The Reunion by Kayla Olson(23)
Marissa, who’ll be conducting the interview, gives me a once-over. “I love it. A few quick touch-ups and you’ll be good to go.” They agree my hair is already exactly what they had in mind, too—I’m wearing it down, blown out in billowy waves that complete today’s casual-but-posh aesthetic.
After a fast five minutes with the makeup artist, I head over to the trio of director’s chairs that have been set up just for us. Sasha-Kate and Millie are sipping on water with cucumber slices in it, as if this is some kind of spa day.
“All right, ladies,” Marissa says. “Clearly, you’re all familiar with the Snapaday platform itself, so if all of you are ready, let’s get to it!” We laugh—the entire planet is familiar with the Snapaday platform. For these takeovers, they always post some prerecorded spots, then do a live Q&A segment to follow.
They position us in the director’s chairs; I’m in the middle, with Millie to my right and Sasha-Kate on my left. Millie is practically glowing today, buzzing with barely contained energy—by contrast, Sasha-Kate seems a bit dour, like she wishes her cucumber water were coffee instead, or perhaps something stronger. To her credit, she does a good job of hiding it once the cameras are rolling.
“Hello and welcome, everyone, to this week’s Snapaday takeover!” Hailey says. The cameraman focuses only on her for now, where she’s standing off to the side in front of a particularly beautiful section of the courtyard. “Today we’ll be chatting with the ladies of Girl on the Verge. You know the drill, so get your questions ready—we’ll be going live at noon!”
Hailey’s take is perfect on the first try, so the cameraman shifts over to where Sasha-Kate, Millie, and I are waiting and sets up far enough back to capture all of us in the frame.
“Good to go, Mike?” Marissa calls out.
The cameraman gives her a thumbs-up.
Marissa nods. “Everyone ready?”
We confirm that we are. On the camera, a little red light blinks on.
“Girl on the Verge was known for touching on a wide variety of topics,” Marissa begins. “Friendship and love, talent and ambition, hope and disappointment. While the focus was mostly on Honor’s academics, creative passions, and talent on the tennis court—and, yes, her love life—there were other episodes along the way that centered on each of the St. Croix sisters. The writers have received abundant praise for prioritizing women’s stories. Could you each share your own perspective on why Girl on the Verge has been such a force of empowerment to women of all ages over the years? Liv, why don’t you start.”
Even though I have an answer for this already, I’m glad I read Attica’s sound bites on the way over—her words in the back of my head help to refine my own answer into something smooth and polished.
“Girl, at its heart, has always been all about giving girls the courage to try—and fail—and work hard—at their dreams,” I say. “It never sugarcoated things, but it was also never bleak or without hope. I loved playing Honor because she grew up on the show believing she could be anything she wanted. Things weren’t always easy for her, but she was allowed to feel and grow and learn along the way. I think it’s important for girls, especially young girls, to see someone dreaming big, and to see them push through when things get tough.”
Marissa and Hailey nod along as I speak—I can tell this will hit exactly the way I want it to.
“For me,” Millie says, her energy palpable, “it wasn’t just my character who grew up on the show—it was my literal childhood. I started playing Natalie at age five, and I think the writers did a really good job of not making her this clichéd sort of kid character, you know? She wasn’t on-screen just for a laugh or the cuteness factor—they gave her actual lines and big emotions, and I’ve always respected that.”
What Millie neglects to mention is that it took dozens of takes for her to nail those lines and big emotions—the audition that landed her the part had, apparently, been rehearsed and perfected within an inch of its life. Still, the writers continued to give her lines as the series went on, a testament to how committed they were to making sure her character had substance.
“I think we can all agree,” she goes on, “that it’s important for girls to know they’re worth more to a story than just being cute, right?”
“Hailey, jot that last line down, we’ll use it as a pull quote,” Marissa says. “This is perfect so far, ladies. Sasha-Kate?”
Beside me, Sasha-Kate shifts in her chair. Even in this casual pose—legs crossed, somewhat slouched and leaning on one elbow—she looks very much in charge of the moment.
“I always thought Dan and Xan did a really good job balancing the romantic aspects of the show,” she says, putting on the slightly deeper voice she uses whenever she does interviews. “Even though we all know Honor’s love life was a huge focal point”—Millie and I laugh, because it’s that true—“it was always dealt with in a way that made it clear that finding true love wasn’t her be-all, end-all purpose in life. And she made mistakes along the way, like all of us do, but never let them define her.”
I’ve never really thought about it like that, but she’s right. I wonder whether it’s something she came up with herself or if it’s a sound bite she memorized on the ride over—knowing Sasha-Kate, it could go either way.