Jan 9, 2020 · 23 min read
The actors speak.
In part one of our salute to South of Nowhere, the groundbreaking teen drama that aired on The N (later TeenNick) from 2005 to 2008, we talk to Tom Lynch, who created the show. Here we share recollections from the following members of the cast: Gabrielle Christian (Spencer Carlin), Matt Cohen (Aiden Dennison), Aasha Davis (Chelsea Lewis), Mandy Musgrave (Ashley Davies), and Maeve Quinlan (Paula Carlin), plus superfan Travis Vick (or, as Tom Lynch calls him, “Keeper of the Flame”).
Briefly synopsized, South of Nowhere is the story of a Midwestern family that moves to Southern California, where, among other things, the mom and dad (Paula and Arthur Carlin, portrayed by Maeve Quinlan and Rob Moran) struggle through marital difficulties; their lone daughter, Spencer discovers she is gay; one son, Glen (Chris Hunter), becomes addicted to pills; and the other, Clay (Danso Gordon), is killed in a drive-by shooting.
Here we go:
David Bushman: How did you hear about the show? How was it pitched to you? What did you think when you heard about it?
Matt: In all honesty it was my very first acting job I was ever booked for. I had the audition about six months after I moved to LA and then the numerous callbacks over the next month or two, then, finally, about four months later,
they hired me. I read a few times for both Glen and Aiden. I had no real thoughts on the project in the beginning because I was a hungry actor just trying to work, but I soon realized that I was part of a special show with an important message.
Mandy: I was first made aware of South Of Nowhere when my talent agency called and said they had an audition for yet another pilot. And this one was called Out, which later came to be renamed . . . South Of Nowhere. I first auditioned for the character who became Spencer, and I had many call backs. One day I was asked to try playing the character Ashley Davies. They then asked who I enjoyed playing more and which character felt like a better fit. My response, without hesitation was “Ashley!” . . . Ashley just seemed more appealing. More of an emotional roller coaster of a character. I loved the dynamic life and relationships she had. She had so many beliefs. And they all revolved around being true to oneself.
DB: How did the audition process go? Anything memorable about it?
Gabrielle: My initial audition was fun. I coached the scenes with my manager and remember talking about how great of a role and opportunity this could be. The material came natural to me. After a week or so, I received a callback to meet the show’s creator, Tom Lynch, in Santa Monica. When I showed up, there were about twenty girls waiting to be seen in the lobby. The energy was tense, so I went outside to get some air. That’s when I met Mandy. The two of us were the only ones outside. We had instant chemistry. I’ll never forget how much she made me laugh that day.
Mandy: Oh yes, I was with Gaby from the start. It was intense at first. We were both going for the same role at the beginning. But we both were supportive of other artists. So she and I would always wish the other “good luck” but always knew that we were the two in the running. Then once they had to recast everyone for the series, we had to reaudition everyone!!! Once the network agreed to pick it up they said that they wanted everyone to be recast except myself. Gabrielle Christian did end up getting her position back. But she had to fight for it. They could clearly see that there was not as much chemistry with any other actress. Gabrielle and I were meant to play those characters. They also believed that they had recast every other actor. But in fact, Aasha Davis play the original Chelsea as well.
It was beyond intense and emotional. We were attached to our original cast. But . . . everything happens for a reason! That’s where I first set eyes on Matt Cohen. There were stars in my eyes the moment he walked in the room. And he is now my husband and father of our four-year-old son, Macklin.
Aasha: My South of Nowhere audition always stands out in my mind the most because I came so very close to abandoning it. The table read was the next day, so there was a fevered pitch to the process, which made me pretty nervous. I remember trying to fix my hair in the bathroom feeling like it just wasn’t right (only to find out later that Tom Lynch’s son really liked my big hair). Plus there were so many, many “Chelseas” in the waiting room. Then, to add to the level of difficulty, I couldn’t find any legal parking ANYWHERE. “I should just leave . . . It’s a small role in a pilot that may never air and I really can’t afford a ticket,” I said to myself. Luckily, feeling like the odds were stacked against me and the fear of getting a ticket didn’t stop me from missing this life-changing opportunity.
