The dynamic creative duo talk queer friendship, working together and making We Might Regret This season 2
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY BBC/ROUGHCUT TV/ADAM LAWRENCE
If you love shows that tell authentic stories, are packed with laughter and celebrate platonic love, you’ve likely already discovered the gem that is the BBC’s We Might Regret This. If you’re new to the party, welcome. It’s the perfect time to get into this wonderful show, as the second season comes out later today (25 February).
The show’s first season followed Freya (Kyla Harris), a tetraplegic artist navigating the realities of dating, influencer culture and ever-present intimate moments with her personal assistant and friend. Not only does Kyla star in the show, she’s also its co-creator and writer. Her friendship with co-creator Lee Getty was actually what inspired the story. Here’s what the dynamic duo had to say about all things We Might Regret This season two…
We Might Regret This was inspired by your real-life friendship. I’d love it if you could share the story of how you both met and what your first impressions of each other were
Kyla: We met at a film school in Vancouver and my first impression of Lee was that she had this intense presence as she acutely observed everything, yet appeared to care about nothing, and I was drawn to that contrast. We first talked when she was eating corner store sushi – it’s a thing in Vancouver – in the weirdest way by deconstructing every element, and she’d just received an illegal pocket knife from Korea as a gift for her birthday.
Lee: We were both outsiders in film school and deeply uncomfortable, but to look at us, you wouldn’t know it because we both projected a certain level of defiance. We bonded over a love of observing and analysing the world around us. We called it entertainment, but looking back on it, it was more of a shared survival skill. My first impression of Kyla was that she was both incredibly naive – she gave me a key to her flat within a week of knowing me – and possessed a level of depth and wisdom hard to come by at that age.
Please could you both describe the other using just five emojis?
Kyla describing Lee: 🕵️ 💎🫀🥷️🌪️
Lee describing Kyla: ✊🏽🎨️️👁️🌶️🎭
How was working together on We Might Regret This impacted your friendship?
Kyla: We honestly didn’t think our friendship could level up any more, and then we made We Might Regret This. Turns out, other than catheterisation, nothing bonds you more than creativity and sleep deprivation!
Lee: Making a series is intense, and when it’s rooted in our own lived experience and inspired by our friendship, it was beyond meta at times. But we discovered that our instincts are freakishly aligned, we have the same taste, same ambition and the same hunger to expand empathy. Throughout the process, we were very clear that our friendship comes first. Having a show we made together is great, but we very intentionally put our friendship above any work.
What can you tell us about the upcoming season? And will there be as much nudity and laughter as in season one?
Lee: [This season] focuses on giving insight into Freya and Jo’s backstory and the conflict between autonomy and interdependence within Freya and Abe’s relationship. Also, an upcoming wedding. There are plenty of laughs and nudity, although slightly fewer bodily fluids than in season one.
How does it feel for We Might Regret This to be compared to Fleabag?
Kyla: We feel unworthy of such a compliment, but incredibly grateful to be considered anywhere near that level of creativity and skill!. If we did anything even a tenth of what Phoebe Waller Bridge was able to pull off with that series, we’d be happy. Phoebe, call us.
What was the best part of working on season two?
Lee: We fought hard to shoot two scenes, one of being on a plane as a wheelchair user and another of Freya in a pool. Both take a hefty amount of budget and time but we really wanted to show experiences that are relatable but done differently when you’re a wheelchair user. It felt like a huge win being able to film them and at the end of each of those shooting days, it felt magically cathartic and so exciting.
And the most challenging?
Kyla: Unfortunately, we both dealt with life-changing losses just before and during production of season two, so we carried that extra emotional load in an already consuming and intense process. But it also caused us to pick our battles – as working in this industry, you have to be a problem solver – so we would check in on each other regularly, which kept us in balance.
If you could choose just one thing, what do you hope viewers take away from watching season two?
Lee: Communicate more, don’t make decisions out of fear. And aeroplanes should be more accessible. Sorry, that was three. Also, never follow the rules.
We are, slowly, seeing more stories being made by and starring disabled people. Do you have any recommendations for DIVA readers wanting to watch more stories with great representation?
Kyla: This question is our love language. One of our favourite shows is Ramy, a nuanced portrayal of Muslim American life, disability and the friendship between a disabled and a non-disabled person. Although the creator and writer, Ramy Youssef, isn’t disabled, his best friend Steve Way, both in real life and in the show, is. Steve was part of the writing process and co-stars as a version of himself, which brings a real depth of authenticity to the series.
Do you have any advice for aspiring screenwriters, especially those from marginalised communities?
Kyla: Our advice is always find your community, lean on them and let them lean on you. Asking for help with writing, or anything in life, isn’t a burden. It’s an opportunity to connect. In more tangible, immediate terms, always come back to your central narrative question that propels and drives you to write.
Society has a very hierarchical view of relationships, often putting romantic and familial above platonic bonds. We are starting to see stories centred around platonic love receiving more recognition. It is clearly striking a chord with people. Do you think there’s anything that has sparked more of a shift in recent years?
Lee: The industry, in its hunger for new stories, perspectives once dismissed as “niche” – queer lives, disabled lives, female friendship, care networks – are beginning to be recognised as universal.
Kyla: People want to see themselves reflected on screen and, for many of us, real life isn’t organised around a nuclear family or a grand romance. It’s shaped by friendships, chosen family, care and interdependence.
Are you working on any other projects at the moment that you can tell our readers about?
Lee: We have another concept together in development which centres around a group of newly disabled people in a live-in physical rehabilitation facility and how they navigate their new lives. We also have multiple projects individually.
Kyla: We kind of see ourselves work-wise as primary partners, in an open relationship, where we collaborate together, as well as with others.
Is there anything else you’d like to address that hasn’t been touched on?
Kyla: Disability has been one of our biggest teachers, and the greatest gift we’ve learned is understanding that your self-worth has nothing to do with what you do, how you look, or how much you need.
Series 2 of We Might Regret This premieres on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 25 February, airing at 10pm on BBC Two.
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