Amy Schumer (‘Life and Beth’) on her childhood: ‘It was shown to me that I should be embarrassed about being Jewish’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
Amy Schumer is entirely on-brand in an interview, which is to say utterly without pretense. She’s free of makeup, her blonde hair tied up behind her head and wearing a T-shirt that reads “ASK YOUR MOM.” It’s how she likes to present to the world, whether it be in her career or personal lives (which often tend to intersect). She’s here on Zoom to talk about the 10-episode second season of her semi-autobiographical Hulu romantic dramedy “Life and Beth,” during which she fictionally, but pointedly, addresses two subjects close to her heart: her Judaism and her real-life husband’s autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. This kind of candor is simply what she does. “I’ve always been like this,” she explains. “I don’t really know why. I think I’ve just always had a low threshold for small talk and so I can’t really help it. I’ve gotten better. I’m a little more housebroken. But I’ve always kept it pretty real and cut right to the bone.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Schumer, who wears numerous hats on “Life and Beth” – creator, executive producer, co-writer and co-director in addition to star – mirrors a major component of her life in a significant storyline on the show involving John, portrayed by Michael Cera (and whom her character Beth marries early in Season 2). John is diagnosed with ASD in the season’s fourth installment. Schumer’s actual husband, Chris Fischer, received his own ASD diagnosis after the two wed in 2018. In fact, Fischer is a writing consultant and producer on the show, and Schumer emphasizes, “He was very involved and read every word and watched every frame. And the therapist who diagnosed him was consulted and took a pass on scripts.
“We really wanted to get it all right and accurate, and if there was anything that (Fischer) flagged, it came out immediately. There were moments where we struggled. I think he just felt really vulnerable because there aren’t many adults out in the public eye that openly have autism, which is why it’s so brave that he’s willing to put himself out there. (But) it’s so clear to me that everybody else needs to catch up and this shouldn’t be stigmatized.”
However, Schumer stresses that what viewers see in “Life and Beth” is still a scripted streaming show and not at all reality. “It’s definitely not a documentary, and there’s a big collaboration with the other writers,” she says, adding that the way Beth and John’s relationship plays out is relatable to most couples, autism or no. “I had so many friends text me after and go, ‘I think my husband’s on the spectrum.’ And (Chris and I) are definitely reflected in there, the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Another aspect of the series that’s incorporated heavily into the Season 2 storyline is Schumer’s Judaism and in particular the way it impacted her as a young girl and adolescent, as reflected in the flashback character of her younger self (portrayed in “Life and Beth” by Violet Young). The actress and comedian pulls no punches in portraying some of the antisemitism she endured through her TV show alter ego. “It was explained to me and shown to me that I should be embarrassed about being Jewish,” she recalls, “and I grew up around a lot of Jew jokes and wasn’t allowed in the country club. I didn’t met anyone who was proud of being Jewish until I was in college…I wanted to show that but also some Jewish joy, because it’s my reality.”
Due to her outspoken stance in support of Israel in the nation’s current Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, she’s been a major target of antisemitism over social media. But Schumer is unapologetic. “If I had the capacity to shut my mouth, I would have done it a long time ago,” she admits, “but it’s not in the cards for me.”
Her goal for the second season of her show was ultimately for viewers to “feel more empathetic about their own lives,” she says. “It was also a love letter to my husband showing the beauty and the struggle and us both trying to understand each other better, and how your family and your friends are a constant negotiation. I set out to do a lot with this show, and even though it’s not (set) in a kitchen, I think it’s still worth making. (Beat) That’s a ‘Bear’ joke.”
Both seasons of “Life and Beth” are streaming on Hulu.
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