Matt: The audition process was like any other. Nervous, waiting, and hoping. I did, however, see this beautiful brunette girl there on my first call and then again at the callbacks, as did Gabrielle Christian. I never talked to her until I landed on set and realized she was Mandy Musgrave, Ashley from the show, and I was sitting next to her at the first table read. We have been together ever since and now married for nine years, with our son, Macklin, who is four and a half. So, yeah, kind of a special audition.
Maeve: We were not given the pilot script, just our sides. The first time I read for it, I read with the casting director on tape for the producers, and we did a Paula/Spencer scene. He read Spencer’s lines. I was then called back again about a week later to read for the creator, producers, and network and to read the same scenes. I then was informed that the pilot presentation was already shot, but this was a reshoot for the actual pilot/Episode 1. Forever the researcher, I asked to see the pilot presentation before testing for the series. When I saw it I was BLOWN away and wanted to be part of this show more than anything I had ever read for. I was excited, and the athlete in me came out. I wanted this.
When I walked into the waiting area it was packed, as this was everyone who was testing, so many roles here at once. I signed in and couldn’t find a seat. So this man, obviously auditioning for the Arthur role, asked me if I’d like to step away and run lines together. I said, “Well my scenes are with Spencer, not with Arthur, but I’ll run your scenes if you run mine.” So we found a stairway and ran each other’s scenes. We did his Arthur/Paula scenes and he read Spencer for my Paula/Spencer scenes. I’d never seen these parent scenes before, so I felt blessed to get this additional peak into Paula. Well, I didn’t know how blessed I was to be able to read these parent scenes. The door to the stairwell opens, it’s the casting director, and he says “Rob, Maeve? We’re ready for you.” I was like “HUH????? I’m reading the parent scenes, NOT the mother/daughter scene?” I had literally never laid eyes on this scene except for what I rehearsed in the stairwell for Rob, paying more attention to my own scenes we were already rehearsing. I told the room to be patient with me, that I had just laid eyes on these words about fifteen minutes beforehand, and had prepared the mother/daughter scenes.
This was where my twelve years on The Bold and the Beautiful really benefited me, memorizing lines in minutes. Meeting each other only minutes before, Rob and I did the scene. I never dropped one line, and not only did he nail it, but I nailed it, and, we both learned later, by both being cast, that WE nailed it.
It’s funny, because I’ll never forget the last episode we shot for the first season. The network came to watch us filming. I asked one of the network execs at that time what was the moment in the audition that he knew I was the correct Paula to Rob’s Arthur. He said it was when during our audition, midconversation, in the scene where I nonchalantly removed a hair on Rob’s face. It was a tough scene between these parents about Spencer and her sexuality, but although Paula’s character was a perfectionist, willful, had high standards, and was stubborn, she was also so loving underneath her toughness. A Rottweiler who protects her pups at all costs is how I saw Paula, and though she and Arthur had their struggles, he was the love of her life. Paula was tough, but above all she was loving underneath it all. The network exec told me that hair moment showed him her softness. I laughed so hard, because the only reason I removed that hair off of Rob’s face midscene was that it was bugging the F out of me and was distracting me! Hahahaha. And that was not only when Paula and Arthur were born, but that pretty much sums up Maeve and Rob on set. We were like brother and sister. It was so seamless.
DB: Tell me about your character. Do you miss playing him/her?
Gabrielle: Spencer is by far my most intimate role. She taught me a great deal about ingenuity, humility, and passion. She was motivated not only by her heart, but her desire to be truthful and respectful to others, and herself. I miss her deeply. Spencer came into my life when I had also recently moved across the country on my own, so we shared a lot of new experiences together in Los Angeles.
Mandy: I do miss her. I miss her honesty and her passion. I love how she said what she felt. She wasn’t an outright liar. Sure, she told lies. But she was always true to herself. Even if it took a moment for her to realize her feelings and priorities. She didn’t dwell on the negative. She had no devoted or loving parent, no one ever making her their priority. But when it came to friendship and love, the relationships that she respected and valued, she was extremely devoted. I love how fearless she was. With her heart, her rebelliousness, and her fashion. She just gave everything her all. Her passion was intoxicating.
