Interview with Anne D. Bernstein (Conducted January 20 and May 29, 2006)


KW = Kara Wild
AB = You know who



KW: Glenn Eichler seems to be emphatically opposed to any form of Daria and Trent 'shipping. What are your feelings about them pairing up and about the Daria/Tom relationship?

AB: Well, when you are writing for a show like Daria, you try to tell the truth about the world as you see it. And my take on the whole Daria/Trent relationship is that in the "real" world, it is highly unlikely that a girl like Daria would end up with a guy like Trent. He is simply a strong infatuation and it was always fun to play with how Daria was usually in control of herself, but found herself quite flustered around Trent. Eventually Trent did catch on that Daria had a thing for him (see the open eyes in "That Was Then") but he would never lead her on too much. Sorry, the smartypants in boots does not actually get hot and heavy with sexy, slacker musician dude. At least that never happened to me. Sigh.

As for Tom, I didn't have anything to do with developing his character. I, for one, do think that it is believable that Daria would end up with someone who dated her friend first--so common in high school--and that it would be possible for Jane and Daria to work through that and remain close. I personally found Tom a bit dull, but I think there was a need for at least one male in the series to be intelligent, competent, social, and somewhat "pulled together". (Note: the screwed up ones are so much more fun to write for!)

KW: What kind of person could you see Daria ending up with? Is there anyone on the show (besides Trent and Tom) who you think would suit her?

AB: All I would say is someone like her: smart, funny, maybe with their own set of emotional baggage that compliments hers. No one who was on the show that I can think of, except maybe some guy in the background whose potential we never explored.



KW: You seem to be the writer behind a lot of episodes that deal with the cultural trends, such as Alternapalooza/Lalapalooza ("Road Worrier"), retro culture ("Life in the Past Lane"), the 60's ("That Was Then, This Is Dumb"), and hyper-scheduling/political correctness ("Pinch Sitter"). Was this on purpose, or just a coincidence?

AB: I guess those are just things I think about! At the beginning of every season, the writers would submit episode premises to Glenn, who would then decide which ideas would make it into the season (with lots of back-and-forth, of course.) I would often pitch plots that would allow me to vent on topics that I was interested in or to amuse myself by slipping in details about things that I know a lot about. "Pinch Sitter" was based upon my own babysitting experiences. I was heavily into the swing dance scene when I thought of Jane dating a retro guy. That one just seemed a perfect way to contrast Jane's willingness to try new things (and deal with guys) with Daria's overly cautious approach to human interaction. (And if you are into swing/retro culture, you will get the subtle nuances.) "That Was Then" was inspired by my older cousin who was a classic ex-60s baby boomer guy who "went through changes" throughout the decades-and he did have a dog who wore a bandana. "Road Worrier" just seemed like a good idea at the time, and I was really excited to write the first Daria/Trent story with heavy duty sexual tension! I also love flea markets (see "That Was Then") and was very annoyed by dot-com bullshit (see "Sappy Anniversary").



KW: Of the episodes you wrote, which is the one that you are most proud of and which do you wish you could have written better?

AB: I like a lot of them, but I guess I would choose my first episode "The Invitation" which was written when there was so little established that it was a great challenge. And it was really cool when I got to come up with characters and details that lived on throughout the entire series. Yes, I made up Upchuck!

I'm not being coy here: there aren't any episode that I am even close to being ashamed of.

KW: Even so, are there any episodes where you've thought, "I could have written this scene or conversation better"?

AB: Nope, it's not something I obsess about.



KW: Are there any storylines that you wish you or the show could have covered during its run?

AB: I'm sure I could dig up some rejected premises, but nothing springs to mind.



KW: Were there ever times you had to step in and tell Glenn or one of the male writers, "Girls don't say/do things like that"?

AB: Never. In fact, I really hate when people (mostly I'm referring to people who hire writers) get the idea that women should obviously write female characters, males are better at males, gotta get the ones fresh out of college to write for a young demo, etc. If you are a good writer, you should be able to write for a variety of characters. If you are alive and look around, you can observe plenty of people of the opposite sex. Maybe you even live with them! Personally, I loved writing for Jake and I was not male, middle-aged, married, with kids, a consultant, the product of military school, living in the burbs, or known to repress my anger until totally freaking out. (Um.. now I guess I am middle-aged!) Note: Occasionally, I would take pride in a line that I thought was real girlie, like "Sheer, semi-sheer, or opaque? Textured!"



KW: Who were the easiest and hardest characters for you to write?

