Fans of teen romance rejoice — we’ve got new bingeable content. Forever, a Netflix series based on the controversial young adult novel of the same name by acclaimed author Judy Blume hit Netflix on May 8. First released in 1975 — around the time oral birth control started to become very popular — the novel Forever made cultural waves thanks to Blume’s honest depictions of adolescent relationships, showing what it looks like to fall in love as a teenager and openly explore your sexuality.
That same core story is brought to life on screen through an eight-episode series, created by Mara Brock Akil, the mastermind behind the hit shows Girlfriends (starring Tracee Ellis Ross), The Game (starring Tia Mowry), and Becoming Mary Jane (starring Gabrielle Union). “I can remember very clearly what I was doing at 12 [years old], reading this book I wasn’t supposed to be reading. It was 1982, we were passing this book around [at school],” says Akil, via press release. She also echoed these sentiments in an interview with Unbothered. “I used to read it by the light of the hallway and I would have to position my book a certain way to read it. I always say, to this day, I think that’s when I messed up my neck.”
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Akil’s adaptation is a winner. And not since Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky have we seen chemistry so palpable, miscommunications so grand, and declarations of “like” — and eventually love — so swoon-worthy. And this time, the leads are both Black, both dark-skinned (a rarity for Netflix shows), and both dealing with all that comes with being young, Black, gifted, and in love. This is teen romance like we haven’t seen in, well, forever.
Set in Los Angeles in 2018, with police brutality and the early stages of the Black Lives Matter movement very firmly part of its zeitgeist, Forever begins with Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) and Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) unexpectedly reconnecting at a New Year’s Eve party. It’s something like love at first sight and sparks fly immediately. Played masterfully by Simone, Keisha is self-assured and determined. She is a runner with her sights set on a track scholarship to Howard University. She knows what she wants and is willing to do just about anything to get it. Opposite her is Justin. A beautiful Black young man who has the pressures of family expectations, legacy, and adulthood before him. Cooper brings the character to life with an acute kindness and sensitivity that makes him a safe space — for Keisha (and, honestly, viewers) — to fall in love.
What unfolds after their meeting is a messy adolescent love story that includes exes, a sex tape, prom, a summer in Martha’s Vineyard, college acceptance letters, family drama, graduations, and a very big decision at the end of it all: Should Keisha and Justin stay together forever?
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Here, Simone and Cooper Jr. talk about how they made their characters' chemistry believable, why romance and vulnerability on screen matters, and whether or not they believe in blocking someone you’re dating.
Unbothered: First of all, congratulations. I watched the whole series and I loved it. Mara talked about how influential Judy Blume's novel was for her growing up. Did you both revisit the novel while you were preparing for the role?
MCJ: I did. As soon as I heard I got the part, I definitely bought the book and I read it. I studied it. It's a beautiful novel. And Mara's beautiful adaptation really brought some of the nuances to life in a newer form.
LS: I also did read it during the audition process, and that made me fall in love with it even more. After reading it, it was really all in for me. I was like, "Okay, I really got to get this one!’ [Laughs.] I really love the characters and the story. It's just a beautiful coming-of-age story.
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It's very important to highlight intimate moments with awkward teenagers and maybe not-so-sexually-advanced teenagers, because it is reality.
lovie simone on 'forever'
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It really is. And I think both of you brought it to life so well. I want to talk about the chemistry that you have between your characters. For the audience, it was so believable. What did you do off-camera to build that chemistry?
LS: It was a little different because of where our characters were coming from in the story — there was a lot of tension because [so much had happened in the time that passed] between them. Towards the beginning in episode 1, we didn't really talk too much. So there was a lot of tension because we did want to speak to each other.
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MCJ: Absolutely. But, pre-shooting, when we were doing the audition process, Michael and Lovie as us — we got to know each other a bit more. We were over [in] each other's rooms, going over lines, eating Wendy's, and stuff. We broke the ice in that way and got to know each other.
Lovie: So [filming episode 1] was like meeting again for the first time.
That's amazing. Speaking of the tension, I was stressed out because I am not a blocker — I do not block people. Keisha and Justin were blocking each other, left, right, and center on all platforms. I want to know if you, as Lovie and Michael, are blockers. Do you believe in no contact? What are your thoughts?
MCJ: That’s a good question!
LS: I want to know what you have to say. [Laughs.]
MCJ: Let's discuss it.
LS: Are you a blocker?
MCJ: Look, I'm not a blocker, but if I need to block, I will block. You know what I mean?
LS: Yes.
MCJ: I will block.
Don't try you. Don't try you.
MCJ: Yes. Don't try me. [Laughs.]
LS: Don't try you. I'm not a blocker! [Both laugh.]
MCJ: You never block?
LS: No, I'm like, "Watch all of this."
MCJ: That's fair. That's fair.
LS: I'm like, "I had a good day today. You need to see." [Laughs.] Yeah, but I don't communicate. I mentally block.
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I was nervous to step into Justin. He's such a vulnerable and such an emotional guy. I was like, 'My guys are going to make fun of me for sure about this.'
michael cooper jr. on playing justin
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I want to talk about the importance of shows for teens. I think this has been a big conversation lately, especially for young men and their ability to see healthy examples of romance in the media. Do you both think that's important, and how do you feel like Forever contributes?
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MCJ: I think Mara does such a beautiful job, and it really is a testament to her writing. Initially picking up the script, there was this line that really stuck out to me. If I'm going to be honest, I was nervous to step into Justin. He's such a vulnerable and such an emotional guy. I was like, "My guys are going to make fun of me for sure about this." But there was this line that he said that he had one foot in confidence and the other foot in insecurity. And I thought there was something so palpable and raw about that. I think it's important because I've never seen a [character like] Justin on screen before. It's important for young boys to really see someone who's able to communicate in that way.
He was really vulnerable.
LS: [Nodding.] Yeah, yeah.
MCJ: Yes, absolutely. The world beats us down in a way that we typically suppress and suppress and suppress. Mara really had this idea of creating this full-figured guy who is able to express himself, and you see it throughout the story and in the relationship with Keisha. It's important.
LS: I agree. I do think it's very important to highlight intimate moments with awkward teenagers and maybe not-so-sexually-advanced teenagers, because it is a reality that happens. I do think you get to explore that in the world of Keisha and Justin. It's cool to see people go through something for the first time, and to feel things for the first time, and what that might look like. Because [Judy Blume’s] book was a guide. It was a guide because there were all these firsts [that happened]. It's cool that the show could also maybe be a guide for firsts, especially in today's day and age with technology and social media and all that.
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