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Daria was a character in Beavis and Butt-head.
There was a lot of talk throughout the office...
of spinning her off in her own show.
The time that MTV was really interesting...
it was like a lot of spring break stuff.
They needed a show that made women seem smarter.
MTV was looking for an animated series at that time...
that would appeal to its female viewers.
I was a writer on Beavis and Butt-head,
I was a story editor for the first couple seasons,
and when they decided they wanted to spin Daria off...
I thought that would be really cool, so I signed on for that.
At the time there were a lot of shows about teenage females.
Roxanne had Sarah Gilbert's character,
My So-Called Life was kind of going on around that time,
and I just really felt like there was this teenage female revolution going on.
She absolutely fit into that.
As far as developing the characters went...
during the first season it was sort of like open season.
Staff grew a little bit haphazardly.
There was a lot of less planning on the series than people believe.
Or perhaps there was exactly as much planning as people believe.
SOS. Girl overboard.
And now back to Sick Sad World.
The show and the staff was really left to develop naturally.
I don't get it Jane,
how come you can't pass the test to get out?
Daria needs like a best friend.
She's got to be a cool girl.
I can pass the test.
But I like having low self esteem.
She also needs some cute guy.
Hey Daria.
Can't speak.
Must speak.
Hey.
I'm a pretty high energy person.
I'm always pretty outgoing and up.
Trent, on the other hand, is a very low key person.
Susie and I worked on the voice a lot together until we got it just right,
and it got lower, and slower,
and then, you get, Trent.
Change name of Mystic Spiral to Something Something Explosion.
- You're cool. - What's your name?
Quinn Morgendorffer.
Exactly.
Heady, potent, seductive.
I was basically using like...
a lower register, a medium register and a higher register;
so the high one was Quinn,
and then the medium was basically Helen,
and then I used my lowest register for Jane.
Money. Money, money.
I love money.
I'd shovel it down my throat if I could.
I think my favourite character to perform was Kevin Thompson.
A gallon, babe! A gallon!
Kind of closest to my personality but inflated on steroids,
and so it was fun to do, a kind of that, like...
"all right then, cool!" you know.
All right! Field trip!
Where are we going, man?
The field.
I think one of my favourite parts about voicing Daria...
is the fact that the scripts are always so freaking funny.
Did I wake you?
I guess that means you haven't been murdered.
Daria you could at least try.
I can't shoot my own mother.
Not with paint, anyway.
She has a way of cutting to the chase,
and cutting people down and summing it up.
Wow! And I didn't even read the chapter!
She'll never have to worry about mind control.
No. But she'll have to watch out for...
ferrets building a nest in her head.
When I was in high school I was probably a little Jane,
a little Daria, a little Quinn,
a little...
Mr. Di Martino.
Your sarcasm amuses me Daria.
I hope it provides you comfort...
when you're cowering in a fox hole!
Writing was so witty, and so smart.
Don't worry, I don't have low self esteem,
- It's a mistake. - I'll say!
I have low esteem for everyone else.
As a positive female role model,
Daria is great, because she...
stands up for herself and she doesn't put up a thing.
What does "wow" mean?
It's like the feeling you get if the super bowl...
were preempted by antiques road show.
- Wow! - See?
The scripts kind of captured...
what was going on at that time with high schoolers.
So what are you going to fail at? Giving a damn?
I could fail to see the merit of this assignment.
Or succeed in finding it a waste of time.
She and Jane really gave voice to an entire population...
of the disaffected youth, of people that...
just felt like the outsiders, the floaters,
the ones who didn't quite fit in,
the sort who were in observation mode off your high school,
or where you just can't quite connect.
But I'm not miserable. I'm just not like them.
There's the girl who is a little smarter than everyone else,
there's the dumb jack,
there's the dumb cheerleader,
there's parents who don't quite get you.
You know, when I was in high school...
I wanted more than anything to join the swim team...
- but I just… - No! No! Please,
- not again! - Huh?
Mum, if you're going to reminisce...
I'm afraid I'll be forced to call social services.
Watching the episodes now they're still completely relevant.
High school now is not that different than when I was there,
when Daria was in it, it's all so exactly the same groups,
the same categories.
It is amazing how the scenarios knit interplaying the interactions.
Completely relatable.
Maybe you should try failing at not being sarcastic.
That's a good idea.
You know, it's a cartoon.
I feel like, it's just TV let's have some fun.
- Good one Daria. - Um, thanks.
This series had some very sort of heavy moments and serious moments,
but it was a comedy. And we wanted it to be fun and funny.
I think the few people who are still fans are really loud and loyal...
and that's really great of them.
Miss Morgendorffer, where do you think you're going?
Slowly insane. But I need to pop in at home first.
I'd be interested to see if the DVD release...
picks up new fans of the show...
because we're getting past the point where...
people that were five years old then...
who are now in their twenties or whatever...
remember watching it...
at 10:30 Monday nights with their father.
God only knows what he was thinking.
I'm going to do something that really represents student life.
Yes.
That tells the truth about how much it can suck.
Yes.
That blows away the storybook fantasy...
about how great it is to be young.
Yes.
And you're going to help.
No.
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