From the "Spokane.net":

Storylines in 'Young Americans' Shakespearean

Susan King - Los Angeles Times

Spokane _ HOLLYWOOD -- The WB's core teen audience should brush up on their Shakespeare before tuning into the network's new series "Young Americans."

The show premiers Thursday at 5 p.m. on KSKN-22 in Spokane.

Set at a swank New England boarding school, "Young Americans" revolves around Will Krudski (Rodney Scott), a poor townie with a loving mother and surly father who gets a chance to attend Rawley Academy on a scholarship. The only problem is, he cheated on his entrance exam.

But the complications don't end there. His roommate is the rich but down-to-earth Scout Calhoun (Mark Farmiglietti), who is madly in love with the beautiful local girl Bella Banks (Kate Bosworth). But a deep, dark secret looks like it might derail their relationship. Meanwhile, the dean's son, Hamilton Fleming (Ian Somerhalder), finds himself strangely attracted to Jake Pratt (Katherine Moennig), who just happens to be a woman masquerading as a man.

"I wanted to tell classic stories," says creator and executive producer Steven Antin, a former actor who has written such indie films as "Inside Monkey Zetterling" and "SFW."

"The Jake character is Shakespearean -- that is totally `Twelfth Night.' I think most of the story lines in the shows are definitely Shakespearean in nature. The Scout and Bella thing is just a twist on `Romeo and Juliet.' How do I take two people who are totally and madly in love and what can I put between them to put them apart?"

And Will, the townie with dreams, Antin adds, is the ultimate antihero. "I always wanted to write a story about a Will Krudski. I feel like he's a guy who almost anybody can identify with. You want to take care of him and you want him to win. He often makes bad choices. It's really a wholesome show with characters who, for the most part, do the right thing but the big sort of aside is, `look closer -- there is a lot more happening there."'

Scott sees his character as more of a complicated kid at a complicated moment in his life.

"He has a lot going on inside of him," Scott says. "He's the kind of guy who wants to create a better life for himself. He's learning what life is about and he may do the wrong things, but he'll learn from it."

The character has been a real challenge for Scott because it's very close to him. "It's harder to play yourself than make up a character," he explains. "When you make up a character everything is make-believe. But to actually play something close to yourself, it's hard to let people in."

Like Will, Scott didn't have it easy growing up. "At this age, I was starting to go through some of the same things," says Scott, who hails from Ocean City, Md., not far from where the series films in Baltimore. "Life wasn't a walk in the park for me, and it certainly isn't for Will."

Bosworth, who, like her character, is still in high school, instantly bonded with Bella. "I love her strength. I love her self-sufficiency as a person," says the 17-year-old.

And after playing a character over an extended period of time, the young actress says that Bella has taken on a life of her own. "It's so funny from watching the first episode to (doing) episode six; there is such a dramatic difference because I have really sunk into it," she says.