Renee Kay: Producer, Creator, and Writer
Cliché: Because It’s You, Not Me is an (un)romantic-comedy, what kind of story will we be watching?
Renee Kay: This is the story about Luke and Karen and their search for love. It follows them from one disastrous date to another, and there’s a lot of comedy in that. There’s also a lot of uncertainty and insecurity each character has to face, and I wanted to make sure to give that side of dating equal focus.
In It’s You, Not Me, we (writer Brian Michael Riley and myself) had the opportunity to show both sides—the happy, and the not-so-happy. This project was fun because we got to explore the unglamorous side of dating from the point of view of both characters, so we really get a little insight into what each sex has to deal with. Let’s face it, there’s some crazy people out there…
You write and act in It’s You, Not Me. Do you feel that you ended up having some of the characters reflect those in your personal life? Where did you find your inspiration?
There are definitely some details taken directly from my life. Dating in New York City—let’s just say the city is full of characters. Many of my friends were all too happy to share their stories as well. It was fun to learn about some of their more “interesting” dating adventures. Writer Brian Michael Riley took a page from his own life, too—possibly even more than one.
What’s a common theme in the series that you think most people will enjoy?
We all want love and to be loved, and I think that is what ultimately will resonate with our audience. In the search for that special someone, as anyone who has ever dated will tell you, you just can’t always tell what you’re going to get, and that can be either really fun and exciting, or really not. We hope our audience will watch Karen and Luke wade through the dating pool, be by their side as they deal with some sticky situations, and cheer them on until they find love. After all, that’s all anybody can do.
How different, or the same, are Karen and Luke from each other?
Karen and Luke are great complements to each. They certainly both share a hope that love is out there, and they are both open to new experiences. But where Karen may feel bad for her dates as they unravel around her, Luke can more easily let his bad dates roll off his back and end them with no regrets. Karen sees dating as an adventure, and Luke can often approach it as more as a mathematical problem he has to solve. I think that being opposite in this way ultimately helps them work better together.
Would you say that Karen and Luke are unlucky in love, or that life is sometimes just hard?
Definitely both. Karen and Luke are both open to dating and relationships, but they both definitely have their hang ups as well (don’t we all!). Overcoming these kinds of things isn’t easy, and you add in the ups and downs that life throws at you. You’re bound to have a moment or two of weakness, uncertainty, or pain. One of the things I love most about both of the characters, is that no matter what comes at them, they keep fighting. I find that very inspiring.
