself on screen – shout out to Raven Symone who raised an entire generation of black girls. But the very first time I truly felt seen and loved was when watching the BOLD TYPE. Season 2 I believe, where Kat was going through a breakup and her girls came over to console her. She wasn’t wearing makeup and her dark spots were on display. As someone who’s black and queer and dealt with acne most of my life, I didn’t even realize how much I was missing that representation until it was right in front of me. My face, not spoken about in any negative way and shown in a beautiful, loving, and vulnerable way. To me that’s what representation is about, no need for explanation, when it’s for you, you see and you feel it and in that moment you think maybe the world does love you back. Power of television baby!
Q: Do you see ill-advised as part of a bigger lineage or movement in Black and queer storytelling? Who else is doing work that inspires you right now?
A: Oh boy! Yeah I do! Shouts out to Michelle Buteau! Survival of the Thickest is definitely the big sister to ill-advised. I’m so inspired by how effortlessly funny, genuine, and representative of the queer/black community in New York. I’m living for that show as well as Queen Shonda Rhymes’ show The Residence. I love the subversion of what is normally seen as a murder mystery and what is “normally” seen as a successful sitcom. These ladies are PAVING THE WAY for little ole me and I can’t wait to join in their footsteps.
Q: What’s your dream for ill-advised after the pilot is made?
A: The pilot is quite literally just the beginning! Once this pilot is made it’ll have a festival run that will ultimately lead to us shopping it around. The dream is to eventually have ill-advised the series.
Q: What will the crowdfunding money specifically help unlock? And why is that support vital right now?
A: Really we’re crowdfunding to pay our mainly queer/bipoc cast and crew. We’re indie filmmakers, investing in this project because we all believe in it and its possibility for impact. Fair payment, crew meals, transportation, and location fees go into making such an involved and colorful project. Not to mention, post-production fees! We want to make the best product possible and reward those who’ve worked on it.
Q: If someone’s on the fence about donating—what would you say to them in 10 words or less?
A: Donating is an act of self-care! Don’t you want to see a show like this?