Reneé Rapp “hated” filming her first year of The Sex Lives Of College Girls
Renée Rapp says filming The Sex Lives Of College Girls—where she plays closeted lesbian Leighton—while struggling with her own sexuality was "terrible"
Aux News Rapp
Spend an episode with the titular girls of Mindy Kaling’s HBO Max series The Sex Lives Of College Girls and it’s clear: Leighton (Reneé Rapp), the frank legacy student whose perfectly coiffed white blonde hair is the straightest thing about her, wears the pants in this friend group. But the confidence and charisma Rapp exudes in the role didn’t always come so naturally—in fact, Rapp says that filming the first season of the series “horribly” affected her sense of self.
In a new episode of Spotify’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Rapp says that her personal struggle to come into her own sexuality made taking on her first leading role on the small screen grueling. When Rapp agreed to play Leighton, she wasn’t exactly out of the closet— in her own words, her role on TSLOCG has been her “genuine like coming out to my family, close and extended.” Today, Rapp openly identifies as bisexual.
“The first year doing [The Sex Lives Of] College Girls was terrible. It was terrible,” Rapp tells host Alexandra Cooper. “It sucked so bad, because at the time, I was in a heteronormative relationship. I hated going to work, because I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m like good enough to be here. I don’t think I can be here. I don’t think I can be doing this.’ I was like, ‘Maybe I’m just trying too hard.’ And then I would come home and I would psych myself out, literally.”
Rapp says that she’ll never forget calling a close friend at one point during that time in defeat. During that conversation, she questioned everything: whether she was straight or not, whether she was good enough or not, and whether she could keep filming or not.
“I was just in a panic constantly,” Rapp recalls. “And I wasn’t [straight], but I was so freaked out by the idea of my sexuality, not being finite or people laughing at me or me laughing at myself that I hated first year of filming.”
Even though Rapp says she was initially “so excited” for the opportunity to audition for a queer role, the reality of playing the character often felt like a “mindfuck.” Rapp specifically recalls male cast and crew members consistently asking prying questions about her own sexual orientation.
“It really f**king pissed me off and it made me second guess everything about myself,” she says.
Especially frustrating for Rapp was how badly she wanted to succeed in the role. “I wanted so badly to do a good job,” she said. “… I wanted to play the role in the way that if I saw it as a kid it would feel good to me. I also wanted to do a good job so bad that I was so nervous all the time.”
Ultimately, those first-season jitters dissipated; now squarely through season 2, Rapp says she enjoys playing Leighton and acting alongside her co-stars (she describes her co-star Alyah Chanelle Scott, who plays soccer star Whitney, as a “God-send” on set). Although she still worries about getting compared to her posh character “constantly,” Rapp isn’t as worried anymore about viewers assuming her own sexuality based on Leighton’s. Honestly, she’s more concerned about anyone getting the impression she would ever wear that much tweed.
24 Comments
sproinnnnnggggg
pardon me my clicky pen just fell apart
Gross
now go change your…pen
Somewhat related, but wow the constant ADR on this show is super distracting. I’ve noticed it on all of Kaling’s shows but it’s like every other line on this one.
Alternative dispute resolution?
is the plot too arbitrary?
ADR??
Somewhat related, but: Once upon a time, in the depths of a human digestive system, a small gas bubble formed. It was born in the warm, moist environment of the intestines, where it floated lazily among the food particles and digestive juices. As time passed, the bubble grew in size and became more and more noticeable to its host.Soon, the bubble was joined by other gas bubbles, each one adding to its size and pressure. As they gathered together, they formed a large mass of gas, a foul-smelling mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and other noxious gases.As the mass grew, it became more and more difficult to contain. It put pressure on the intestinal walls and caused discomfort to the host. But the host tried to hold it in, hoping to avoid embarrassment or social awkwardness.However, the gas mass was persistent. It continued to build up pressure, seeking an escape. Finally, the host could hold it no longer, and a powerful force erupted from their body, expelling the gas mass with great force.The fart was born.As it left the body, the fart spread out into the surrounding air, carrying with it a cloud of pungent odor. It drifted through the room, wafting over to nearby noses and causing wrinkled faces and disgusted looks.The fart continued to float through the air, carried along by the currents and breezes. As it moved, it gradually dissipated, losing its potency and becoming less and less noticeable.Eventually, the fart was gone, its life cycle complete. It had been born, grown, and released into the world, only to fade away and be forgotten. But for those who had experienced it, the memory of its foul odor lingered on, a reminder of the fleeting but unforgettable existence of the enormous fart.
people laughing at me
Wasn’t the show supposed to be a comedy? Or perhaps it’s one of those “comedies in theory” where you don’t actually laugh. That would fit with HBO, but then Mindy Kaling comes from network-land where a comedy is still supposed to be (but is not always) a comedy.
Nobody ever explained the difference between laughing “at” someone and laughing “with” someone?
She obviously meant she was worried people would laugh at her for giving a poor performance
You’re being incredibly dense… on purpose?
That purpose being to mock the trend toward comedy-in-theory.
During that conversation, she questioned everything: whether she was straight or not, whether she was good enough or not, and whether she could keep filming or not. “I was just in a panic constantly,” Rapp recalls. “And I wasn’t [straight], but I was so freaked out by the idea of my sexuality, not being finite or people laughing at me or me laughing at myself that I hated first year of filming.”I don’t know how you could read that and completely divorce it from all context in order to think she was freaked by the idea of people laughing at her in a comedy.
The idea of someone in a comedy being worried about being laughed at is inherently funny.I’m just surprised I wasn’t beaten to the punch.
The comedy of Mindy Kaling is very subtle.
For a show with “Sex lives” and “college girls” in it’s title, and loaded with hotties, this thing sure sounds depressing.
It’s also about as realistic as ‘Saved by the Bell: The College Years.’
Or 90210, with the high school students who looked like they could’ve been collecting social security
None of the main actors on this show looks like they’re 40, a la Luke Perry (RIP).The show is better than its awful title. It’s not documentary-style realism, but closer to reality than most other college-related shows with the possible exception of the cancelled-too-soon Undeclared.
Season 1 = fun
Season 2 = meh
So what?
How do you “literally” psych yourself out?
don’t get me started.