Except for a few lucky kids, seventh grade isn’t easy for anyone. From the zits to the classes to the school bullies to the meanderings of understanding our own sexuality, being 13 can be a truly traumatic experience. For those whose puberty coincided with the Y2K panic — themuch-criticized millennials— the early stages of adolescence were accompanied by other nightmares particular to that time, like dial-up internet and much more socially accepted misogyny and homophobia. It’s an era that many of us would rather forget. Thankfully,Maya ErskineandAnna Konkleremember it very well.
AlongsideSam Zvibleman, Erskine and Konkle are the creators of Hulu’sPEN15, a show that brings us the best, the worst, and the best of the worst of being a middle-schooler in the early 2000s. Both in their 30s, Erskine and Konkle also star as fictionalized versions of their 13-year-old selves, sharing the screen with actual kids playing their friends and classmates. It’s a choice that both aids the series’ peculiar brand of cringe comedy and allows it to explore themes that might prove too sensitive or potentially harmful for younger actors, like masturbation and racism. For more compromising scenes — for instance, Anna’s first kiss — the showmakes useof camera tricks and body doubles. It might sound like an unusual way of making a TV show, but, so far, it has been working wonders;PEN15has been nominated for three Emmy Awards in 2021, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Whether you have never seenPEN15and want to catch up with the series, or you’re an old fan needing a refresher before Season 2, Part 2 is set to hit Hulu on December 3, here’s a guide better than any middle-school yearbook to the show’s main cast and characters.
RELATED:‘Pen15’ Season 2, Part 2 Trailer Has Maya and Anna Dealing With Boyfriends, Death, and Running Away
Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine)
Anna’s best friend, seventh-grader Maya Ishii-Peters comes from a Japanese-American family. Despite her talent for drumming and acting, she’s often insecure about her abilities as well as her looks, especially after being dubbed UGIS, or Ugliest Girl in School. Maya is also a class clown, being an expert in Ace Ventura impersonations; however, this doesn’t help her popularity status.
Maya Erskine has done voice acting forCrossing Swords,Bob’s Burgers,Bojack Horseman,Robot Chicken, and most recently,Big Mouth, among other animated shows. She has starred in Amazon Prime’s Silicon Valley comedyBetasfrom 2013 to 2014, and has had recurring roles in HBO’sInsecureand Hulu’sCasual. Erskine is also set to appear in the upcomingObi-Wan Kenobi miniseriesfrom Disney+.
Anna Kone (Anna Konkle)
Maya’s best friend, seventh-grader Anna Kone is equally unpopular. She’s an extremely talented singer, having had a solo in the school’s musical performance. After a long marital crisis, Anna’s parents decided to get divorced. The whole situation has forced their daughter to adopt a more mature, and sometimes stoic, attitude towards life. She’s shown to have a crush on Maya’s brother, Shuji, as well as on her classmate Alex.
Anna Konkle has appeared in shows likeNew Girl,Shameless,Maron,Baskets, andBetas, in addition to her roles as Corinne in the movieEscortand as Tara in the Fox crime dramaRosewood. AfterPen15premiered, she has also done voice acting forBig Mouthalongside Erskine.
Yuki Ishii-Peters (Mutsuko Erskine)
Maya’s mother can be as stern as she is loving. Yuki values her Japanese origin and strives to pass her language and culture on to her children. She often acts as a voice of reason against Maya’s temper tantrums.
Mutsuko Erskineis Maya Erskine’s real mother.PEN15is her first acting job, though she has appeared in many of her daughter’s NYU film school projects.
Fred Peters (Richard Karn)
Maya’s father is a drummer who is frequently away from home touring with hisSteely Dancover band, coming back for important events like Maya’s big drum solo.
Richard Karnis one of those actors that you have certainly seen before, even if you can’t recall exactly where. He has appeared in shows and movies ranging from the soap operaThe Bold and the Beautifulto the fourth installment of theAir Budfranchise. However, he’s most well-known for starring as Tim’s (Tim Allen) co-host Al in the ABC sitcomHome Improvement.
Shuji Ishii-Peters (Dallas Liu)
Maya’s eighth-grader brother is often mean to his little sister, but he’s always there when she needs someone to help her come up with insults to humiliate a bully, among other big brother things. In Season 2, it is revealed that Shuji is actually Maya’s half-brother, though the family doesn’t treat the two siblings any differently.
Dallas Liustarted his career at age nine in the 2010Tekkenmovie. Most recently, he has appeared as Ruihua inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He’s also set to star as Prince Zuko in the upcoming live-actionAvatar: The Last Airbenderseries.
Kathy Kone (Melora Walters)
Anna’s mother, who has a tumultuous relationship with her husband, is super into crystals and alternative therapies.
Walters is known for her role as Wanda Henrickson in the HBO drama seriesBig Love, as well as for movies likeDead Poets Society,Magnolia,Boogie Nights, andThe Butterfly Effect.
Curtis Kone (Taylor Nichols)
Anna’s father seems to be more on his daughter’s good side than Kathy. After the divorce, Curtis jumps right into a mid-life crisis, piercing his ear and buying a used convertible.
Nichols is best known for his role in ’90s and early-2000s movies likeMetropolitanandThe Boiler Room. Recently, he has appeared in episodes ofThe Walking Dead,Animal Kingdom, andThe Rookie, as well as in Season 1 of HBO’sPerry Mason.
Sam Zablowski (Taj Cross)
The girls’ carpool friend and classmate who secretly has a crush on Maya. Sam isbased onZvibleman’s teenage experiences.
BesidesPen15, Cross has also appeared in the NBC showYoung Rock, based onDwayne Johnson’s life.
Gabe (Dylan Gage)
One of Sam’s best friends, Gabe is presented as a gay boy struggling with his sexuality. In Season 2, he stars in the school play alongside Maya and briefly asks her to be his girlfriend.
Dylan Gagehas appeared in episodes ofStranger ThingsandThis Is Us. Most recently, he has been inHillbilly ElegyandFear Street: 1978.
Heather (Anna Pniowsky)
Pictured here on the far right, Heather is the school’s resident popular girl that has an on-and-off relationship with Alex.
In the movies, Pniowsky has starred inHe’s Out There,Light of My Life, andBad Therapy. She has also appeared in the National Geographic showThe Hot Zone.
