This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Matilda Lawler: Hi, I'm Matilda Lawler and you're watching Behind the Awards.

[0:13] Eila Mell: Hello and welcome to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila. I am here with Bruce. Hello, Bruce.

[0:19] Bruce Gotlieb: Hello there. How are you doing?

[0:21] Eila Mell: I'm good. Are you rested up from your two-show day yesterday?

[0:25] Bruce Gotlieb: I am rested, yes. The second show is, you know, a little impromptu, but you have already spoken about having the opportunity to see art. So I was able to squeak in because they close at the today, the day of recording, this is their last performance. So I was able to squeak in a quick showing in the afternoon.

[0:46] Eila Mell: Well, we bookended it. I saw it at the very beginning, you saw it at the very end.

[0:49] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right. And then in the evening, I got to see Spelling Bee down at New World Stages.

[0:55] Eila Mell: With our former guest, Jasmine Amy Rogers.

[0:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes. Oh my gosh, is she fantastic. Oh my God. I love the show. It's just, it's fun. It's funny. It's touching. It's just all around great. The original show was done with an intermission. This production is done 90 minutes, no intermission. So going in, I didn't even open up my program. I was like, did they cut something? Maybe they cut here. They didn't. They just go straight through, which is fine. It works well. But there is really not a weak link. I mean, Lily Cooper's Rona Lisa Peretti is just perfect. Just the right amount of everything.

[1:40] Eila Mell: Sass. She also has this, not regal quality, but this quality to her. But Jasmine Amy Rogers, watching her transform from last season, she was Betty Boop. She was a sex symbol. She was all these other things.

[1:59] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. And she had to fit into a certain box because we had expectations of Betty Boop.

[2:04] Eila Mell: Of course. And now she's playing an elementary school student. And the nuance, just these little things that she does when she's not doing anything, when she's not up at the microphone or being called upon to deliver a line, she's doing all these subtle movements with her hands, with her clothes.

[2:27] Bruce Gotlieb: You forget that she was everybody Boop. She looks like she would be an elementary school student.

[2:32] Eila Mell: Wow. So she's doing-

[2:33] Bruce Gotlieb: All of them do. They're all so great.

[2:36] Eila Mell: That's great.

[2:36] Bruce Gotlieb: So, so great.

[2:37] Eila Mell: And that's the part that Celia Keenan-Bolger played, right?

[2:40] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[2:41] Eila Mell: And you know, what's fun is when you go to the lobby and you're waiting to go in, in New World Stages, there's a bunch of different things. So, you know, they have this board and it says, you know, past spelling bee winners. And it lists Celia's name is in there. Beowulf-Borath's name is in there. Like, just like a who's who.

[2:59] Bruce Gotlieb: That's great.

[3:00] Eila Mell: Lisa Howard, who was in the original production.

[3:02] Bruce Gotlieb: Right.

[3:02] Eila Mell: So they have people that were involved in different incarnations. And then of course, just, you know, Broadway and off-Broadway designers. It's fun.

[3:10] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, that is fun.

[3:11] Eila Mell: Take a little peek at that. So I just, you know, can't really recommend it any higher. It's just so much fun.

[3:18] Bruce Gotlieb: Excellent. Well, I'll have to get there.

[3:21] Eila Mell: Yes, you should. I think it's a fun night or day if you're going. It's an easy, you can go in, sit down, relax. There's, you leave feeling, you know, lifted a little.

[3:33] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[3:34] Eila Mell: It's so fun. There's no expectation unless you want to be a speller. You can be a guest speller. I know you don't.

[3:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. You know, I don't like to participate. I like to be in the audience.

[3:45] Eila Mell: But you can for our listeners that do like to participate, you can register.

[3:50] Bruce Gotlieb: And they pick four people for every show?

[3:51] Eila Mell: They pick four people for every show. Last night, there was a lot of people signing up. And the girl at the table said that there are some nights they get up to 100 people, entries. They want to be part of the beat.

[4:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, my gosh. I wonder how they choose it. Is it just randomly? Or is there a screening process?

[4:09] Eila Mell: I mean, they do have a quick conversation when you're bringing the form back up, you know, to get to, I guess, a little bit, get to know you. I'm sure, you know, they don't want to throw somebody up there that's going to be a dud.

[4:20] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. Or weird.

[4:23] Eila Mell: Or start freaking out.

[4:24] Bruce Gotlieb: Or someone who's drunk might be eliminated.

