How ‘PEN15’ Production Designer Grace Alie Turned Back The Clock To The Early 2000s: “We Had A Lot Of Trips Down Memory Lane”
As production designer of the Hulu series PEN15, Grace Alie didn’t need to go far for research and inspiration. Along with a crew that also grew up in the early 2000s, Alie was able to work off their personal experiences to recreate their childhoods. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle created and star in this cringe comedy series on Hulu, where they play 13-year-old versions of themselves, aside actual 13-year-old actors, in 7th grade in the early 2000s. Due to budget constraints in season one, location scouting was the biggest challenge. After the success of the first season, Alie was able to build replicas of the sets on a stage, which brought its own set of challenges.