GLOW is finally back, and while remaining fierce and entertaining, the show will also tackle some of the issues that plagued the ’80s and are still relevant today, like sexual assault and harassment. Ahead of the season 2 premiere, Chris Lowell, who plays Bash, talked about the much-loved series and revealed how the new season will portray the sexist behavior of the ’80s. “We were literally shooting these episodes, that we felt like we were ripping them from the headlines,” Chris explained, teasing the content for the highly-anticipated season 2. “I think there will be a real sense of witnessing what the last year has felt like for a lot of women, personified in these characters on the show. You see these circumstances 30 years ago, when there aren’t the resources, and the sense of community, and the sense of activism behind sexual assault and harassment, and how difficult it would be to speak up for yourself. You see how much harder it was to speak up then, than it is now.”
On the HollywoodLife podcast, Chris so beautifully empathized with women who have endured harassment and assault at the hands of powerful men, both today and in the ’80s. “Nowadays, Ashley Judd is suing Harvey Weinstein for defamation for basically ruining her career, which was so repulsive, but 30 years ago, it was probably very commonplace,” Chris explained. “It’s just a terrifying, it must have been a terrifying place to be, and I’m sure it’s still a terrifying place to be. It’s really encouraging that shows like ours can exist that are run entirely by women and is full of brilliant female talent on camera as well as off.” It’s also incredibly encouraging to have a standup man like Chris to cheer all the women on!
As for Bash this season, Chris teased that his “pure,” “wrestling super fan” character is in for “some rude awakenings.” “He’s forced to re-evaluate who he is, and why he’s made the decisions he’s made, and what that could possibly mean for him,” he said. “Bash has some rude awakenings about the people in his life, and what he thought, who he thought he was, and sort of his sense of himself, and what he likes and what matters, and what his priorities are.” Whoa — we can’t wait! GLOW finally comes back today on Netflix!