[4:26] Eila Mell: Right. So they go through, you know, with certain amount of looking at it. I'm sure then they just, you know, random or if they have a feeling on somebody, I'm sure they're given certain latitudes.

[4:38] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[4:38] Eila Mell: And they do sometimes they'll have celebrities that have come to see their friends in the show. And those people I know the other night, Michael Urie was there. So they have, you know, some fun people.

[4:50] Bruce Gotlieb: Excellent. Well, Bruce, you know, I am. I love horror.

[4:56] Eila Mell: And as soon as it Welcome to Derry was announced, I knew I had to watch it when I first saw the promos and I just I didn't even notice the it part. I just saw Welcome to Derry. And I was thinking a new Stephen King show I'm definitely in.

[5:13] Bruce Gotlieb: And then I realized, oh, it's a prequel to it. I like the movies, but I didn't love the movies. But I think the show is better than the movies, even.

[5:25] Eila Mell: And so I was so excited to see that Matilda Lawler was in the show because I know her from The Ferryman and from Gilded Age. And, you know, she's a kid who's been working steadily in this business for a long time. And so I'm so excited to have a conversation with her about what this is all about. And then since the pilot is through the finale, I mean, she really had a very major role that you didn't realize her part was going to be as big as it is. And one of the most fun roles in the whole cast.

[6:03] Bruce Gotlieb: So and so far, listeners, they should know that it's all out now. The whole thing is done.

[6:04] Eila Mell: It just ended down a binge. You know, I think it's just eight episodes. So, you know, in a weekend, if you want to watch the whole thing, you know what? It's perfect for next weekend. You're done with your family, unwrapping gifts, you need a little bit of a break.

[6:19] Bruce Gotlieb: Now, if you're really dedicated, if you're really dedicated, you could do it in a day, too.

[6:25] Eila Mell: Well, not a bad day.

[6:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Some of our listeners I know can.

[6:29] Eila Mell: That's right. But, you know, some people have other things to do.

[6:33] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right. Well, let's bring Matilda out.

[6:36] Eila Mell: Let's bring her out.

[6:37] Bruce Gotlieb: Absolutely.

[6:39] Eila Mell: Well, Bruce, I'm so excited because, you know, I love it. Welcome to Derry. And we have one of the stars of that show. Welcome, Matilda Lawler.

[6:52] Matilda Lawler: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

[6:54] Eila Mell: Oh, we're thrilled to have you. Thank you so much for joining us.

[6:57] Matilda Lawler: Of course, it's my pleasure.

[6:59] Eila Mell: I'm watching the show and I see Marge, you know, she because you're a big character right away in episode one and you look familiar to me, but I can't place you. And because you look different in the show, you've got this wig and, you know, so then it occurs to me, oh, my gosh, she's from The Ferryman. I love The Ferryman.

[7:20] Matilda Lawler: Oh, my gosh, that's wild. I can't believe you placed that.

[7:25] Eila Mell: I'm very good with names and faces.

[7:30] Matilda Lawler: So it's a I joke that I should have been a casting director because I have like this Rolodex in my head of people's names and faces.

[7:39] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, good job. We'll definitely get to it because it's just huge. But let's talk about The Ferryman since we're on the Broadway podcast network.

[7:48] Matilda Lawler: Yes. What an amazing show to be part of.

[7:52] Matilda Lawler: It was it was literally just a dream. And I was 10 years old and that was my second ever real acting project. So it was definitely like genuinely the dream. I mean, Jess Butterworth is like one of my favorite playwrights. I think he's just so brilliant. And I just remember like the kind of family, the sense of family on that show was so, so real. Like, I mean, the show is about this big family. And when I joined the project, I realized that it did feel that way off stage. Like that was kind of I was like, wow, theater is like just being a part of a family.

[8:47] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, absolutely.

[8:49] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, totally bonding with these people in an intense way that you just don't get in film or or anything else. So that kind of like intense experience and those relationships that I made and just like getting to be on stage every night. It was just like the best.

[9:10] Bruce Gotlieb: How did that project come to you is, you know, being 10 years old, you know, probably a little bit you're not out there auditioning unless you said to your parents, this is this is the path I want. Let's dig right in.

[9:23] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, it was. So I had just recently signed with my agent, David Doan at CESD. He saw me in a little play that I did in Hoboken, New Jersey. It was like a relatively small theater, but, you know, a professional production of this really incredible play by Aaron Mallon. And it was me when I was eight and this other older man, Richard Masser, who is still my very close friend. And I used to watch him on one day at a time as a kid.

