Tell Me Everything | Interview with Callina Liang (Mei)

How has Mei ended up in Welwyn Garden City?

She was originally from there and then when her mother and her biological father were still together they were in Canada. She was in Canada for boarding school. But now that they have broken up and things haven’t gone well with the financial side she has had to go back to Welwyn Garden City.

And you’re also Canadian?

Yes, I was born in Vancouver but I grew up in China, Beijing.

Who from the cast did you get to know first?

Eden. We were rehearsing the church tower scene and afterwards he was like, ‘Do you have anything to do for the rest of the day?’ and I didn’t because I had just arrived in London a few days before, and we decided to hang out playing video games and chatting, so we got to know each other quickly.

You’ve also become best mates with Lauryn Ajufo, haven’t you?

Yes, Lauryn has become one of my closest friends in the UK. The first time I was so nervous meeting her because in the script we are supposed to be enemies. I was like, ‘I hope this girl doesn’t hate me because I’m not a mean person!’ We had dinner and talked and we started going out together every week and hanging out. Every weekend we were seeing each other. On set we were always talking. I would buy Starbucks for her before she came in. She would always be there for me when I needed someone.

Did it feel important to you to show Mei’s home life?

I think that showing her at home and what she’s going through helps the viewers understand a lot more why she acts out in the ways that she does. I’m not necessarily saying that because you have gone through bad things in life that justifies all of your bad actions, but you can clearly see that this is a teenager who is discovering herself and trying to find place in the world. She is so lost in all of her trauma and pain that she doesn’t really know how to act around people socially. Because she’s never had friends, she’s never fit in. This is another challenge for her. She’s moved to a new place. She probably thinks, ‘Oh, here we go again. I don’t trust anyone.’ So I think she was lost and lonely, and decided to pick someone (Jonny) to latch onto.

Is that why she is attracted to Jonny?

Initially at the funfair she is obviously attracted to him physically but also when she meets him again at school with one of the teachers, Mr Horrocks, and she finds out that his dad had died. She sees him as someone who perhaps can share her pain and talk with. Then she starts weaving herself into his life but I think as that develops she starts catching real feelings for him. I think they do develop something that is real for both of them.

What have been your favourite scenes to play with Eden?

Oh definitely the church tower. I was so excited because I was like, ‘I am going to do all the stunts myself’ and I did.

They actually built this mock-up of the church tower in the studios. There were two sides and two platforms. One side is where I fall off. When they shot from the other side they had crash mats about two metres below me. I free-fell backwards onto those crash mats so many times. It was so fun. Then when they were shooting from the other side and you can see Mei dangling, I had to be rigged with a harness. That was really fun. When I’m trying to climb up back into the church tower building oh my god I had no strength. Me and Eden were genuinely struggling to pull each other up. At one part they actually had to get one of the runners to lift my foot up because I didn’t have the strength. That wasn’t acting, that was really real!

What does Mei think of the rest of the gang?

In the beginning because she sets her eyes on Jonny she doesn’t really care about any of them. She just treats them as vessels to get to Jonny. She will do whatever it takes. But she does long for a connection especially with what happens with Jonny. Because she is always watching them from a distance she wishes she could be a part of the gang but because she is scared of being rejected she would rather be the bad guy and be in control of that rather than letting herself be vulnerable and open herself up to the group and for them to be like, ‘I don’t like her.’ In the end, she genuinely wants to be a part of that gang not only for Jonny but also for herself. They look like a cool group of friends. I would want to be friends with them!

Are there aspects of Mei’s character that you admire?

She’s so strong and for a young girl going through everything that she is going through I actually respect her so much. She doesn’t take anything from anyone. She’s so feisty. She doesn’t care what people think. These are things that I struggled with when I was growing up. I was always so conscious of what people thought about me. I had a really great support system. I had my friends whereas Mei doesn’t have anyone. I can’t even begin to imagine how she does it. So I have a lot of respect for her. She’s so strong. And smart.

Executive producers Robert and Camilla say that you bring a real fire to Mei. What brings out that fire in you?

When people are mean to my friends. 100%. My friends are like my family. I will do anything to protect them at all costs. I think having grown up by myself, as a girl too, I’ve had to learn to stand up for myself. With some things I’ve gone through in the past, you really have to learn how to fight. I also did martial arts for three years so I guess you could say that there is that part to me as well.

Was this your first time working with an intimacy coordinator?

[Assistant Intimacy Coordinator] Abi Kessel has been great. She really made me feel comfortable on set. Obviously I have a few sex scenes to do but it was all really straight forward. I think it really helped that me and Eden are friends in real life so we were laughing about it. Everything was done in a very safe way. I always felt like I was protected.

What have been the most challenging days filming?

Ok, this is going to surprise you but I think the most challenging scene for me to ever have done in my acting career was that scene at the club when everyone disappears and I have to dance seductively towards Jonny and dance on him in a very sexy way. I said to Rich the director, ‘I can’t dance. I don’t know how to dance.’ He said, ‘You can do it. Just bring it out.’ My make-up artist Guy was doing touch-ups on my face and I was holding his hand going, ‘Please don’t let go! I’m not ready for this!’ It was so scary. The whole club was filled with 60/70 extras. We were all dancing and then all of a sudden ‘boom’ all the extras run away. They all run to the side and guess who they are all looking at? I’m just standing there by myself. I was trying to be sexy and walk towards them. I was dying inside but apparently I did a good job, thankfully!

The show deals with a lot of different aspects of teenagers’ lives. What resonated most with you?

Jonny’s undiagnosed anxiety really does resonate with me. I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and panic disorder. I still struggle with them to this day. That’s something that is really important to be talked about because when I was young and experiencing those symptoms I didn’t know what it was. I kind of just thought it was normal. I think the more people push that away the worse it gets. So Jonny going through that really did resonate with me. I think it’s really interesting for parents to watch that as well. If your child is acting this way let them know they are not insane. There are reasons to be feeling like this. It is very normal.

Why do you think TME is an important drama for now?

It’s a very real depiction of teenagers growing up in the 2020s. I think it is going to be a very fun show to watch. And for parents it is a case of this is what they are going through. How to protect their children? Maybe for younger kids watching the show they can realise that they are not the only ones feeling this way. They are not the only ones feeling lonely. They are not the only ones going through mental health issues, loss of a parent. All the different problems this show tackles – practiced sexuality as well. They are very real issues that we all went through. I hope that it will be a show that is very relatable for them.

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