AB: As mentioned, I just had some weird connection with Jake. I loved anything to do with the Trent/Daria dynamic. And I was so happy when Stacy finally stood up to Sandi-and I helped to make that happen! I'd say Mack was the hardest to write for, because he remained rather perfect and was the least complex character of all--he was somewhat underdeveloped in the first place.



KW: Were there ever any plans to put out a third Daria book or any other supplementary materials?

AB: I was not privy to anything having to do with merchandising. I was simply offered the job to write The Daria Diaries. So I have no idea. (I wish I bought more T-shirts when they were available! And my Daria coffee cup is cracked.)



KW: How "canon" was the information on the MTV website (ex. Tiffany's last name being Blum-Deckler) and in the books (ex. Helen and Jake's wedding vows, Quinn's glasses on the bedside table in her room)? Were these things you just made up for fun, or were they parts of a rough story bible?

AB: I had to make up a ton of stuff that did not yet exist for The Daria Diaries. And then it all became part of "the Daria Universe" so people had to follow what I established! With great power comes...well, you know. Actually, the original bible was very short and succinct. When I worked on the website and the diaries, I just tried to come up with "telling details" as I went along.

KW: So it's safe to say that Tiffany's last name really is Blum-Deckler, and Stacy's Rowe (both names were on the website)?

AB: Yes.



KW: How come in the Daria Diaries, you went into detail about Jake's childhood (the letters home) but not Helen's? It has the effect of making Helen seem more two-dimensional because her actions don't appear to have a deeper explanation, a sense of pathos attached to them the way Jake's do.

AB: Well, the book was awful short, did you notice? (Not my decision!) So I just tried to come up with a Table of Contents that would include features about all of the main characters. Helen had those email to and from Eric, which seemed like something appropriate. There was no conscious decision to put more emphasis on Jake's background. But Helen's family appeared in the series, so I think her childhood was sufficiently covered.



KW: Did you, or anyone else attached to the show, ever sneak onto the fan websites during the show's run? Have you read, or do you ever intend to read, fan fiction?

AB: I have never, ever read Daria fan fiction! May I repeat myself? I have never, ever read Daria fan fiction! Simply because I didn't want to take any chance of possibly being accused of being inspired by it. And I won't read it now, either. But I applaud your creativity! I did, however, read the boards on occasion (which is how I know that we were accused of being inspired by fan fiction!) And I did see some of that X-rated art, because how could I resist?



KW: Which of the show's supporting characters would you have liked to write an episode about and why?

AB: Hands down, Mr. Demartino. But then again, he is one of those characters who is meant to be a spice, not the main ingredient, so perhaps he is best left out of the spotlight. Still, once I wrote that personal ad for him in the book, I really wanted to see him on a couple of dates!



KW: In the Daria Diaries, the map of Quinn's room includes a pair of glasses on her bedside table. Was that just some quirky detail that you threw in, or was Quinn meant to be vision impaired like Daria?

AB: I just went to check the picture, and honestly, they look like sunglasses to me, which Quinn certainly would wear for a look of mystery. But the caption is "GLASSES: For reading. Who left THOSE there?" It was so long ago, and I don't even remember if I wrote that particular line, but I guess it means Daria was in Quinn's room at some point and implies that Quinn is not at all interested in reading, except for maybe glossy celebrity mags -- and who needs glasses for those since the pictures are the point anyway?



KW: In "Of Human Bonding," many people thought that when Helen "bonded" with the Fashion Club, she would learn that Quinn had been falsely referring to Daria as her cousin. Is the fact that she didn't because 1) she already knew or because 2) you did not want to make the script too heavy, and Helen confronting Quinn could get dramatic?

AB: Hey, have you noticed how short episodes are? And how much info you have to fit into less than 22 minutes? Okay, you guys are smart so you probably are aware of the time limitations. So that is just one of many conversations they COULD have had at the slumber party but didn't. I don't think that it is inevitable that particular revelation would come out just because they did a little bonding. And don't you think it was far more entertaining for the girls to give Helen relationship advice?



KW: Where do you see the Morgendorffers, the Lanes, etc. in 2006?

AB: Gosh, how many years later is it already? I will have to stick with the "future" scenes that were in the original show. I don't plan to write any fan fic here. Okay, just for fun, I would guess that they are all still in Lawndale. There are still two or three Lane sibling living with Amanda (or Vincent -- depends who is off adding to their life experience at the moment.) The sibling lineup switches every couple of years. Jake and Helen are empty nesters and like it that way. Daria's room is now full of boxes of whatever Jake is not-selling these days and Quinn's room hasn't changed one iota -- it is like a shrine to pink. I just realized that I described the housing situation more than the lives of the characters. Is EVERYONE obsessed with real estate these days? Apparently...