[10:01] Bruce Gotlieb: You dated?

[10:01] Matilda Lawler: Oh, my gosh. And what's so funny is he played Stanley Uris in the it the other version of it.

[10:11] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, right.

[10:13] Matilda Lawler: But anyway, so I had just recently signed with my agent, so I was getting some auditions and this audition for The Ferryman came in and I was so intimidated because like, what the heck? It's a Broadway show and I had only ever done a pretty small theater production in my hometown. So I was like, very intimidated. But it was I just loved the character and I just felt like so excited about it. And it was honestly a really fun audition process.

[10:52] Bruce Gotlieb: And, you know, what's unusual is that you got to work with so many other kids in the show because a lot of times when you're a kid, you're the only kid on the set or in the show. And that can be isolating. So it was really nice to have just a community of kids around me all the time.

[11:10] Matilda Lawler: Yeah.

[11:11] Bruce Gotlieb: Was it as terrifying to you as it was to the audience when the other child actor carried that baby down that huge staircase?

[11:16] Matilda Lawler: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I was definitely a little bit like, oh, please, please, like, please don't drop the baby. And then there's also like a real bunny and a real goose in the show. And it's like, anything could happen.

[11:36] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, that's right. Aside from it being live theater where anything could happen even without those, you know, extra additives in there.

[11:45] Matilda Lawler: It totally. It must have been fun backstage, too, with all of that.

[11:50] Matilda Lawler: Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun. There was this room right next to the green room that they made specifically for the goose and the bunny. And they were like, they had multiple of each animal just in case something happened. So sometimes we just go down and like sit in the room with the animals. It was so cool.

[12:14] Bruce Gotlieb: Did you beg your parents for a bunny after?

[12:17] Matilda Lawler: I did. I totally did.

[12:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Did you get it?

[12:22] Matilda Lawler: No.

[12:24] Bruce Gotlieb: It was so sad.

[12:25] Matilda Lawler: My mom refused.

[12:26] Bruce Gotlieb: She was like.

[12:26] Matilda Lawler: No, your mom was right.

[12:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Really?

[12:29] Matilda Lawler: Yes, because when I was a kid, my best friend had a bunny and this bunny pooped these little tiny balls all over the house. Like it was a thing. It was all over.

[12:40] Bruce Gotlieb: And the poop is like kind of toxic, right?

[12:45] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, yeah. I mean, well, any poop.

[12:49] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. So I have to jump into it because it's so exciting to me.

[12:53] Eila Mell: I live for Sunday nights now.

[12:55] Matilda Lawler: Oh my gosh, I love to hear that.

[12:57] Eila Mell: Yeah. So I'm going to throw this out there. You have the best character because you go through so much.

[13:05] Matilda Lawler: She does go through a lot.

[13:07] Eila Mell: She starts out and you think, oh, is she going to be like she could grow up to be like Chris and Carrie, you know, another one of Stephen King's mean girls. But then you go a different way. Tell me about your approach to Marge.

[13:18] Matilda Lawler: Yes, well, first off, I'm so glad that you're loving her because I love her so much. And I just think it's like my favorite characters are always the ones who have a lot of character development and who have really interesting character arcs and who change and who kind of make you like question your relationship with the characters, like as an audience member, because I think a lot of people and even me reading the script initially, like my reaction to Marge was like, why are you doing what you're doing? Why is she so mean? Well, she's not being a good friend. And initially, like I was having a really hard time empathizing. And I think that when a character is hard to empathize with, it kind of requires more of the audience.

It requires you to to like look further and be like, why is this character acting the way that they're acting? And I feel like that's just a really important experience for people to have. And I think it just like helps you be a more empathetic person.

[14:33] Matilda Lawler: Through the process of my personalization with Marge and thinking deeper into who she is and why she is the way she is, I really began to be able to empathize with her and understand where her behavior was coming from. And then as I read further in the story, I was like, oh, yes, this makes so much sense. I see who she is. And I love that she grows so much in herself, she kind of comes into her own in a way. And she also grows so much in her relationships with the other kids, and like forms these true, true friendships, because she kind of embraces who she really is, which is so fun. And you just don't get to do that all the time. Especially as a kid, right? Again, because, you know, your roles are usually just to support the adult characters, but this, the kids are the main storyline.

[15:38] Matilda Lawler: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's, that's, I'm so, so grateful to be a part of this show, because, like you said, you really don't get the opportunity as a young actor, very often to have such, such like complex storylines and characters that are so well written and, and like, it's so it's, it was a real pleasure.

