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“That’s My DJ” gets queerer in Season 2

That’s My DJ is a Canadian web series described as an “unapologetic look inside the new order of rave” with a Season 2 that focuses on a “sexually charged narrative between two women in Toronto’s music scene.” It’s even cooler than it sounds.

In Season 2, Meagan (Emily Piggford), who had a smaller role in Season 1, is front and center. While she was no stranger to lady love before, this season she falls hard for Hannah (Dayle McLeod), a DJ with a boyfriend. But the kind of chemistry these two have just can’t be denied.

Their story is inspired by out creator-director D.W. Waterson’s own experiences. Known as hey! dw in the music world, D.W. brings her queer sensibilities, love for Toronto and her passion for music to the series.

Having already wrapped shooting season 3, I met up with D.W. and Emily before hey! dw had to get in character and hit the stage at Home Brew, the real life party that inspired its namesake on the show. We talked about Meagan and Hannah’s relationship, where Meagan stands on labels, what’s ahead for Season 3 and more.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

AfterEllen.com: D.W., why did you want to create the series?

D.W. Waterson: I started out DJing in Toronto and kind of just getting to know the scene and meeting different bartenders and managers and people who go out and dance all the time. There’s all these characters that aren’t in television, aren’t in film. It’s such a unique place because it’s kind of like when all the lights go down and the lasers turn on, that’s where the playground happens. I have this kind of theory that the later in the night it goes the more drama happens, which is obviously television and film worthy. People say nothing good happens after 2am and I’m like, “Oh my script’s just getting started at 2am.”

AE: Emily, what attracted and continues to attract you to the role of Meagan?

Emily Piggford: I love how unfettered Meagan is and I was so attracted to that. To get to play somebody that does not restrict herself and enjoys life so much—because I too enjoy life to the fullest but I am an introvert. I can really seclude myself sometimes and that’s one of the many reasons why I love acting, because it gives me permission to tap into these other aspects of myself that exist but are not often visited.

I just knew that this would be such a fun project to work on and rewarding in so many ways because of how amazing D.W. is and how fun and promising the script was and the project was. I love Meagan’s realness. And working with D.W., she invites me to be more free as well.

photos by Kat Webber

AE: So you’re not “here past 2am” girl?

EP: No, I don’t go out much. So that was fun. Working on this series, D.W. was like, “Okay, I’m gonna start immersing you in this world.” It was like this playground for me. She’d take us out to DJ shows and stuff like that.

AE: D.W., I’ve read that you said in season 1 Meagan was experimenting with her sexuality but by season 2 she had some pretty firm ideas about it. Can you speak to that a bit?

DW: In Season 1, Meagan was more sexually fluid, kind of seeing who she was attracted to, experiences she wanted to jump in and out of. But by Season 2 she’s a lot more confident that she’s attracted to women and that’s who she is pursuing, which I think is apparent right off the top of episode 1.

AE: Are you comfortable with the label of lesbian for Meagan?

DW: I love the fact that Meagan doesn’t have any labels because I think it really opens up a place where a lot of people who maybe haven’t labeled themselves can connect to this character.

AE: But emotionally?

DW: Emotionally she would only marry a woman. But I like the fact that we don’t say it in the show.

AE: Emily, was there a conversation to prepare you for how things would be different for Meagan in Season 2?

EP: There was no explicit conversation. There was no need to prepare me for that evolution. Both D.W. and I were on the same page. We knew innately that this was where Meagan was going. That was understood by the end of Season 1 for me as well. So when D.W. told me who the love interest of Season 2 would be and just wove it into the storyline, that made a lot of sense for me and I was just excited to play that relationship and the challenges of that relationship, not necessarily being a gay relationship but just being an unrequited relationship in a way.

AE: D.W., how much of yourself do you see in Meagan?

DW: Like 100 percent. I know the script and everything that happens in Season 2 I’ve literally lived twice, heartbreakingly. But it was definitely a process for Emily and I to collaborate and kind of pull myself away from it hitting so close to home for me and then letting her take the character and giving her different legs. It’s interesting. Even just doing interviews and talking to fans and being on Twitter and interacting with everybody, everybody’s commenting on the relationship, which is still very bizarre to me because they’re like commenting on my life. Like they’re commenting on a situation I went through last summer and the summer before.

AE: So when Meagan’s roommate says, “Stop falling for straight girls…”

DW: It’s all of my friends. They’re screaming this at me. But it’s like, man, you can’t help who you love. It just happens. It’s a learning experience within all of it and, trust me, after doing That’s My DJ, it was my therapy. I’ve learned.

AE: So a question for both of you: what do you think Meagan and Hannah see in the other that attracts them?

EP: I think that they both recognize these free spirits that they are. They’re like these magnets and they see themselves in each other and they just want to combine. For however long it lasts. Unfortunately it’s just like a week.

DW: They’re both shit disturbers.

EP: They’re both so “fuck the police” people. I think that they just see each other kind of like do this silent wink and nod and want to jump off a cliff together. But then halfway down, one of them pulls back. And then the other one’s freefalling by herself.

DW: When Meagan meets Hannah, I think it’s mutual for both of them. It’s that lightning bolt moment. And they are two magnets and they’re trying to pull themselves away, but they keep gravitating towards each other. It’s that kind of recognition of “We’re attached to the same soul” or “We know each other from another life.” There’s a consciousness that they already know each other, that there’s so much energy there, it’s really hard not to like lean in and want to explore that. That’s kind of what we explore in Season 2—that push-pull until they finally just can’t keep away anymore.

