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Further Ado: Eliza Clark

Amber Tamblyn
May 23, 2024
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This month, our Further Ado interview guest is one of my best friends, the brilliant writer, and television showrunner and creator, Eliza Clark.

Eli is one of the most powerful storytellers I know, and she is beloved and revered in the entertainment business. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony-nominated playwright) once said to me that Eli is so good at what she does she has reached an almost mythical status among her peers. I couldn't agree more: the bitch is known and the bitch is loved.

Eli and I have endeavored many great things together over the years, including making the incredible (and tragically short-lived) TV show, Y: The Last Man; going into the desert to do mushrooms; and taking to the front lines of everything from historic strikes to the hostess stand at the Vanderpump Rules’ restaurant, SUR.

Left: Amber, Eliza, Missi Pyle, Nelini Stamp, and Linda Berg pose in front of the neon sign that says "SUR rules." Middle: Amber and Eliza take a selfie together in the desert. Wind is blowing Eliza's hair over her face. Right: Eliza, Amber, Missi Pyle, and Ashley Romans on the WGA picket line.Left: Amber, Eliza, Missi Pyle, Nelini Stamp, and Linda Berg pose in front of the neon sign that says "SUR rules." Middle: Amber and Eliza take a selfie together in the desert. Wind is blowing Eliza's hair over her face. Right: Eliza, Amber, Missi Pyle, and Ashley Romans on the WGA picket line.Left: Amber, Eliza, Missi Pyle, Nelini Stamp, and Linda Berg pose in front of the neon sign that says "SUR rules." Middle: Amber and Eliza take a selfie together in the desert. Wind is blowing Eliza's hair over her face. Right: Eliza, Amber, Missi Pyle, and Ashley Romans on the WGA picket line.
A trio of bestie pics (from L-R): Bestie giving a sexy glare. Bestie giving psychedelic silliness. Bestie on the picket line.

But in 2021, Eli’s life—and to an extent, mine—was turned upside down when Y: The Last Man was canceled by FX. We had dedicated years of development and pre-production to the show and even moved our families to Canada for close to a year during Toronto’s longest and hardest Stay-at-Home order during the pandemic. Though an important safety measure at the time, it prevented us from traveling back to the U.S. to see friends and family for more than half a year. Because of this, I never got to say goodbye to Jack Hirschman. Both Eli and I, along with the entire cast and crew, sacrificed so much for that show because we believed in it deeply. All the years of hard work and energy we had given to this show only to have it abruptly canceled and then removed from streaming indefinitely (a casualty in the horrifying content purge multibillion-dollar companies were doing for tax write-offs) sent Eli into an existential crisis.

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The entire experience forced her to reckon with and rethink many aspects of her life: from prioritizing her mental health and choosing sobriety to finding new ways to experience joy and fulfillment, canceled TV show be damned. She writes about all of this and more in her inspired newsletter, Witch’s Mark, which is, in her words, “an exploration of creativity, art, storytelling, and life through the lens of the tarot, as written by a recovering fundamentalist atheist/current skeptic/witch.”