[16:04] Eila Mell: Did you have much experience before getting this, getting this role with the original IT properties, whether the book or the movie?

[16:12] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, so I had not read the book. Um, I, when I was younger, my sister was obsessed with the movie IT, the 2017 Andy version. And I tried to watch it with her on her birthday. Because like, that was her birthday wish. She was like, Mom, please let me watch it. I want to watch it. So we all came together at night and started watching it. And within the first five minutes, I was like, turn it off. I can't do this. And I had nightmares for so long because of it. So definitely like my first experience with it was, um, I was very scared of it. Yeah. But then, a few years later, because I was way too young, when I initially tried to watch it, I was I was probably nine, which was pretty young. Yeah, me.

And so a few years later, I tried to watch it again. And I was able to really see it for the first time and be like, okay, wait, this is really great. I really like Andy as a filmmaker. I really liked the story. Bill Skarsgård is phenomenal. And then I kind of got more into the Stephen King world as well and watched Carrie and The Shining and some of his other work, like some of the other adaptations of his work. And so I got super into that. And then when I got the audition for this show, I started to read the book.

[18:03] Eila Mell: Do you feel like just knowing Stephen King's films, it gives you a little bit of a head start into your character on the show?

[18:09] Matilda Lawler: I really do. Yeah. I think his universe is so unique. And so like, like, you know, when it's Stephen King. Yeah. And so looking at his other work kind of got me into that universe and that energy and that unique Stephen King quality. And I feel like that put me in the headspace to kind of understand my character and the world of IT even more. And he also, you know, writes well for teenage girls.

[18:42] Matilda Lawler: He really does. He really does. And that's kind of rare. So yeah.

[18:47] Eila Mell: Was your sister blown away when you booked it? Was she like, oh, this is my favorite?

[18:52] Matilda Lawler: She was like, totally, totally. This is the best day of my life. Best thing you've ever done. And it's hard, like, you know, being a child actor is kind of weird sometimes because your whole family has to make sacrifices to let you do what you love. So it's like, this is going to be a big sacrifice. You're not going to see me a lot. We're going to have to figure this out. But she was like, I'll do anything. We'll make this happen. We just have to make sure that you do this.

[19:26] Eila Mell: Oh, that's so great. Did you get to bring her to set or anything like that?

[19:30] Matilda Lawler: I did get to bring her to set. She was so into it. She was like, but she didn't want to get any spoilers. Yeah, no, like we. So this whole time we've been keeping major secrets like the plot from her. And so she's been seeing it kind of for the first time as it comes out, which is really cool. And then you get to see it through her eyes.

[19:54] Matilda Lawler: Exactly. Yes. And it's really it's really fun. I that's like one of my favorite things about it. And which is why I love hearing you say that you look forward to Sundays now because like hearing other people's excitement about the show and the way that they're reacting to it, it just makes it feel so worth it and so exciting to me.

[20:18] Matilda Lawler: Not only do I watch it on Sundays, but after that I have to listen to podcasts about it because it's so I just want to hear people like dissect every second of it.

[20:27] Eila Mell: Oh, that makes me so happy. Yeah, it's great.

[20:31] Matilda Lawler: Hi, I'm Jasmine Amy Rogers. You are listening to Behind the Awards. We'll be right back.

[20:37] Eila Mell: So we have to talk about your eyes.

[20:41] Matilda Lawler: What a crazy, crazy scene. What I mean, all right. Can you explain to people what happens to Marge in that scene where the accident happens?

[20:47] Matilda Lawler: Yes. So as I explain this, I'm probably gonna sound like an insane person. It's like, what? When does this happen? So Marge is very insecure about her eyes because she wears these Coke bottle, Mr. Magoo glasses that make her eyes look really big. And it's been something that she's been made fun of for her whole life, basically. And so in this episode in particular, which is episode four, she's watching a documentary in class that shows this snail. There's this parasite. I forget the exact scientific name, but it basically makes snails' eyes kind of pop out of their head. And it kind of controls their brains and makes them go crazy. And then they look like long worms kind of coming out of their eyes.

And then birds come down and peck out the eyes. And then the birds poop out the parasite and the cycle repeats. Anyways, Marge is really scared of this. And a bit later in the episode, we see Pennywise kind of capitalize on this fear that Marge has. And she's like, and he makes her eyes pop out of her head. It is crazy. They're like long cones.

[22:24] Eila Mell: Yep. On his thoughts. The worms. It's very scary.

