Have you guys been talking about the reactions to the show? Was there anything that anyone was surprised about?
It’s so exciting when something you’re in finally comes out, because we shot it almost a year ago and have talked endlessly about it coming out, and we all have our own theories. Honestly, I haven’t been too surprised by how people feel. People love the show, which is amazing. I’m so proud of it. I was expecting people to hate Portia because of how difficult she is, and it’s been nice to have people understand the layers to her. I feel like she isn’t the major antagonist that I thought people would see her as.
I know you come from a family of performers. Did you ever consider anything else besides acting or performing?
As a little girl, I took a lot of ballet. I was horrible, but that was my first career aspiration. And then, pretty early on, because my parents are actors, I went to performing art schools. I was an artsy kid. I loved drawing, I loved music, and that was really my childhood, just having arts and crafts everywhere.
As I got into middle school, I was like, “I think I want to be an actor.” But that was such a big idea and didn’t really have any reality to it. When I was 16, I got this TV show in Canada and ended up dropping out of high school and got my GED, and my life really shifted. It’s been amazing because I really do feel like I had this idea of what my life was going to look like when I was younger, being like, “I’m going to go to college, and I’m going to do this.” Maybe I will still go to college someday, but I really feel like the path I’m going down now feels so much more true to who I was as a little girl and what works for me. It’s very unconventional, my route.
Where are you based now, and where did you grow up?
I live in New York. I grew up in New York, on the Upper West Side. I’ve lived a little bit in Los Angeles, and I like LA, but my whole community and my world and my family and theater, that’s all in New York. It feels like this is where I’m supposed to be.
Your mom is the voice of Patti Mayonnaise on the animated Nickelodeon show Doug. She’s kind of a millennial icon. Would you ever consider voice acting?
I wouldn’t have, but lately…my voice is a real statement for people. So, yeah, actually I would. It sounds really fun. People say I sound like my mom, so maybe if there’s a Doug reboot. I think it’d be the best job because you show up in your pajamas and are just over there creating a little character. It doesn’t matter what you look like, and that’s awesome.
Tell me about what’s next for you.
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