Five photos. Clockwise from top left: 1. Amber and Eliza take a selfie together outside. They both are laughing and wearing sunglasses. 2. In the foreground, Eliza gives a model look to the camera. In the background, Amber photobombs the picture, making a funny face. 3. Amber behind the scenes on the set of "Y: The Last Man." She stands staring into the camera with a large group of women behind her, also staring into camera. They all wear facemasks. 4. Amber, Ashley Romans, Eliza Clark, Marin Ireland, and Missi Pyle sit outside in the sun. They are all wearing big coats/hats/scarves and smile into camera. 5. Amber and Eliza stand chest-deep in the ocean facing each other. They are both laughing with their heads thrown back, not looking at the camera. They both wear sunglasses.Five photos. Clockwise from top left: 1. Amber and Eliza take a selfie together outside. They both are laughing and wearing sunglasses. 2. In the foreground, Eliza gives a model look to the camera. In the background, Amber photobombs the picture, making a funny face. 3. Amber behind the scenes on the set of "Y: The Last Man." She stands staring into the camera with a large group of women behind her, also staring into camera. They all wear facemasks. 4. Amber, Ashley Romans, Eliza Clark, Marin Ireland, and Missi Pyle sit outside in the sun. They are all wearing big coats/hats/scarves and smile into camera. 5. Amber and Eliza stand chest-deep in the ocean facing each other. They are both laughing with their heads thrown back, not looking at the camera. They both wear sunglasses.Five photos. Clockwise from top left: 1. Amber and Eliza take a selfie together outside. They both are laughing and wearing sunglasses. 2. In the foreground, Eliza gives a model look to the camera. In the background, Amber photobombs the picture, making a funny face. 3. Amber behind the scenes on the set of "Y: The Last Man." She stands staring into the camera with a large group of women behind her, also staring into camera. They all wear facemasks. 4. Amber, Ashley Romans, Eliza Clark, Marin Ireland, and Missi Pyle sit outside in the sun. They are all wearing big coats/hats/scarves and smile into camera. 5. Amber and Eliza stand chest-deep in the ocean facing each other. They are both laughing with their heads thrown back, not looking at the camera. They both wear sunglasses.
Five photos. Clockwise from top left: 1. Amber and Eliza take a selfie together outside. They both are laughing and wearing sunglasses. 2. In the foreground, Eliza gives a model look to the camera. In the background, Amber photobombs the picture, making a funny face. 3. Amber behind the scenes on the set of "Y: The Last Man." She stands staring into the camera with a large group of women behind her, also staring into camera. They all wear facemasks. 4. Amber, Ashley Romans, Eliza Clark, Marin Ireland, and Missi Pyle sit outside in the sun. They are all wearing big coats/hats/scarves and smile into camera. 5. Amber and Eliza stand chest-deep in the ocean facing each other. They are both laughing with their heads thrown back, not looking at the camera. They both wear sunglasses.Five photos. Clockwise from top left: 1. Amber and Eliza take a selfie together outside. They both are laughing and wearing sunglasses. 2. In the foreground, Eliza gives a model look to the camera. In the background, Amber photobombs the picture, making a funny face. 3. Amber behind the scenes on the set of "Y: The Last Man." She stands staring into the camera with a large group of women behind her, also staring into camera. They all wear facemasks. 4. Amber, Ashley Romans, Eliza Clark, Marin Ireland, and Missi Pyle sit outside in the sun. They are all wearing big coats/hats/scarves and smile into camera. 5. Amber and Eliza stand chest-deep in the ocean facing each other. They are both laughing with their heads thrown back, not looking at the camera. They both wear sunglasses.

For our May Further Ado interview, I sat down with Eli to talk about the difficult balance of creativity and motherhood, filming a massive TV show during the pandemic, and reckoning with our demons in order to become better, braver artists. 

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Love,
Amber

P.S.
Two years ago, Eli made me a tiny room filled with tiny versions of my favorite things and I will take any excuse to show it to everyone, including this interview, so please enjoy:

The miniature room Eliza made for Amber. It is filled with things that are relevant and meaningful to Amber's life (photos of friends and family, the books she's written, the "Y: The Last Man" graphic novel, etc.
Close up images of the miniature room. Books Amber has written, the "Y: The Last Man" graphic novel, a photo of her husband, a typewriter, and tarot cards can be seen.Close up images of the miniature room. Books Amber has written, the "Y: The Last Man" graphic novel, a photo of her husband, a typewriter, and tarot cards can be seen.
Close up images of the miniature room. Books Amber has written, the "Y: The Last Man" graphic novel, a photo of her husband, a typewriter, and tarot cards can be seen.Close up images of the miniature room. Books Amber has written, the "Y: The Last Man" graphic novel, a photo of her husband, a typewriter, and tarot cards can be seen.

More from today’s conversation:
Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan; illustrated by Pia Guerra with José Marzán Jr.
Rubicon 
Animal Kingdom
The Killing
Opal by Robert Lindsey Nassif
Edgewise by Eliza Clark
Marin Ireland
Margaret Atwood
Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
Semina culture movement
"The High Priestess" by Eliza Clark
Missi Pyle
The Sex Lives of College Girls
Justin Noble
"The Magician" by Eliza Clark

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Listening in the Dark with Amber Tamblyn
Listening in the Dark with Amber Tamblyn
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