[22:32] Matilda Lawler: Oh my god. Right. And then I mean, your head is like right by what is it a like a buzzsaw kind of thing?

[22:38] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, it's a bandsaw. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I mean, it's a crazy scene. It must have been so much fun to shoot.

[22:44] Matilda Lawler: It was so much fun to shoot, especially that last part when I'm like getting my eyes sawed off. Yeah, this isn't a spoiler for anyone. But it was really fun because like, I just kind of got to scream and lose it and just like have the best time and run around with these crazy things like these crazy wires attached to my eyes. And it was really fun at the end when Clara Stack, who plays Lily, she's chasing after me and she gets on top of me and we have this whole like, thing on the floor. That was really fun because we got to like, do all this stunt practice and just the physical action is very fun for me.

[23:32] Eila Mell: Yeah. Yeah, just a typical day at work.

[23:35] Matilda Lawler: Yeah. Totally. You do you still have a prosthetic because now your eye is recovering. So that's cool, too. How long did that take? Does that you know, in the makeup chair?

[23:42] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, so that took honestly, we had the best prosthetic team. I'm Sean, Shane and Yonta. The three of them would just come in in the morning and they had their system. And they were like, Okay, we're gonna do this. And I think they got it down to like, 10-15 minutes. Which is very hours like Bill must be in the makeup chair for hours.

[24:05] Eila Mell: Oh, yeah, he is. He is. But even even with Bill, they have a system and they really like, they just know it. And I think he's in there for like, I don't really know. I think it's like 30 or 45. I could be wrong. But that's like really good.

[24:27] Matilda Lawler: That's really Yeah, that's incredible. They were sometimes you hear that people are in makeup for like four hours, and then they still have to shoot for a whole day.

[24:31] Eila Mell: Yes, that's, um, that's true. Yeah, that's true. They can't really do that with kids because we don't have as much time. So they're like, Okay, we really good.

[24:43] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, it's good for sure. And it looks real. So. So the point is proven that you don't really need all that.

[24:49] Eila Mell: Yes, I mean, if you can go faster, I mean, go go faster, because it still looks just as good.

[24:57] Matilda Lawler: It really, yeah, it looks good. So you had that scene where, where there's the reveal when your friend is, you know, you have a romance in the show, and he's, he's dressing your eye for you.

[25:08] Matilda Lawler: Yes, I love that scene. That was really fun. That was Jamie Travis's episode. He was a director and he was brilliant. Yeah. And then you have an episode you get drunk. I mean, you do so much.

[25:31] Matilda Lawler: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We got to do all the things for this. Yeah. Like Lily, who is the central character. She doesn't get to do half as much as what you get to do.

[25:35] Eila Mell: It's true. It's true. Marge gets to have fun.

[25:43] Matilda Lawler: Yeah. Yeah. Marge is and I you know, Marge is the breakout character. If it were Halloween. Now I would be Marge for Halloween.

[25:47] Matilda Lawler: Oh, thank you. She also I feel like she's a good costume. She makes a good she does.

[25:55] Eila Mell: Yeah, the hair and the sweaters and you know, and the eye patch the eye. Yeah, obviously.

[26:01] Matilda Lawler: Do you like the period? I mean, you probably didn't know too much about this period because it's so far removed from your actual life.

[26:05] Matilda Lawler: Yes, I I love the period. I and you're right. I like, I did not really know anything about it. But this project gave me an excuse to do so much research into 1962. And yeah, like the kind of culture of that era and the music and the clothes and the way that people interacted with each other and like, the films that were being made at that time. And also what was going on historically is really interesting. Right? Because race was a big thing in our country. And you know, this is a diverse cast. And the kids are of different races. So that's a great thing to be able to play. But you have to know that going in.

[26:50] Matilda Lawler: Yes, yes. Like, I'm so so grateful that this project. I mean, I don't I don't think you can tell a story set in 1962 in Maine, without talking about race, because it was such, such a central part of what was going on in the country. Yeah. And I think it would be you would be ignoring one of the major truths, one of the major things that we were dealing with. And so I'm really glad that we have that those storylines and yeah, like just learning about from I'm actually taking a couple classes on the Civil War right now. And just like, I just think one of the things I love about acting, especially in period pieces is the research you get to do of history. Yeah. And the way that like, history even from way back in the Civil War, the way that that impacts the 1962 era and the way that that impacts today. Because the same thing is happening today.