AE: Hannah—is she really just another straight girl that Meagan’s fallen for, or is there more to her?

DW: There’s definitely more to Hannah. Hannah’s not straight. She’s not. She’s scared. I think she feels a lot of things and she feels them very intensely, but I think fear plays a really large factor in her choices. It’s easier for her to lean back and have other people’s choices affect her life rather than her kind of put herself out there and make these big decisions. It freaks the crap out of her the fact that she’s just able to meet this other person and it just works and it’s so big and it’s so easy and then when they finally do connect in episode 7, it’s beautiful. And it’s easy. And then she wakes up and she ends up getting a text message from [her ex-boyfriend] and that kind of pulls her to the reality of the situation, which is [he] is safe, society understands what that relationship looks like, she knows what to do in that relationship. Whether or not she’s happy doesn’t matter. She has a choice. Does she continue moving forward with the way she feels and go against what her friends and her family might think? It’s a big shift to move from a straight relationship to a gay relationship. Does she just play it safe? She ultimately chooses to go back because she’s just not ready.

AE: Being a DJ in this underworld, though, it just seems so anti what she should be about to care that much about what society thinks, especially in a city like Toronto.

EP: Sometimes we overcompensate.

AE: D.W., is there a bit of that?

DW: Oh totally. And yeah, she’s like a shit disturber and she’s definitely egging Meagan on in, almost in a fun like “I want to play with this but it won’t be anything serious.” And then she gets a little too close and realizes that, “Oh wow, there’s way more potential here than I thought.”

AE: Are Meagan and Hannah over for good?

DW: Yeah. I really thought that they were going to come back together. I really did. And maybe I’m really talking about my life right now. The chemistry was there, but they missed their moment.

AE: Is Meagan going to keep pursuing women in Season 3?

DW: Yeah. We kind of dive deeper in with Meagan for Season 3 in regards to the mourning process. What that does to somebody. Especially when it’s women because you can emotionally connect so deep, so fast.

EP: Season 3 she’s definitely in a darker spot.

AE: So being that season 3 is going to focus on her best friend Sam, how much of Meagan do we see?

DW: She’s there. We do dive into Sam’s world, but she’s there kind of every step of the way. He goes through his own thing and she steps up as a friend and is there for him, kind of like the vice versa to season 2. She definitely plays a big role.

AE: Are they still doing Home Brew together?

DW: Yup. We see Home Brew become more successful, which is kind of reflective of the actual Home Brew we’re sitting outside of at the moment. In the past two years we’ve gone from 25 people on the dance floor to about 300. We see that evolution in the storyline as well.

AE: Any appearances from Hannah?

DW: I tried, but our actress Dayle McLeod was in LA at the time and just couldn’t make it work. There are moments where Meagan is on the phone and she is talking to Hannah. You see the push and pull relationship of that continue. Hannah is a presence.

AE: So besides the rave scene, which of course is crucial to the show, how important is music to the overall tone you’re trying to create?

DW: Crazy important. I’ve always said the relationship between music and film is one of the most beautiful love affairs the world will ever see. Being a musician myself, I’ve really been inspired by British shows like Skins where you see the character going through a moment and it might just be a montage, it might just be them sitting on a bed like looking at a piece of paper… You know exactly what I’m referencing.

AE: I’m a Skins fan.

DW: The music supervisors pick amazing music that really underline the emotional subtext of the scene of what the character is going through. I really wanted to be conscious of that, choosing all of the songs for That’s My DJ, making sure that they’re on point to what Meagan is feeling in the moment. Music was a huge part and just collaborating with all of these amazing musicians and producers in Toronto.

AE: Your background directing music videos shines through.

DW: It’s been interesting with That’s My DJ coming out and getting feedback from my peers. They’re just like, “You have a style. You have a visual style. You can tell it’s a D.W. Waterson shot.” So that’s kind of cool to be learning this about myself.

AE: How important is Toronto to the series? Geography wise, it’s very obvious it’s located here. But how about the feel of the series and what’s actually plausible? For instance, being from here I know that tons of queer girls party in places you mention and show, which aren’t actually in the city’s gay Village.

DW: Toronto has really moved away from the Village, I find. It’s more about social groups. It’s more about who you know rather than about where you’re going. Toronto is like a multicultural melting pot. You see people of every different race, of every different sexuality. Especially now. Being young and going out to bars and being in the electronic music scene, it’s not just like straight white people. So I wanted to reflect that in my casting and my story. I definitely think Toronto is like that extra character in the show.

AE: So what more can you tell us about season 3?

DW: It’s definitely a little darker. We kind of play around with the idea of consequences of partying. Season 3 is the struggle between staying at home and pursuing your career and pursuing your passion, but also going out and networking and partying and meeting people and also trying to make things happen.

EP: Season 3 is chaos so that’s something you can expect.

AE: Is there going to be a fourth season?

DW: As of right now, I’m really happy for That’s My DJ to be a trilogy. I have another series that I’m currently working on that I’m very excited about and two features, as well as doing a slew of music videos.

EP: And being hey! dw.

DW: Yeah, and being hey! dw.

AE: Your future projects, do they include content with more LGBT themes?

DW: Oh definitely. It’s a part of our world. It’s a part of my world. It’ll always be woven into all of the stories I tell because it’s part of life. It’s a part of my life.

AE: And Emily, you’re open?

EP: I’m open. I’m obviously open.

For more That’s My DJ, visit www.ThatsMyDJSeries.com.

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