On I Am Not Okay With This, Dina’s Superpower Is Her “Effervescent” Vitality

After watching Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This, two issues are abundantly clear: highschool is hard, and all of us want a pal like Dina. The approaching-of-age drama collection (based mostly on the graphic novel of the identical identify) facilities round an angsty teenager named Sydney (Sophia Lillis) who develops superpowers, however it’s the extraordinary moments in her life — together with her numerous friendships — which are the true focal factors of the story.

As Syd grapples along with her newfound talents and secrets and techniques, we see uncommon moments of sunshine at any time when she interacts with the bubbly and outgoing Dina (performed by Sofia Bryant). “She might be so assured typically and so certain of herself,” Bryant advised POPSUGAR about her character’s “effervescent” power. “When she’s round Syd, particularly, you actually see it bounce out. She nearly is Syd’s drive that will get her out of her shell.” Although the women have very completely different personalities, they by some means click on. “That is what a number of actual friendships are,” Bryant added. “I really feel like in a number of reveals, imply ladies, so to say, are pals with different imply ladies or all the things is so categorized. Dina is already so many alternative issues. She is standard, however she can be good to everybody. She is relationship Brad, however her finest pal can be Syd. There is no thought of labels of their relationship and I actually like that. They fill in one another’s gaps a bit.”

Whereas Dina is a light-weight to everybody she meets, she nonetheless offers along with her personal struggles. “I undoubtedly tried to offer her extra layers than Dina within the graphic novel, as a result of she is Syd’s finest pal and she or he is Brad’s girlfriend, however she’s nearly by no means proud of herself,” Bryant mentioned. “Which is fascinating as a result of I saved that concept and introduced it into the present, however did not make it her most upfront and noticeable trait. You would possibly discover if you happen to actually take note of her relationships and the way she interacts with individuals. She is so giving and she or he is so loving, however she would not instantly try this for herself.”

“She is so giving and she or he is so loving, however she would not instantly try this for herself.”

We particularly see this by means of her sophisticated relationship along with her smug jock boyfriend, Brad (Richard Ellis). As a viewer, I could not assist however surprise: what does Dina even see in Brad? Nicely, apparently Bryant struggled with this query, too. “It was actually concerning the validation,” Bryant mentioned. “She wasn’t comfy with the consolation of Brad, she was comfy with the standing that got here with him. And that is additionally simply because he wasn’t comforting. He is an assh*le.”

As Dina’s relationship with Brad deteriorates all through the season, we see her get even nearer with Syd as the 2 experiment with their budding sexuality. Whereas the season one finale complicates that relationship even additional — if you happen to’ve seen it, you already know what I imply — Bryant actually hopes their characters encourage followers. “I hope that usually, the place every of them as individuals go, we will precisely characterize that story, as a result of that is lots of people’s tales, and that is lots of people’s lives, and they’re experiencing that of their daily,” she mentioned. “So no matter the place their relationship collectively goes, I hope that we will respectfully and precisely and in truth inform their tales, as a result of there’s undoubtedly someplace to go together with Syd and Dina and that is an enormous half that must be spoken about and talked on if there is a season two.”