TV icon Mara Brock Akil reimagines Judy Blume’s 1975 novel Forever with a new Netflix series, out May 8.
Lovie Simone and newcomer Michael Cooper Jr. play Keisha and Justin, updated versions of Blume’s teenage loves Katherine and Michael.
The stars discuss how the adaptation takes a modern, timely approach that will resonate with a new generation.
Judy Blume’s classic 1975 novel Forever gets a modern update in Mara Brock Akil’s series adaptation for Netflix.
The TV luminary known for such cultural touchstones as Moesha and Girlfriends reimagines the teenage love between Blume’s protagonists by way of Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (newcomer Michael Cooper Jr.), two Black high school teenagers who begin a slow-burn, all-consuming romance during their senior year before college. Set in 2019 Los Angeles, Akil’s update paints a searing portrait of the issues faced by teenagers today, exploring the social media age and how, via the race-swapping of the leads, Black kids come of age in white America.
Keisha’s arc is particularly striking and timely, as it concerns — without giving too much away — the digital violations often faced by young women in this current era. “Everything she goes through shows the life of a teenage girl so beautifully,” Simone tells Entertainment Weekly in a joint interview with her costar. “You see the traumas that teenage girls deal with and how they process those traumas.”
ELIZABETH MORRIS/Netflix
Lovie Simone on ‘Forever’
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Justin, meanwhile, is on a journey of self-discovery, all while struggling with ADHD and the pressure to live up to his parents’ (played by Karen Pittman and Wood Harris) expectations. His arc will resonate with “people who are just trying to figure it out,” Cooper Jr. says. “Life pressures come so hard. Just figuring out who it is that you are and what you want in life, and then pleasing family members and trying to find a sense of belonging or a sense of self — those in itself are all very complex.”
Elizabeth Morris/Netflix
Michael Cooper Jr., Wood Harris, and Karen Pittman on ‘Forever’
The series’ essence, though, remains true to Blume’s source material: It is, above all, a love story, one punctuated by the usual teenage awkwardness and miscommunications. Ironically, that even paralleled real life. While both en route from Atlanta to L.A. to audition for their roles, Simone and Cooper Jr. were aboard the very same plane. “Both had our earbuds in, not knowing each other,” Cooper Jr. recalls with a laugh. “We didn’t say a word.” The series also marks Cooper Jr.’s first big recurring lead role — and it was surreal to act alongside a star he once watched on TV.
“It felt like being thrown [into] the deep end. I’m not going to lie, I was petrified,” he shares. “I had imposter syndrome because I’m not classically trained. And I’ve watched Lovie on my screen with my grandmother on Greenleaf! So being able to work with her and being like, ‘Yo, I know who you are,’ and I’m not a name. But it was a great experience because I learned so much. And to work with Karen Pittman and Wood Harris and [producer and director] Regina King? I mean, what an honor.”
Forever is streaming on Netflix.
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