Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Paper Girls” on Amazon Prime
In “Paper Girls,” Amazon Prime’s new series based on the comics of the same name, four girls come face to face with their futures — but only three of them get to meet their future selves. That’s because, in Mac’s future, she’s dead. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s something that young series star Sofia Rosinsky actually enjoyed playing out.
In the first episode of the series, which is now streaming in its entirety on Amazon Prime, we find Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac (Rosinsky), Tiff (Camryn Jones) and KJ (Fina Strazza) transported to 2019. There, they almost immediately run into Erin’s older self, played by Ali Wong. Though the girls are dubious, it doesn’t take long for Mac to figure out how the internet works and do some research. The thing is, she doesn’t look for herself; she looks up her brother.
He’s a doctor now, and has turned his life around in a big way. Of course, his bedside manner could use some work, as he bluntly tells Mac in episode 3 that she couldn’t possibly be his sister, because his sister died when she was 16. The realization rocks Mac a bit, but eventually she comes to accept her fate. And though Rosinsky herself was sad to learn of her character’s fate, she also enjoyed seeing how the young paper girl handled it.
“Of course it’s a very delicate subject matter. And you know, it breaks your heart just to see, because she’s had things rough, and it looks like it’s not gonna get any better for her,” Rosinsky explained to TheWrap. “But I think that the way that she handles it, she handles it with such grace.”
And though Mac had no trouble saying and doing exactly as she wanted to begin with, Rosinsky noted that learning of her fate felt freeing for the character.
“I really think that it’s kind of an opportunity for her to be able to explore who she really is,” she added. “And I really love that.”
Of course, even after her brother filled her — and thus, the audience — in on some pretty extensive specifics, there are still some questions surrounding Mac’s fate by the end of the series. Those kick in particularly hard after she and KJ visit Mac’s gravestone. At this point, Rosinsky recognizes spoiler territory, so she won’t give anything up, but she admitted that she’s just as curious as fans are.
“I think you and me both here. Yeah, I don’t know. I’d love to find out though,” she said. “I hope that we get that chance to explore it more.”
All eight episodes of “Paper Girls” are now streaming on Amazon Prime.