Matt: Aiden was the popular guy just trying to navigate high school, but he didn’t realize that his involvement with two of his classmates would teach him to be an advocate for acceptance and a supportive friend. When Ashley and Spencer fell for each other, Aiden learned how to help someone else fight for what they believe in, and that in turn changed his and my perspective of life completely.
Aasha: I miss Chelsea a lot. She was pure love energy to me. Being a good friend and partner was really important to her. Out of all the characters I’ve played so far in my career I feel the closest to her.
Maeve: Paula is certainly the most important character I have ever played. She is also without a shadow of a doubt the most complicated character I’ve ever played. There were, and are, so many layers to Paula, one layer getting more interesting than the last. Like an onion. Literally. This interesting bulb of a character like Paula, you didn’t know what was coming next in regard to her. She was strong, bold, purposeful, just like a onion, and with each peeling back of a layer she could make you cry or surprise you completely with no tears from your eyes, but instead your eyes are wide open in marvel. Love her or hate her, she was BOLD. And by the end of the series, you understood her more and you realized she was actually quite BEAUTIFUL. She learned from her children, she grew, she came to understand the true meaning of morality: acceptance and nonjudgmental love. Her arc on the show was one of the best written arcs I have seen in a long time. I’m not saying my performance; it was the creation and the writing of who this character was.What an amazing transformation from A to Z, and it was not rushed for television. It was realistically played out in real time.
DB: Did you ever detect any nervousness on set given the fact that you dealt with so many hot-button issues — homosexuality, religion, school shootings, race, drugs, plus abortion?
Gabrielle: I was fortunate to have never felt any nervousness from others on set. We had an extraordinary cast and crew who were supportive of one another and shared positive energy. Mandy also has an incredible way of making me laugh whenever things get awkward.
Matt: No, never. The set was an open, accepting atmosphere for us all, in front of and behind the camera, to figure out the best way to tell these stories and share the messages. I think all the makers involved in South of Nowhere always tried to make our journey as these characters as authentic as possible.
Aasha: I personally never felt nervous about our “eye opening” content. That’s actually my favorite part of storytelling. If I’m not exploring new worlds or thinking of an issue in a different way I really don’t get the point. Straddling the line is so exciting and satisfying to me.
Mandy: Never. Everyone who was a part of the project was very aware of how relevant and common all of these issues were. And that made it all the more comfortable to do our job.
Maeve: Not at all. In fact, as a performer, I am a button pusher. The hotter the hot-button issue, the more I’m going to double down on the depth of my performance. If they’re talking about it, then you’ve done your job.
DB: Do you have a favorite episode? A favorite scene?
Travis: I don’t have one specific favorite scene. There are so many powerful moments. In the first episode Spencer said, “I think God is a little too busy to be worried about which two people like each other.” In “Girl’s Guide to Dating,” Spencer was trying to figure out her sexuality. She asked Ashley, “How do you know you’re gay?” Ashley’s reply was, “How do you know you’re straight?” I think that one is meaningful because no one had ever put it that way. You don’t think about being straight, gay, etc. It’s a part of you. Pretty much any scene with Arthur is amazing. He’s a very insightful, and caring, father. He’s full of wisdom. I wish everyone who is struggling had someone like him in their lives.
Gabrielle: One of my favorite scenes is when Spencer comes home from a date with Patrick and her mother is waiting for her in the hallway. We have an argument and Spencer says, “You think I just woke up one morning and decided to be gay? . . . Why can’t you just accept me?” It’s a pivotal arc for Spencer, as she’s finally able to speak up for herself. I admire her strength in this moment, and her willingness to challenge others’ expectations.
Matt: I really enjoyed season three because I was dealing with PTSD after being shot and I had the chance to ride a motorcycle as part of my story line.