[28:02] Matilda Lawler: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. No. So it's. Yeah, I just I think it's really cool to get to do period pieces like that completely. And it's great that the show is dealing with that in a way where, you know, one of the kids' fathers is in peril. You know, you really get to understand it and to feel as an audience member what that must be like.

[28:21] Matilda Lawler: Absolutely. Yeah. Like you get to have the emotional experience of what it must have felt like, which is so different from maybe just like reading a history book about it. Right. When you actually watch a show and are invested in the characters, it's a whole different experience.

[28:38] Eila Mell: Right. I mean, obviously, we can't take our history solely from that, but you can experience it.

[28:45] Matilda Lawler: Yeah. Like you're saying the emotion. Yes. Like absolutely. Totally. And, you know, on top of that, we know this character is completely innocent.

[28:56] Matilda Lawler: Yeah. He's been accused of. Yes. Yes, exactly. And speaking of you enjoying period pieces, you also were in one of our favorite shows, The Game.

[29:07] Matilda Lawler: Yes, I mean, a whole different period and the costumes are just so exquisite.

[29:12] Bruce Gotlieb: And well, yes, the costumes.

[29:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Tell us a little bit about that experience.

[29:17] Matilda Lawler: Oh, I mean, talk about the costumes alone, like made that experience like the coolest thing ever. Oh my gosh, it yeah. I like I said, I love period pieces because I feel like it. I mean, it's so fun to be able to kind of exist in a different era in a way like kind of time travel in a way with all these other actors and it was really, really, really fun. I was super excited to like also just learn about what it felt like to be a teenage girl at that time and like the costumes and the way that you had to carry yourself being in that in high society and the way that my character her mother passed away and the way that like you mourn for so long after that loss and the just the way of life is so different from now. Yeah, and getting to experience that was really fun. And I just had a great experience. Louisa is such a gift to work with and I just I had a blast.

[30:30] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. So just in case because you look different in everything that you're in.

[30:33] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, people don't know you your dad almost married Louisa Jacobs.

[30:38] Matilda Lawler: Yes, in season two.

[30:40] Matilda Lawler: Yeah. Now it's kind of his own fault because he proposed so publicly that was not cool.

[30:45] Bruce Gotlieb: No, that's not not cool.

[30:48] Bruce Gotlieb: I was rooting for him and I felt badly for him that you know, here we are in the middle of this thing and your character was the only reason that she really was going to go through with it.

[31:00] Matilda Lawler: Not only he told us it's like I'm going to guilt trip you into marrying me by showing you my daughter who really wants to be your stepmom.

[31:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Now David Furr played your dad. Did you know him at all from just being in the Broadway community?

[31:18] Matilda Lawler: I didn't know him beforehand, but I love David so much. He's the coolest guy and his son is a really big fan of this film that I did when I was younger called Flora and Ulysses and so his son is the most adorable and so we the two of us started making videos back and forth for each other which was really cute. But David is David is an awesome guy and I had a ton of fun playing his daughter.

[31:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. So I have to ask because people will want to know was it scary at all on set with Bill Skarsgård when he was dressed as Pennywise?

[31:55] Matilda Lawler: Yes, even though you know him.

[32:01] Matilda Lawler: The short answer is yes.

[32:03] Bruce Gotlieb: What was it like?

[32:05] Matilda Lawler: It's absolutely terrifying. If you're scared of Pennywise on screen. Yeah, you're going to be more scared of him in real life. Because the energy that he has on screen when you feel that in real life when he's in character when he's out of character. He's a super nice guy. I'm sure I'm sure like in fact, we have really intense or I shouldn't say that but there's an intense scene with him later on.

[32:33] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[32:36] Matilda Lawler: Yeah hasn't yet aired hasn't yet aired and he was very kind and would come up and hug me like in between takes because he was intense checking on me like that that really helps because you're like, okay, wait, this isn't real but when you're in the scene, it starts to feel like okay. Wait, is this actually real because the energy that he brings is so terrifying and he's such a tall guy.

[33:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, he looks huge in some of the shots.

[33:07] Matilda Lawler: Huge and the makeup is so good and it's just it's just really scary.

[33:14] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, very scary. But it's great because if you don't trust him in that way, then you can't really let yourself go to that place.

[33:23] Bruce Gotlieb: That's that's absolutely right.

[33:25] Matilda Lawler: It does it does help in a way like for the performance that it you can kind of just let go and react to what he's giving you.

[33:36] Bruce Gotlieb: Did you see him in the movie Barbarian?

