The set of "Mouthwash," a TV show about college students and the hookup culture, looks different from what one might expect. If not for the masses of equipment lying around, it would seem as if some friends were just hanging out on the weekend. According to sophomore Lily Zahn, who is also a copy editor for the Daily, filming "Mouthwash" actually does mostly involve just hanging out and having fun, with a few breaks in between to shoot scenes and produce the only Tufts television show with a fictional narrative.
The project began last year after sophomore Eric Nichols, creator and co-director, had the idea to create a show specifically for college students. Discussing his initial venture into the television world, Nichols said, "I was in film school for a year before I transferred to Tufts, and I wanted to continue working in the medium. I decided to make a television show about something we all know and can relate to."
Nichols said he went around trying to get people involved one-by-one until he had enough interested in auditioning. "We put up an announcement on TuftsLife[.com] for casting calls, and a surprising amount of people turned up. It was kind of a snowball effect as to how the thing got rolling," he said.
What he ended up with was a cast of five students. After one girl graduated last year, another female cast member, sophomore Marielle Hampton, was added to the mix this season. Sophomores Alec Ernest, Paige Haverstock, Jack Esposito, Lily Zahn and Hampton make up the five main characters for Season Two of "Mouthwash."
The show's plot is about a group of friends in college making their way through the perils of the hookup culture. The title of the show references our generation's obsession with the quick hook-up and how a swish of mouthwash is all someone needs for a good experience. "Mouthwash" chronicles the exploits of friends Jess, Travis, Owen and Rosie, as well as the newly created character of Scarlett.
Jess, played by Haverstock, is a typical college-aged girl; she's interested in hooking up, but is also looking for a more meaningful connection. She seems to take interest in her friend Travis, played by Esposito, and at the end of the last season, they finally hooked up, both cheating on their significant others, in the finale.
Meanwhile, Owen, played by Ernest, is the resident ladies' man, seemingly interested only in the casual romance, until he hooks up with Rosie (played by Zahn), Travis' girlfriend. Yes, Rosie and Travis cheat on each other on the same night. Scarlett is Jess' new roommate for this season, and she seems to have no problem with the casual hookup either.
For many of the cast members, this is their first time doing film acting. "This is different from anything I've ever done," Haverstock said. "You don't always go in order while filming, so there might be multiple scenes in different episodes all shot in one dorm room over the course of one or two days. You have to feel different emotions and act in different situations very quickly, whereas in a play, everything builds and you can find the motivation for the character more easily."
Haverstock auditioned after Esposito, a friend from her dorm at the time, encouraged her to try out for a part. In Haverstock's eyes, Jess seemed to be the epitome of an average girl in her college years. "It's really not too hard to get into the character of Jess," she said. "We have a lot of similarities, and I've been playing her for almost two semesters now, so I think she's a more solid character now."
Travis is Jess' counterpart in that he also appears to be the typical college guy, according to Esposito. "Travis is definitely the kind of guy that anyone can find something to identify with," he said.
While acknowledging the differences between the stage and film, Esposito cited increased creative freedom as a major benefit to working in the foreign medium. "This is the first time I've had a continuously developing character," he said. "We're also given a lot of freedom and [are] allowed to give our ideas on the script, which makes for a fun and enjoyable environment."
The character with the most punchlines on the show is Owen, played by Ernest. Though Ernest, unlike the others, had never performed theater, after taking Acting one, he decided to give the auditions for "Mouthwash" a shot, and found the character of Owen to be a perfect fit. "Everybody thinks that I'm just like him," he said, "but there's only a part of me that's like that. While it's easy for me to play him, there's definitely more to me than there is to Owen."
The character of Rosie came on a little later in the first season as "T Girl," a girl that Travis meets in the Davis Square T station. Zahn emphasized how acting in "Mouthwash" has cast her Tufts experience in a new light. "It's sometimes satirizing the awkward moments of college life, but other times, it really tries to capture those moments that all college kids go through," she said. "What's great is that sometimes you can laugh at it, and sometimes you can relate to it."
The newest member of the cast, Hampton added, "The most fun is bonding with everyone and just getting to know each person individually."
This year, Nichols added sophomore Alorah Kwock as co-director. Since his expertise lies in the area of technical filmmaking, she walks through the scenes with the actors and helps them relate to their characters and to the other actors. As Nichols gets ready to shoot a scene, Kwock explains to the cast how the scene should go in terms of interaction and spacing.
During the filming process, the cast and crew go through lots of trial and error. For example, in one session, the actors discussed whether Owen should be wearing a leather jacket — lots of Fonzi jokes ensued — before Nichols called, "Quiet on the set, rolling and action." The scene went well until Scarlett had to run in, pushing both Jess and Rosie out of the way. In doing so, Hampton nearly took out both girls and some of the lighting equipment as well. Everybody laughed, and they started over for a second take.
Senior Harry Waksberg wrote the script, which has become more complex and nuanced since the first season. "A lot of the storyline comes from the characters," Waksberg said. "Eric has created solid two-dimensional characters. I personally have a tendency to make the characters really mean, and they just end up insulting each other. But, after a while, I got them to interact the way real people do, and in the end, you end up caring about the characters."
The second season has no shortage of surprises and twists in store. Audiences will find out exactly what happened between Jess and Travis, as well as Rosie and Owen. There's a trip to Cape Cod, and, of course, lots of hooking up. But most of all, it's a chance to watch fellow Jumbos' artistic endeavors. "Mouthwash" season two premieres today on the show's website, Mouthwashtheshow.com.
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