Maeve: My favorite episode is “Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are.” Without a doubt. Beautifully written by coexecutive producer Nancylee Myatt and brilliantly directed by Bethany Rooney, this is the most important episode for the Romeo and Juliet/Paula triangle. This is the episode that has stood the test of time. This is the episode that most definitely was groundbreaking and brave. It was originally written for me to pull Mandy out dramatically by the arm. I spoke to Mandy and Gaby and pitched them my idea to really GO for it. I thought about this scene a lot before filming and knew that Paula when faced with walking in on Spencer and Ashley wouldn’t stop at just an arm to get Ashley out of her house. She would be on automatic pilot, freaking out, her main goal being to “get this piece of trash” out of her house . . . because that is how she viewed Ashley. I pitched it to the girls and Mandy and I talked it through a lot. She agreed with the idea and was 100 percent down with it. We all three went to Nancylee, Bethany, and Tommy to give us a shot to see if it worked. The trusted us and they let us try it. It not only worked, but it is one of the most remembered and most important scenes of the entire series. That is the scene that mothers and daughters at fan events say brought them together, when a mother saw her fear in Paula come out as such anger. The hardest lines I had to recite in the entire series were in that scene. Its when I tell my daughter, “You disgust me.” I didn’t know how to even say it. In the end I played it in a way that I actually somewhat choke on my own words as they come out of my mouth, grieving the fact I’m actually saying it.
One of the other reasons I love this episode so much is it shows the hypocrisy of Paula’s parenting. There’s Glen with a Vicodin problem and they have to go to the police station even to get him and she’s so loving to Glen and nonjudgmental. Clay gets Chelsea pregnant, and again, Paula is loving and nonjudgmental. But heaven forbid Spencer be gay.
Although this is my favorite episode, my runner-up favorite episodes are the paint ball episode and one I’m hardly in, “Too Many Girls, Not Enough Aiden,” phenomenally played by Matt Cohen, about Aiden’s struggles with all of the women in his life. I love this one so much because it was the birth of Matt Cohen as a filmmaker for sure. He had to actually wear the camera, as this was all seen by the audience through his eyes. You could see his excitement holding the camera, and now we have seen him since direct, produce, etc. It was so fun to see that being born in him. It also holds one of my favorite scenes as well: “Oh, hey, Aiden, you’re just in time for pizza.” Hahaha.
Mandy: I love my fight scene with Maeve, after she discovered Spencer and Ashley in bed. he energy was certainly elevated. and we ALL really went for it. She actually [not intentionally] ripped out my hair. I told her to “really give it to me” or else It wouldn’t come off realistic. We had a great time. I love Maeve. She is as sweet as she is fierce. And a beauty through and through.And I love my scene with Matt Cohen when he gets in a fight outside of the club and I try to calm him down beside a building. Most of the solo playful scenes with Gaby. And also the deep emotional ones. LOL! I love it all! I miss it all!
DB: Where do you think your character/other characters are today?
Gabrielle: I’d like to think Spencer is still making documentary films and has found great success in her career. She’s got an entrepreneurial spirit and is definitely doing something creative and bringing people together. She’s close to her family, which has always been a priority for her. In her romantic life, I hope she and Ashley have found a way to be together. I’m always rooting for them.
Maeve: I think Paula and Arthur would have gone into a practice together specifically for teens — Arthur handling the social work aspect of it and Paula handling the medical. I think their practice would help in exploring self-discovery, help with drug addiction, vaping, etc. I think their empty-nest marriage would bring them the closest they have ever been, and they are happy and in love. I see Paula as a grandmother at this point. And a loving, doting, and spoiling one at that. I think Paula is happy, fulfilled, and proud of who she has become. I think she has precious girlfriend time with her best friend each week. And I think that best friend is Spencer Carlin.
Aasha: Today I believe Chelsea teaches yoga and art classes in Santa Monica with her super handsome Parisian lover and two dogs. They’re thinking about having kids…
Mandy: Oh, I think she is in a beautiful, traditional home with Spencer and their kids. Right down the street from the Carlin family. Ashley has probably purchased two lots to do something slightly more grandiose than Spencer feels comfortable with. They garden a lot. Though she doesn’t always enjoy it. Her wife and sister have opened her up to it. Helps sooth her storms.
