Mel, an employee at JFK airport, is stuck in a rut at the beginning ofHow To Die Alone, having never been in love and lost her spark with her inability to dream. However, things take a shocking turn when she experiences a brush with death that makes her question her life. Now refusing to settle for anything less than the life she wants Mel begins to decide what her life should look like in a journey of self-discovery.
Natasha Rothwell (Wonka,Sonic The Hedgehog 2)is the creator and star ofHow To Die Alone, bringing authenticity, heart, and peak comedic timing to the series both on the page and screen. The cast includes Conrad Ricamora (Fire Island,How To Get Away With Murder) and Jocko Sims (New Amsterdam,The Last Ship).How To Die Alonefinds the perfect balance between outrageously funny comedy and humanity as Rothwell’s character Mel ventures to live her best life in the face of obstacles that the audience can relate to and empathize with.
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Screen Rantcaught up with Natasha Rothwell, who has been a mainstay inpop culture sinceInsecure, to discuss her new Hulu comedy,How To Die Alone. She explained how the series was inspired by her own fears and therapeutic journey. Rothwell also revealed why she wanted to shine a spotlight on airports and airport employees as well as her advice to people who no longer feel capable of following their dreams.
Natasha Rothwell Explains How She Landed On Mel’s How To Die Alone Journey
“I knew that the consequence of that vulnerability would be connection.”
Screen Rant: Natasha,How To Die Aloneis absolutely amazing! Mel is such a relatable character. I may not do things the way that Mel does, but I learned a lot from her journey. I read an article this morning that said, this is the most vulnerable piece of art that you’ve put out there. What motivated you to create the character of Mel and how did you develop her story?
Natasha Rothwell: Yeah, thank you for that. First of all, that’s huge. It’s really major to have something you’ve been working on for seven years received so well. So thank you for that. In terms of the vulnerability piece, it kind of answers the question to the show and I was exploring this question of how to die alone.
For so long I was afraid of dying alone. But 20 plus years of therapy later, I definitely realized that the real batty is loneliness and the antidote to loneliness is vulnerability. So I really had no other choice but to put it all on the page when I got the opportunity to write my own show.
Because I knew that the consequence of that vulnerability would be connection and not just for me with the audience, but for me with the world and with my friends and my family to see this different side of me. It’s been such a joy to be able to put that much on the page and have it received because it’s healing me along the way.
Now, how does Mel’s journey kind of mirror your journey in getting this show made?
Natasha Rothwell: Well, I think once she becomes activated and goes after what she wants, it’s kind of a dogged pursuit of her living her life to the fullest. It was a dogged pursuit to get this show made. I worked on it for seven years, and I think for me, I was so motivated and energized to make this happen because when you’re a writer and a creator, you have many opportunities to give up.
At every one of the crossroads where it was just like, oh, I got to know from this person, or this is being delayed. All of the regular hurdles that creatives cross in LA, I just knew I had to keep going. And I think that is also very, Mel, you hit a wall and you keep going because she’s a Roomba and so am I.
Yes, I love that. I love that this is set at JFK airport. I have a lot of friends that work at airports, and I hear about the subcultures that are going on there. Can you talk about the significance of setting the series at JFK airport and how the location, shape Mel’s experiences, and journey?
Natasha Rothwell: I think, for me, JFK is such an amazing petri dish to tell a story. You get so many cross sections of life, and I think more than anything, I’m a voyeur. I love watching people. I think as an actor, we watch and study human behavior as a part of the job.
There’s so much going on at an airport, and oftentimes you’ll find me with my giant headphones on, I’m playing some sort of music and I’m looking around and all of these scenes are appearing in front of me. I’m like, oh, those two guys on the ramp are talking about the girl that’s walking by or pointing to the girl on the plane.
You get to see all these stories start to bubble up when you just pay attention. And so I want the world to pay attention to this group of people that have kept us afloat, getting to and from wherever we’re going.
Mel’s journey is triggered by an accidental brush with death. Can you talk about how that moment acts as a catalyst for her transformation and what she learns along the way?
Natasha Rothwell: I think whenever we’re met with those pivotal moments, those forks in the road where we can decide to continue on the same path or change, it’s scary. I think that to be able to craft her story where we see her embark on this new path and decide to start living today and living for herself, it inevitably affects her relationships and opens up opportunity for her, not just to audit her own behavior, but to audit her relationships.
I think that’s such an important part of the healing process because some people don’t grow together, they grow apart. I think you have to acknowledge that, and it’s just such a healthy way to view relationships and to view these moments of change that you really need to take stock of who is really invested in you living your best life, and then who’s holding you back. Yeah, I loved being able to play with that fork in the road, pivotal moment in that way.
How To Die Alone Teaches Audiences A Valuable Lesson, According To Natasha Rothwell
“You’re worthy of Living your best life, right f-cking now.”
Mel is described as someone who’s forgotten had a dream, what advice would you give to people who may feel similarly in their own lives?
Natasha Rothwell: Yeah, I think it’s a product of believing that what you want and what you’re hoping for, you’re not worthy of or not deserving of. It feels out of reach. I think it’s such a herculean task to close the distance between who we are and who we want to be.
I think that we have to be realistic about what growth looks like and what those steps look like. It’s a lot of keeping your eyes on your own paper. I think for me, when I was first started out on my therapy journey, I was constantly like, oh, look at them over there, living happy, healthy whole.
And I’m over here struggling with some small basic principle, but my path was my path. My journey was my journey. So my advice would be keep your eyes on your own paper. Don’t stop. You’re worthy of living your best life, right f-cking now.
About How To Die Alone Season 1
Melissa is a neurotic fat black woman who has never been in love, but after a brush with death she refuses to settle for anything less than the life she wants, leading her to become “that bitch” no matter what.
How To Die Alone
Cast
A down-on-her-luck JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and is struggling to find motivation gets a new lease on life and newfound determination after a near-death experience.
