Below, read Glamour‘s conversation with Lovie Simone on similarities between Judy Blumeâs book and the Netflix series adaptation, her time on set in Los Angeles, and the importance of Black representation on screen.
Glamour: How did you prepare for this role? I recently watched the show, and then went back and read the novel. Did you pull from the bookâs Catherine as inspiration, or did you look to any other iconic teenagers for the role?
Lovie Simone: I do know two iconic teenagersâtheyâre my little brother and my little sister, so I just kind of observed how they are, and then I kind of blended that with my own high school experience, and then it was just really easy once I was doing that and working with the script that was available.
As I watched it, I felt transported back to when I had my first boyfriend. In the beginning, Keisha and Justin send each other music a lot. How do they use music to communicate when they canât find the words to?
I feel like music is a really big thing for teenagers, so for them, itâs like a form of communication. Even if they arenât sending it to each other directly, or if itâs something thatâs kind of just going with the vibe, music is a very big thing for them.
FOREVER. Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark in Episode 101 of Forever. Cr. ELIZABETH MORRIS/Netflix © 2024ELIZABETH MORRIS
There are a lot of changes from the book, but also some similarities, like the pair meeting at a New Yearâs Eve party. Are there any specific moments or details from the book that you wish were included in the show?
Honestly, I think the show is perfect the way it is. Thereâs nothing that I would change about Forever.
I read that the first time you got to experience living in LA for an extended period of time was when you filmed Forever. Do you have any fun memories of being on set or exploring the city?