Matt: We did a webisode post the show wrapping up that showed a glimpse into the future. Aiden had donated sperm to help Ashley and Spencer have a baby, and Ashley was carrying. I think the future for the three characters is two very caring mothers and a very proud, supportive uncle Aiden. An unconventional family, but a family.
Travis: Ashley’s involved in music. She’s either performing, running a label, and/or has become a lyricist. She’s still with Spencer; they’re married now. Maybe they’re raising a family. Spencer is a big time movie mogul. They appear to have everything, but their lives still feature lots of drama. Maybe Glen and Aiden realized that they could still be involved in sports despite the premature endings to their basketball careers. They became agents, and represent some of the country’s top athletes. Chelsea and Glen are married now. She’s a famous artist. Aiden is married, to Kyla. They’re similar to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in that they adopted a bunch of kids from impoverished countries. Arthur and Paula have opened up a free medical and mental health clinic. There’s nothing that they won’t do to help someone in need. Sean’s making movies. Maybe he works with Spencer. Madison is working is working at a nonprofit that specializes in helping homeless LGBT youths. She got the desire when she realized she wanted to atone for the way she was toward Spencer and Ashley.
DB: Did you know the third-season finale was the series finale as you were shooting it? How did it feel when the time came to say goodbye?
Gabrielle: I was hopeful the show would continue and tried to avoid thinking about it while shooting. Then when it was time to say goodbye, it just felt like there was so much more I wish we could have explored and shared.
Mandy: I did not know. But thought, what a sweet way to end, if it were to be. But also, what a great place to pick up for next season. I actually have all the original DVDs, but that is the one episode that has never worked. Something was wrong with the disk. So I haven’t seen that full episode since the day it aired. When we knew it was over and time to say goodbye, we hugged one another and all cried and laughed together. Mostly just told stories and made some more fun memories as we watched our final series premiere. We loved how we would all get together every episode (either at Maeve Quinlan’s place or Nancylee Myatt’s house). We were family. Many of us still are. We all still have a deep unspoken connection. Forever, I imagine.
Matt: You always hope for more, but we outgrew the network agewise, I felt. It was devastating to say goodbye. Harder now just looking back and writing these sentences. I owe a lot to that show. It gave me a life, a family, and educated me on helping to create a better world. I am in contact with most of the amazing people from the show still.
Maeve: I had no idea, nor did anyone else, that this was the final season. Although when we all stand around and toast in Ashley and Spencer’s apartment, I did get chills. And not in a good way. I remember saying to Rob, “I have a weirdest feeling we just shot the last scene.” It seemed to be wrapped up, whereas we always had a cliffhanger at the end of a season. In fact the best cliffhanger was season one’s final episode, and we shot that I believe the fifth week of shooting, so not in succession. Which makes that cliffhanger even cooler, because we already knew how that season ended but didn’t know at that time why. Was super cool once we saw it in entirety with the whole first season . Seasons one and two were my favorites.
DB: Why do you think South of Nowhere is an important show to remember?
Gabrielle: South of Nowhere was far ahead of its time. A true gem. It was willing to take risks and be challenged. It was sincere. It gave hope. More importantly, it gave a voice to young women and men who needed the emotional support and positive role models at that time, and I’m hopeful it will continue to do so for future generations. I’m honored to have been a part of it.
Aasha: South of Nowhere is an important show to remember because it was one of the first to give young people the chance to have an open dialogue about tough topics with their family and friends.
Mandy: Because it was a story based on many true events. Events that are still relevant today. And a show about love. Love in every shape, color, age . . . it has it all: abortion; gay, teen sex; parental neglect; shaming in school; depression; drugs; shootings; dating; how far children will go to escape hate; and how far parents will go to show their love. It is a beautiful love story.
Matt: It was basically the only show at the time with the lead story being a female-and-female teen romantic relationship. This show gave a voice to so many young people struggling with being who they truly are. The show taught all of us actors so much about acceptance and support for others in struggling times. I meet people every week who tell me the show helped them so much, and that is enough to keep me trying to make content that matters and has a message.
