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fraternal twins who can't stand each
was 11. He played the young Tom
other. It's just a slice-of-life look at kids
Hanks character in Big, but turns to his
trying to find their way.
younger brother, Levi, for inspiration
With a core audience aged 15-35,
on how to play Duncan.
the show works because it doesn't throw
As for remembering what it's like
any lessons in viewers' faces, says Daniel
being a teenager, Moscow says, You
Paige, 33, co-creator and supervising
kind of dumb yourself down a little bit.
producer. The show is a little cartoon-
You have to forget all the lessons you
ish in a way, but hopefully it is as smart
learned from your first relationship or at
as the audience."
college.
Paige created the show with his wife,
In his current relationship, he blends
Sue Paige, 31, also a supervising pro-
his Jewish upbringing with his girl-
ducer. The couple writes as a team.
friend's Chinese culture. Last year the
They penned a script for "ZDJ&J" in
couple celebrated a "Chinese Jewish
their spare time as writers on the ABC
Passover" with family and friends. "My
hit series "Boy Meets World."
dad and I cooked all the Jewish foods
Fairly new to the Hollywood scene,
like latkes and matzah ball soup and my
their big break came
girlfriend's mother
when they were
made Chinese fried
accepted to the Walt
fish," he says.
Disney Studios
Moscow's mom
Fellowship Program in
isn't Jewish, but he
1996. The fellowship
says, "I identify as
introduces unknown
being Jewish. Some
writers to the enter-
of the coolest times
tainment industry
were during the hol-
The Paiges don't
idays when my dad
have a special interest
would speak
in teenage shows, but
Hebrew The holi-
always shared their
days were a wonder-
funny stories about
ful time where the
growing up, and real-
whole family would
ized there was a lot of Rising star Selma Blair — known
get together.
terrain left untouched as Selma Blair Beitner in her
Moscow grew up
Hillel Day School days.
by other TV shows.
in the Bronx in a
very Jewish area and
"The stuff that
up until he was 13, his family lived in a
happens to you in adolescence is painful
commune environment with five fami-
at the time, but when you grow up it's
lies under one roof.
funny to look back on," says Daniel
"Duncan seems like a Jewish char-
Paige, who grew up as a child of divorce
acter and I think we will explore that,"
in a Jewish home in New York. He was
says Executive Producer Michael Jacobs,
raised Reform, had a bar mitzvah cele-
43, whom Moscow describes as "the
bration and went to Hebrew school.
Godfather of the show."
"In the city, most of the people I
Jacobs, who grew up in New
grew up with were Jewish," he says.
Jersey, also created and produces "Boy
Does his Jewish background influ-
ence the show? In so far as the flavor of Meets World," which, like "ZDJ&J,"
doesn't tape on Shabbat.
the landscape, but it's not Jewish-cen-
"We don't shoot shows on Friday
tric. There is nothing that delineates
nights in my production company We
that any particular character is Jewish."
lock the doors and we go home," says
But with a last name like "Milch,"
Jacobs, a Conservative Jew who aspires
one wonders how the Duncan character
to become Orthodox. Ironically, "Boy
is anything but Jewish. Well, Paige
Meets World" airs on Friday nights, but
admits, "Duncan made a reference to
there was nothing I could do about it."
being culturally Jewish when he talks
When Jacobs decided not to work
about dancing at the 92nd street Y."
on Friday nights, nobody challenged
The YMHA is the Young Hebrew
him. "I was lucky" he says. "A lot of
Men's Association.
people think work is priority I think
In fact, Duncan is loosely based on
the work is greatly helped when it is
Paige as a teen. "There are similar char-
suited to your lifestyle and beliefs." Li
acter traits like being raised by a con-
trolling and independent mother and
getting into trouble and being derided
"Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane" airs 9
and driven by fear," he says. "But I
p.m. Sundays on the WB (Channel
think David [Moscow] brings a whole
20). Check your local listings.
different dimension to Duncan."
Moscow, 24, has been acting since he
John Tanasychuk Detroit Fret- Press
January 8th, 1999
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Detroit Jewish News
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1999
79