‘Celebrity Substitute’ Puts A-Listers Like Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh on the Spot at NYC Public Schools
Those who can’t do, teach, goes the saying. (Or rather the misquotation of Aristotle.) But does it work the other way? Can some of the most successful people in their field handle a classroom of rowdy school kids? This is the challenge posed to comic effect in the new web series Celebrity Substitute, which launched today on YouTube, as well as other social platforms.
In the first few episodes, We Live in Time co-stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh attempt to teach acting to New York City public elementary school students; Lisa, from K-Pop girl group Blackpink, teaches another class to dance and make a music video; and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles trains yet another to complete a workout routine.
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Each 4-8-minute episode is hosted and co-produced by Julian Shapiro-Barnum, who made and stars in the wildly popular web series, and social media juggernaut, Recess Therapy, which features Shapiro-Barnum’s whimsical one-on-one interviews with kids on topics ranging from peeing your pants to climate change. That show has become such a cultural force that Michelle Obama, Matt Damon, Jenna Ortega, Bill Murray and Elmo have notched guest appearances, and Shapiro-Barnum and his pied-pipered kids’ coterie have conducted red carpet interviews at The Golden Globes. For added cachet, Celebrity Substitute is directed by Jake Wilson — who has shot videos with Lizzo, Cher and Kacey Musgraves. It’s also co-executive produced by EGOT-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are responsible for the music in Broadway hits Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman, the movie LaLa Land and the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building.
Shapiro-Barnum, 25, was inspired to make the new show in part by a memorable experience from his own public elementary schooling in Brooklyn, where he grew up. “One of the most impactful, important things that ever happened to me in school was when these two improv comedians, Mike and Laura, came into my third- or fourth-grade class and taught a workshop about comedy,” Shapiro-Barnum tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I didn’t know that was possible. I didn’t know that you could do that for work. I didn’t even know what that was. It just completely expanded my mind, and I never forgot it.”
For the new series, Shapiro-Barnum wanted to honor the transformative spirit that such visits — which he refers to as “in-school field trips” — can have on students. But he also wanted to see how the process would impact the experts themselves, as well as demonstrate the challenges and relevance of working in a classroom. “All these very successful people are so good at doing what they do, but teaching is a harder story,” he says. “I wanted to find that fun kind of fish-out-of-water situation where we can really put them to the test and see if they can do what they do best in front of a class of children. And also, use this to highlight how hard teaching is and how necessary.”
To make the daylong shoot worthwhile for participating schools, the show maintains a broader altruistic component. “Not only are we shining a light on the teachers and the administration that makes a school special,” Shapiro-Barnum says, “but we also do this wish list piece where we’re able to give back in a big way, with our partner Amazon,” which sponsors the series. “Anything the school asks for, we’re able to get them — from general supplies to a much bigger thing like new laptops for every student or completely new gym equipment.”
These shoots start at 6:00 am, and the pressure is on right away. “The second we get there, the clock starts ticking. It’s like a real day of school. We’ve got to get the kids to understand the important information, and we have to build in fun activities, and time for breaks, and for the kids to get involved,” Shapiro-Barnum says. “I’m used to working with one kid at a time for maybe 10 minutes at a time. And I feel like, personally, I’ve been thrown in the deep end!”
Asked to reveal any on-set dirt and schadenfreude-inducing disasters, Shapiro-Barnum claims that “nothing has ever gone particularly wrong,” during shooting. But he adds that one thing becomes very clear in every episode as soon as the day starts. “It is genuinely so challenging to keep the kids focused and keep them on task,” he says. “Like, we could be doing the most interesting thing in the world, with a famous person, but they can be more interested in knowing if me and the celebrity substitute are brother and sister, or, like, if they can have some more Cheez-Its.”
Like Recess Therapy before it, Celebrity Substitute is made with kids but mostly for adults.
“I hope that it appeals to people my age, and people older, who really enjoy the experience of trying something new for the first time,” he says. “I think that’s very captivating and interesting. And then there’s also just the pleasure of watching celebrities try something that they’ve never done before.”
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