Let’s bring it back to the beginning. How was your journey with Fabelman’s house First start?
It’s April 2021 around Easter and Amblin [Partners, Steven Spielberg’s production company] sent an email to my agent and manager, and as soon as they saw Amblin, they immediately sent it to me—like, “Oh my god, your name popped up. This is the chance of a lifetime!” So I taped myself, and I actually forgot to choose the blocking medium and do it fully. During the self-record auditions, they always wanted a full body shot and I forgot to do both. I sent it off, and I felt so sad and like, “I hope I didn’t ruin my dream self-recording.” But within a few days, they said, “Steven really liked it, and we’ll let you know.” That’s all I really needed. Even if I don’t receive a part, that will satisfy me. And then on my birthday, I got a call from Steven, he wished me a happy birthday and said that I was going to be in the movie.
What a great birthday present! Aside from it being a Steven Spielberg project, what aspect of the story made an impression on you when reading the script?
Steven likes to say that no family is perfect, and I could certainly tell the story based on the aspects I was given. It’s a powerful message to really normalize normal families and imperfect families, and I think it’s a very relatable topic for a lot of people, myself included—just to normalize that no one is perfect. No family is perfect. We all have problems, and that’s okay, and that’s normal. I think that’s a really powerful message that I’m happy to represent.
You play as Reggie Fabelman, one of the three sisters of the central character, Sammy. What did you talk to Spielberg about his own relationship with his sisters?
Well, he certainly said that through writing it, he became closer to each of the sisters, especially Anne, whom my character represents. They would tell me little stories about their childhood and how their mother cut their hair, and I actually cut my bangs for the role. They just tell me stories about their relationship when they were kids and their relationship with their mom and dad, and it’s really special to hear about that.
Oh, I love that you can also connect with Anne.
Oh sure. We still talk. We sometimes go out for lunch to catch up. She gave me miniatures, so lovely. She’s like an aunt who gives gifts all the time. She is so sweet. I think she gave me her high school ring back in 1967.
That is so special. What did you like about stepping into this role?
Oh my God. Obviously I enjoyed being on set and working with Steven and working with my on-screen family, but I really knew Anne, and I really knew Reggie, and I had to create Reggie. It was a learning experience for me to be bold, brave and take risks when acting. On the first day after a few shoots, I pulled out a bit of improvisation, and Steven laughed and loved it, and I definitely thought I was going to be Reggie… She gave me confidence. more and speak your mind. I really like that.
