She was far from imagining such a craze!

Author of three short films between 2007 and 2016, Laurie Nunn signed with her first series,

Sex Education

, one of Netflix's biggest hits.

In 2019, the first season of the teen-show brings together more than 40 million spectators, capturing an audience that goes far beyond its target.

The critical reception is just as rave.

Launched on September 17, season 3 of the adventures of apprentice sexologist Otis Millburn and high school students from Moordale is still in the top 10 of the most watched series on the Los Gatos platform.

Meeting with the designer, who received the Konbini prize for engagement during the CanneSeries festival, who still can't believe it.

Do you think that TV series can change mentalities?

Yes I think so.

TV can make a huge change especially now that we have these big streaming platforms and shows are being shown globally.

There is something very unifying when all of a sudden everyone starts watching a series, like what just happened with the Korean series Squid Game.

The stories you tell can change things, the way you feel.

That's why we want to hear stories.

And TV is just telling stories.

And what impact do you want “Sex Education” to have on society?

What I wanted to do with

Sex Education

was correct some of the things that I went through when I was younger due to the really bad sex education I received in school.

I think this concerns a lot of people.

Some things change, but it's still not that great.

We need more LGBTQ + sex education in schools, I would also like us to put the emphasis on female desire and pleasure.

I hope

Sex Education

helps kick-start this discussion, even if only to a small extent.

That's what I would like people to take away from the show.

Still, you doubted the success of the series before its launch?

I really felt like it was overkill.

The idea of ​​a teenage sex therapist apprentice giving advice in the bathroom begs the public to take a leap of faith.

I did not know if people would be ready to accept this… The reaction of the spectators was a real good surprise.

And it continues.

The fact that people still react so well in Season 3 still feels very surreal to me.

With this immense success and this price of commitment, do you feel responsible towards the youngest?

First of all, it was really great to receive this award.

I definitely have a sense of responsibility.

In the series, we tackle some really sensitive topics and represent a wide variety of people, it's about reconciling these portrayals and making sure that we are conveying useful and healthy information, that we are not doing anything backwards and that we don't fall for clichés.

But you know, it's TV and the characters are characterized, so I just have to try to get the more or less political element of it out of my mind and really focus on what's best for these characters and which is going to be a funny and entertaining story.

What were the reactions to the series that touched you the most?

I was thrilled with the feedback we got in Season 3 about Cal.

He's the first non-binary character in the series, along with Layla, who also appears in this season 3. It was really great to see how that resonated with some people in the non-binary community.

It was nice to hear that they felt it was a fair and positive portrayal.

What are the most difficult topics to cover so far?

To be honest, most of the ones we've talked about.

These are sensitive subjects.

Take for example the character of Cal in season 3, this character represents a group of people who are currently fighting for the recognition of their rights, who are fighting to be seen and heard.

It was crucial to have a good plot.

We worked with consultants, it sparked a lot of discussion in order to gradually get closer to what we wanted to say on this theme, while making sure that Cal is an interesting character in his own right, and that he is not not defined by its identity.

The trajectory of Adam's character is incredible over these three seasons.

What is your greatest satisfaction in terms of storytelling over these three seasons?

I am also very proud of Adam's trajectory! I have always loved this character and I have always felt that he was very close to my heart because he represents a lot of men that I have known in my life who could really take a very bad way and to many ways… Men who are just the product of their childhood, who have not received enough affection and who have not been told that they can be in touch with their emotions. I was very lucky to have three seasons to explore this, I needed a slow-burning plot for Adam. It's really gratifying to see him start to shed some of the layers of his shell. He still has a lot of rage in him,we're writing season 4 right now and it will be interesting to see what his next step will be because i don't think he's fully recovered, he's still a little broken. But yes, I am very proud of this plot!

What are the themes you want to explore for the next season?

Oh my God, there are so many topics I want to explore!

In the writing room, we work with a large board where we write down the sex stories of the week.

There are so many in three years that we haven't been able to deal with it because you have to make sure it fits naturally into the story and have the right character to tackle it.

Is it true that initially Otis should have been a female character?

Otis has never been a female character! I don't know where it came from, but I'm often asked this question. I believe this came from an interview where I said I had a discussion at one point with the producer where we wondered, because I'm a female screenwriter, if Otis should be a boy. It was just the subject of a discussion where I understood that it was important for a woman to be able to write about men. There are things I want to say on the show about toxic masculinity and how do young men become good men? There's a pretty feminine take on it, which is why I think Otis has to be a boy. In any case, on the screenplay, he was never a girl!

It resonates a lot with current debates: can a white screenwriter write a story about colored characters, etc. What is your position on this issue?

It is extremely important that characters with a certain experience are written by people who understand that experience. When it comes to

Sex Education

, obviously I'm leading the writing for the series, but my writing room is very inclusive. It's full of different people: mainly women, it's also very queer and there are also authors of color in the team. We also work with a lot of consultants who are found in the whole range of characters. Obviously, empathy can take you to a certain place, but there are specifics, which one cannot know unless you have lived it, therefore, one needs to have very in-depth conversations about certain things. subjects so that you can write on them.

Some think that Netflix imposes a kind of specifications on creators, especially in terms of inclusiveness ...

No, this is absurd!

Netflix, in the way it works with creators, is obviously the creative leader.

They are very involved in the projects and participate in the discussions.

Above all, they want the best for the show.

Inclusiveness is at the center of

Sex Education

… I guess that's the message of the show, Netflix has always supported this, but they weren't prescribers.

What would you like teens watching “Sex Education” today to say about the show twenty years from now?

Oh my God !

They'll probably look back and think it's tasteless… I hope the show opens the doors for discussion and these young people carry it on by telling their own stories.

Yes, that's what I hope for!

Series

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Society

"There is a new generation which takes the time to educate itself in sexuality", assures Charline Vermont

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