KW: In "Of Human Bonding," Daria thinks, "I don't care if he's afraid of heights, but he's afraid to be afraid. That's what's so heartbreaking. He's my father. Shouldn't I let down the barricades for once and tell him I think he's a hero?"

When Daria refers to him being a "hero," does she mean in the sense that he overcame a terrible childhood to become a stable family man, or because he's her father and, as his daughter, she naturally views him as a hero? Does she also see Helen as being heroic?

AB: Ask Glenn. If memory serves, he added those particular lines to the script at some stage. And tell him not to kill me for lobbing that question back to him.



KW: Glenn Eichler has stated that Daria was never meant for Trent, and that episodes like "Pierce Me" are "teasers, intended to provide some fun for that portion of the audience that was so invested in the romance angle." What are your views on the "teaser" episodes (of which "That Was Then, This Is Dumb" could be included)? Do you view them as diversions?

AB: Well, maybe a diversion for the writer? It was certainly fun for me to tackle the subject. I thought that Daria's interest in Trent was very realistic, and their later "not getting together" equally realistic. Sexual tension and crushes are such a huge part of life. And in the case of Daria, it was great comedic fodder to put her in the presence of the one person who really threw her for a loop. Personally, I was one of the people interested in "the romance angle" and I don't see how you could do a show about a teenager that doesn't include that. And I am proud to have come up with the scene where Trent lies down on her bed, unaware of the powerful force of his foxy presence! Just thinking about it takes me back to being 15 and intensely crushed out on someone inappropriate. So the content of those episodes simply served the purpose of playing out what was set up early in the series--and revealing a somewhat vulnerable side of Daria that I always found very endearing, since she is human after all!



KW: Was Jane modeled after you? You both seem to have the same artistic tastes and ability.

AB: Jane was in the original bible, which was created before I got involved with the show. I wish I had been like Jane in high school. Although I was arty and sarcastic, I was never as sure of myself or as cool as she is. I enjoyed it when her character gave me a chance to comment about art class or the art world, including glue guns, since I did go to art school (School of Visual Arts '83) I did pitch the retro episode after spending many years immersed in swing dance culture. In that case, I got to write about something I was really interested in through the character of Jane. But the decision to cover that topic wasn't totally self-indulgent; the plot fit Jane's personality quite well and brought out interesting contrasts between Daria and Jane's attitude toward life -- and the opposite sex.

Oh yeah, I do have a similar haircut and I like to wear red.



KW: You hint at some marital discord between Helen and Jake in "Of Human Bonding." Was there any discussion amongst the writers about taking the discord further, such as toward a separation or even a divorce?

AB: I don't recall any explicit conversation or directive about that -- "the writers" did not discuss things, by the way, since we all worked with Glenn (and Peggy) directly and were never in any sort of meetings together. Personally, I just treated then as a couple who have been together for decades, so naturally there would be stress and strain. I tried to imagine what they would have liked about each other when they met and how their very different personalities would eventually cause tensions between them. It was really fun to write those 60's flashbacks in "That Was Then" because my knowledge of their past became deeper as the script evolved. That kind of detail was not in the original bible. Of course, a major stress in the marriage is that Helen is so work-oriented and successful, while Jake faces midlife-crisis issues. I figured that they would most likely stick together. As you might have noticed, occasionally they would get the sparks back (remember the pancakes scene?)



KW: What was the reason for your reduced role in Seasons Two through Four, when you contributed one script per season, as opposed to three scripts in Season One and two in Season Five?

AB: I believe that I was working simultaneously on a lot of other projects at MTV, especially MTV Downtown.



KW: What projects are you working on right now?

AB: I am still working in animation, although it is sometimes frustrating because I do like writing for "adult animation" -- or at least "adolescent animation" -- and there isn't much of that around anymore. Some animated shows I have worked on since MTV: Hey Monie!, Backyardigans, Tutenstein, Private Eye Princess Special. I am just finishing up a bunch of episodes for Viva Pinata, which will be on this fall (www.vivapinata.com) I occasionally pitch original concepts, like everyone else in "the biz". I stubbornly insists on remaining in NYC, although I am not totally anti-LA, as they have the Chateau Marmont and free ice tea refills. I also do illustration and I sell books online (www.oddbooksonline.com).



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