The opening scene of Sideswiped, a digital series that premiered July 25 on YouTube Premium, was taken straight from creator Carly Craigs life. Its a mini nightmare for a modern woman: her usual female gynecologist was absent the day of her appointment, so a different, male doctor had to take her place.
On the show, the doc is played by Craig pal Jason Sudeikis. In real life, “I had this gorgeous, 40-year-old, hot model of a gynecologist walk in,” Craig said, “and I was so not ready for a close-up. And the nurse really did forget the cytobrush, and I was like, Is she really gonna leave us in here alone with that speculum in me, for us to have a conversation!? Half my brain was like, This is mortifying, and the other half was like, I think I have the first scene of my show.”
Sideswiped follows career-minded Olivia, played by Craig, whose married sister and newly single mother convince her to download Tinder to save herself from spinster-dom. After a drunken night of gleefully swiping right, Olivia decides to give every single one of her matches a chance.
That, too, is something that really happened to Craig: “My friend talked me into it,” she said. “So, I thought, maybe Ill just go on for research. To see what this world was about.” Like her character, Craig also got 252 matches, even though she didnt bother writing a bio for her profile (“The bio was too hard”). And like Olivia, Craig also decided to go out with all of them.
Craig, who cut her teeth as a member of Los Angeles comedy group Second City, is acquainted with a number of comedy powerhouses—including David Wain and the Farrelly brothers. Now, shes joining the growing ranks of female comedians who are writing, producing, and starring in their own work.
“When I started pitching this,” Craig said, “there was a want for female writers and stars that wasnt there for so many years.” It was a dream come true, she added, to be able not just to star in her own show, but to do much of its behind-the-scenes work as well.
“So much of your life as an actor is not having any control,” Craig explained. “So, it was great to be able to have that kind of creative control over the project. When you know where youre going, you can guide the ship a little bit easier.”
And that control allowed her to create something entirely hers, that doesnt shy away from candid conversations about bikini waxes and post-childbirth “ripped vaginas.” It embraces them, in fact: “Its not a show trying to do male humor written by a woman. Its more like, this is who we are, and these are the funny things that happen to us . . . these are the things that are too embarrassing to talk about but are relatable and funny just because weve all been through it. . . . I write down every embarrassing thing that happens to me so that one day I can bring it to life on set.”
As for her Tinder adventures: like anyone whos ventured into the waters of online dating, Craig saw her fair share of bro-y tank tops and creepy B.D.S.M. bios on the app—not to mention those dreaded bathroom-mirror-abs shots. “There are definitely people out there who think thats cool, because I got a lot of those,” she said.
Still, when using apps to find love, it helps to be a little forgiving. “I think the deal-breakers become the tiniest thing,” Craig said. “Like, if you dont like the shoes theyre wearing or the sunglasses in the picture, youll swipe left. I swiped on everybody, so I saw the messages first . . . you never know, you might say no to somebody for the stupidest reason. . . . I met my boyfriend on there, so there are a few good ones.”
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