Shadowhunters is many things – dramatic, funny, and heartfelt to name a few, but it also has the wonderful ability to transport a viewer to a completely different world. In the case of Y. Shireen Razack, almost literally.
Responsible for writing some of the show’s craziest twists on canon, Y. Shireen is behind such episodes as Season 1’s history lesson on the Circle days, “Of Men and Angels,” and the alternate dimension Mad Hatter party, “This World Inverted.” In Season 2A, she penned Magnus and Simon’s Agra adventure, “A Door into the Dark,” and the spiked-sangria drama-fest that was “Love Is a Devil.”
We got the chance to ask Y. Shireen about her work on Shadowhunters, where she talked about her love of angst, political storytelling, and that arranged marriage pitch. See our interview below!
What was your very first impression of Shadowhunters?
Shadowhunters was one of those projects that I was immediately excited about because it was sci-fi/fantasy with a female lead. I wanted to be a part of it from the moment I heard what the project was about.
What kind of stories or experiences are you inspired by, and how are you incorporating that into your writing on the show?
The thing that has always drawn me to writing sci-fi is that the really good versions of it deal with real issues – so much of what goes on in the sci-fi world is an allegory for what is going in our world. I’m inspired by the struggles that people go through and how they overcome them, and I think the Shadowhunters world deals with a lot of that in terms of race relations, how politics can endanger our way of life, etc.
What scene has been the most challenging for you to write, and why was it difficult?
Some of the most difficult scenes to write have been those which were the most infused with how horribly people treat each other because of the background they come from. I’ve wanted to be true to how that feels and how people react in those situations.
Which character do you enjoy writing for the most, and why?
I love writing for Magnus because he has so many years of life to draw from and so many years of experience watching as the world has torn itself apart, put itself back together, and then torn itself apart again.
You get to actually be on set while they are filming the episode you’ve written. What sort of thing goes through your mind when you’re watching your writing become live action? And what scene of yours were you most excited to see play out?
I love watching the actors take what I’ve written and make it their own. They will sometimes play the scene completely different from what I’d envisioned in my head when writing it and make it so much better. One example was how Emeraude played Izzy in the alternate universe. She really went for it with nerdy Izzy and I loved it!
Has there been any particular scene you’ve written that ended up drastically evolving in the script to screen process?
Action scenes always evolve a lot from script to screen because of the location that is secured for filming and how the stunt coordinator maps out the fights with the actors. It’s always better than the script! We have amazing stunt people!
What kind of scenes do you enjoy writing the most? Action? Comedy? Romance?
I love the relationship scenes that are fraught with the politics of the world. It’s what makes these stories relevant for me.
In a creative environment, ideas get bounced around and things can get a little crazy. What has been the most bizarre pitch you’ve made in the writers’ room? And what have you pitched that made it into the show that you’re really pleased about?
Alec’s arranged marriage. It felt right for a society such as this that is always on the verge of extinction because of the dangerous nature of their jobs. I was happy that we were able to take it where we did, so that Lydia could be an obstacle that Malec had to overcome to prove their love to each other.
You seem to put our characters in these entertaining, bizarre situations, like the alternate universe back in Season 1, and Magnus’ spell-wrecked party. Is that on purpose? And what’s another weird, fantastical situation you’d like to put the characters in? Musical episode? Time travel? I think a Groundhog Day in the Institute would be hilarious.
We’ve enjoyed exploring all these crazy scenarios for the characters. It’s all in service of revealing new and interesting things about them that the audience may not know or may not be as familiar with, whether or not you’re a book fan. I’ve been wanting to see what a dark, dark Clary would look like. She has so much to grieve that I’d love for us to explore if she went to a very dark place because of it.
The editing down process I imagine can be hard at times. Is there a scene or a line that was deleted that you really wish had made the cut?
Raphael to Isabelle: ‘When I was reborn, it felt like God had abandoned me. So I abandoned Him. But I found my way back.’
Is there anything in particular that you would like the chance to explore in your writing on the show?
I’d like to see the show push the envelope in exploring how different points of view about race, sex, and how we live our lives can tear people apart.
To end, describe 2B for us using three words.
Adventurous. Epic. Devastating.
Shadowhunters returns Monday, June 5th 8/7c on Freeform, and Tuesday, June 6th internationally on Netflix.