[33:38] Matilda Lawler: I didn't but I need to because I'm the biggest fan of his he's so good and that movie is great and so I won't give any spoilers but because he's played Pennywise there are expectations of who his character is going to be in that movie and it's very interesting.

[34:02] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, okay.

[34:02] Bruce Gotlieb: So is there anything else you I mean, not that you don't have it so much that we already know but is there anything that we don't yet know that's coming up that you can talk about?

[34:11] Matilda Lawler: Uh, I not really but I will I will say there's this play I did recently called the thing about jellyfish a friend of mine design that you what a friend of mine design that set.

[34:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, no.

[34:27] Matilda Lawler: Wait, are you serious?

[34:29] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[34:29] Matilda Lawler: Oh my God.

[34:32] Matilda Lawler: That show is like are you friends with Derek?

[34:35] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[34:36] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, we wrote a book together. Derek is the coolest ever. I'm obsessed with him. He's so talented.

[34:45] Matilda Lawler: Um, but yeah, that play is great that play. Yeah, that play is like genuinely one of my favorite. It's based on my favorite book called the thing about jellyfish by Ali Benjamin and it's been a book that has been in my life for a long time and has helped me through a lot of things and it's like the character that I got to play Susie Swanson is one of my favorite characters that I've ever gotten to play. We did a production at Berkeley rep and hopefully we'll see what happens. Maybe it'll happen again, but it was it was the greatest the greatest gift ever and I the team Tyne Raffaelli Keith Beunin who wrote who wrote the script. It's it's just like one of those those stories that I think anyone can connect to the end. So if you haven't read the thing about jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, I definitely recommend getting a copy because it's fantastic.

[34:57] Matilda Lawler: I'm going to watch but we'll talk about it after you see it.

[35:55] Bruce Gotlieb: Sounds good.

[35:56] Matilda Lawler: Awesome.

[35:57] Bruce Gotlieb: We'll have to do that.

[35:58] Matilda Lawler: I was excited. I was watching this show the Beast in me and I saw that Tyne Raffaelli was one of the directors.

[36:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh my gosh. My mom's obsessed with that show right now.

[36:06] Matilda Lawler: It's so good. Have you watched it?

[36:09] Bruce Gotlieb: I haven't watched it yet, but I need to watch it because Tyne Tyne is like she is a genius in my opinion and she is absolutely just a gift to work with and one of the most talented people I've ever worked with and she I also got to see she directed weather girl.

[36:31] Matilda Lawler: Were you able to see that?

[36:33] Bruce Gotlieb: No, it was good was so fantastic.

[36:38] Matilda Lawler: And just anything that she does I think is the best thing ever.

[36:43] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[36:44] Matilda Lawler: Now you don't really have this anymore.

[36:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Now that you you're can I say your age?

[36:49] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, now that you're 17, right?

[36:51] Matilda Lawler: Yes, correct.

[36:53] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay, so but as when you're you know a kid you have to worry about aging out of certain parts.

[36:59] Matilda Lawler: Yes. That's one of the things I really dislike about child acting culture is like I don't think it's healthy to be scared of like getting taller or looking older or something, but there's Annie girls. I've always felt bad for them.

[37:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[37:16] Matilda Lawler: I know like I agree and I've had friends who are in Annie and Matilda and like the experience of just like wanting to stay the same height and not and like being scared to grow is I just think that's too much pressure for a kid and like yeah, that's unhealthy.

[37:33] Bruce Gotlieb: So I think you're right because what does that do to you like later in life? It's got to stay with you.

[37:39] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, for sure. I think it's just important like to remember that like acting if you're if you love it, like that's amazing and do it, but never forget that you being like a human being and being a kid in my opinion comes first and just remembering that okay, like this. This is something I love to do but it's not all of me right and it doesn't need to define me or if it feels like it's having a negative toll on me. I can step away at any time.

[38:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Right?

[38:16] Matilda Lawler: So yeah, and also as you get older and and grow it's going to open up the door for so many more possibilities that you can do so and it's also okay. If it doesn't take someone into their adult life, you know, no one should feel that you know, they failed in any way if their adult career is not acting if they were a child actor.

[38:38] Matilda Lawler: Yes.

[38:38] Matilda Lawler: Yes. I mean even me like I there are so many other things I'm interested in I love acting and I mean you never know the industry is so unpredictable, but like right I just think like yeah, never for all child actors out there. I hope you never feel stuck or limited to that because there are so many other incredible things that you're capable of and right me fun. So just because the world knows you as one thing that doesn't mean you've peaked at like 10.

[39:10] Bruce Gotlieb: That's true.

