How would you describe your character?
Her name is Annette and she is a good person, but she has a lot of opinions about her friends’ lives. She is someone who is constantly in search of the truth even though she doesn’t really want to hear the truth about herself. She’s more comfortable pretending that everything is OK.
Do you relate to your character?
I relate to my character because I wrote her. The character I play is not me; however, there is overlap for sure. So I do identify with her. She means well. She has a hard time understanding why people lie to themselves but then realizes that she is falling for some of the lies herself. Her journey is very confusing for her. We’re both very blunt, unafraid of telling people things they sometimes might not want to hear. And we both like to wear berets.
What was your first acting experience?
My first important acting experience was playing Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. I was sixteen and it was perfect casting even then: I just did my schtick, which is honestly not that dissimilar from my schtick now. It was just kind of like: “Charlie Brown! You’re such a blockhead.”
Did you ever have a normal job?
Do you want me to tell you my top five jobs? Not in any particular order: Substitute teacher. Ice cream scooper at Ben & Jerry’s, shot girl at an Irish Pub on the Sunset Strip — I would walk around with a basket of shots like sex on the beach, whiskey sour, long island iced tea, that kind of thing. Another weird one: toy demonstrator at FAO Schwartz at the Grove during the holidays. I always did the karaoke machine. Even though I hate karaoke, strangely I liked doing it in that way. One of my most interesting jobs? I was a box girl in The Standard hotel. They have a model who lays inside a glass box in the lobby. They paid me $12 an hour. I would wear a wife beater and boxers or a vintage slip — the girl next door kind of vibe. I remember seeing celebs like Mark McGrath and Seal. It was exciting.
What would be the Sundance selfie of your dreams?
I remember at the director’s brunch, you could stand in line to get your picture taken with Robert Redford. I was like: Oh, my god, I’m there. I waited in line for 30 minutes. And right when it was my turn, he was like: “I have to go.”
What do you think of Robert Redford?
Honestly, he is one of my all-time favorite actors. There’s this quality he has — a couple of actors like Brad Pitt almost have it — but he seems so intelligent and self-possessed and also so hot when he was young. In his prime, he was my number one dream guy. Has anyone else answered with such passion?