Travis: South of Nowhere has been credited by many fans for changing, and even saving, lives. Fans have said it helped them be comfortable with their sexuality. It helped some who were homophobic, or generally had an ignorant view of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, etc., to learn to be accepting. I’ve heard stories from other fans about their former battles with suicide. It is beyond sad that so many people in the LGBT community have and will die because they’ve been made to feel like who they are is not only invalid, but evil. For some fans of South, they got to see that they are not alone, even if it was through characters on a show that they only got to see weekly. That actually makes its impact more impressive. Sometimes all anyone needs is to connect. South of Nowhere created some of the strongest connections that anyone will ever know.
After the show ended, I wanted to keep SON going in my own way. I joined a site that was dedicated to it. I had some ideas for improvements. I contacted the webmaster, Jacky Abromitis. She asked me if I wanted to be an administrator. One of the first ideas I got was trying to get interviews with the cast. I got a hold of Tom, not expecting to hear back, let alone have him agree to do an interview. It wasn’t long before he responded. Shortly after, we had an awesome phone interview. That’s when I knew that the people behind South of Nowhere were/are special. In our interview, he mentioned Nancylee Myatt. Tom made a point to mention her. So I wanted to make sure she read what he had to say. She liked it so much that she got me in touch with all of the cast members that she still talked to. Because of her, I was able to do interviews with several cast members either online or by phone. Then, she helped change my life again. She helped coordinate my first trip to California, where I met some of them in person for the first time. That included Tom. I did some interviews then as well. I returned yearly for five years total. There were more interviews, and simply hanging out. They are all that kind. In 2013 I helped organize a SON fan convention, along with Bren Sullivan Coombs, who did the heavy lifting. In between of it all I managed and still do manage a South fan Twitter account.
Matt (Aiden), Mandy (Ashley), Aasha (Chelsea), and Rob (Arthur) were the first cast members I met. They spent hours hanging out with me in my hotel room. Aasha stayed a long time after the others left. One year, Austin Parros (Sean) went to eat with my mom and me at the hotel restaurant. That same year, Gabrielle (Spencer) came back the next day because she forgot the gifts that she wanted to give me the day before. She went out of her way to do that. That still means a lot. The gifts were signed shirts from a movie that she and Mandy were in and a South of Nowhere poster with a special message from her and signatures from virtually the entire cast.
Maeve: To this day, I only have to hear it from the fans to know the answer to that question. I hear it in airports mostly when recognized. It usually starts with, “You’re Paula,” and then is followed up by “THANK YOU! South of Nowhere helped me at a time where I felt so alone. A parent (usually, by the way, their mother) who wouldn’t accept me, or whom I had to hide my true self and sexuality from. Characters I could identify exactly with. A parent who was just like mine and who gave me hope could she could turn around and someday accept me.”
I knew we made it as a show to remember when we were entering as a cast the Kodak Theater being nominated for a GLAAD Award after our very first season, for best show, and subsequently every season we were nominated. We knew at that moment, walking the red carpet together as a cast, we weren’t just this little teen show that would come and go. I remember the chills I got on my arm, knowing the importance of this moment, as if it were yesterday. We were nominated opposite the heavy hitters and critically acclaimed adult prime time shows, such as The Sopranos, Grey’s Anatomy, True Blood, Brother’s and Sisters. We weren’t just this little N show any longer; we were critically acclaimed in every review and now had nominations to go with it. We had arrived and were playing with the big dogs.
But above all I believe South is an important show to remember because it was authentic and didn’t hit these hot topics for ratings or shock value. It was authentic and real. It was a show about discovery and acceptance. Sexuality, race, combating drug addiction. Parents who were flawed. Personally, I love that my character grew because she learned from her daughter. Spencer truly parented Paula to be not only a better parent, but a better, more accepting, compassionate human. Much like I think these kids did to all of us.
This show will be in the memory books forever as one of the greatest, coming-of-age teen shows ever. Mark my words.
Thank you Tommy Lynch for casting me in this AMAZING show, and being your Paula, and thank you Rob Moran for having that hair on your face.
Paley Matters is a publication of The Paley Center for Media.