[39:11] Matilda Lawler: That's

[39:11] Matilda Lawler: Yes, so as we're recording the season finale of it has not yet dropped is there a possibility for a season 2 or is this a self-contained story?

[39:25] Matilda Lawler: So there is a possibility for a season 2 and I don't know if you looked online or like looked into it too much, but I'm pretty sure it's revealed but I won't say anything in case it's not revealed. There's a very interesting. I think it is revealed. Actually. There's a very interesting time jump that's going to keep happening.

[39:47] Bruce Gotlieb: So that's right back.

[39:55] Matilda Lawler: Yes, right.

[39:56] Matilda Lawler: So yeah, is there a possibility that if it goes back, you know, is it 27 years?

[40:03] Matilda Lawler: Yes that you can still be with the show. Will they have flash forwards? We hope you know, I have no idea. But who knows that?

[40:12] Bruce Gotlieb: All right.

[40:13] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, that would be great because we need to see more of you.

[40:16] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right.

[40:18] Bruce Gotlieb: Well Matilda, thank you so much for joining us. This was such a treat.

[40:21] Matilda Lawler: Thank you before we go. I just want I just want to point out one thing. Can you just let people know like what a job it is not only for you but for your parents who go with you when you work because I think people don't realize that it is not just the kid. It's it is the whole family.

[40:39] Matilda Lawler: It is absolutely.

[40:41] Matilda Lawler: Yeah. I mean, I think it's awesome. I'm very lucky to be in a family that really just tries to make it work. If I'm really passionate about something and really excited about a project they are willing to kind of uproot their lives to let me do what I love. But yeah, it's it's a thing like I mean, we were filming this in Toronto over the course of three years and it was on and off because of the strike and because of other things and it was definitely very hard because I'm away with one parent in a different country and there are things that they leave behind and we're separated. So yeah, it is hard in that way, but it's also nice because like then when you come back together, you kind of feel like you really appreciate getting to be as a family again, but yeah, it's also a job like for that parent that's with you. They have to be there every single day. It is a job for them.

[41:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, they're not, you know, they don't get treated the way you get treated.

[41:50] Matilda Lawler: This is true.

[41:50] Matilda Lawler: Luckily this set treated them very well.

[41:55] Bruce Gotlieb: That's wonderful, which is great.

[41:57] Matilda Lawler: But yeah, it's a totally a job for them. They have to be on set with you all day because you're a minor and you know, you have to have a guardian with you.

[42:07] Bruce Gotlieb: So yeah, it's so it's a lot.

[42:09] Matilda Lawler: It's a lot.

[42:10] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, I don't want to say it's a sacrifice but it they are giving of their time.

[42:14] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, so many commitment for sure.

[42:16] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, right.

[42:16] Matilda Lawler: Definitely and I'm very lucky that my family is willing to make that commitment and stuff.

[42:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, of course.

[42:24] Matilda Lawler: Yeah.

[42:25] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, I just wanted people to know that, you know, they don't just send you off like they have to be equally committed.

[42:31] Bruce Gotlieb: It's a lot.

[42:32] Matilda Lawler: It's true. Neil Patrick Harris said when he was doing Doogie Howser, his mom just, you know, had to sit in a chair and nobody talked to her and you know, he always felt bad.

[42:42] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, how I totally relate to that.

[42:45] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[42:46] Matilda Lawler: And then when you're in a play they have to be there every eight shows a week too.

[42:50] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[42:51] Matilda Lawler: Yeah, I will say though with theater. It's a little bit looser. They they're because you have like a child wrangler and they're kind of that's good.

[42:59] Matilda Lawler: Oh your parent you don't have to they it's more like we don't really want your parent to be here.

[43:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Right?

[43:05] Matilda Lawler: We've hired somebody to do the look out for you.

[43:09] Matilda Lawler: So especially when there's animals and babies and everything backstage.

[43:14] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right.

[43:15] Matilda Lawler: Yeah.

[43:16] Bruce Gotlieb: All right.

[43:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, this was great. Thank you so much.

[43:20] Matilda Lawler: We hope you'll come back whatever project you have next.

[43:23] Matilda Lawler: Absolutely.

[43:25] Matilda Lawler: I hope so too because this was awesome.

[43:27] Bruce Gotlieb: Thank you.

[43:28] Matilda Lawler: Yeah.

[43:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, thank you and we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards.

[43:32] Matilda Lawler: Oh, bye.

[43:34] Bruce Gotlieb: Bye.