Mara Wilson starred in some of the true classics of the 90’s. Matilda, Miracle on 34th Street and Mrs. Doubtfire were all rented numerous times from our local Blockbuster, watched over and over again while I was growing up. Sharing the screen with Danny DeVito, Robin Williams, Richard Attenborough, and many more, Mara was the avatar for any kid growing up watching the movies (including me).
Since then, Mara has re-emerged as one of the most electric voices in pop culture. Whether on her Twitter account, in her recent memoir Where Am I Now? , as a playwright, or in numerous, well-written articles, her writing and voice has proven to be electric, original and important.
Appearing this weekend at Dallas Fan Days, Mara took some time to answer some of our questions (as well as entertain a few of my dorkier Gilmore Girls inquiries).
Super Kaiju: You’ve been one of my favorite Twitter follows for a long time … what’s your approach to connecting to fans / current events on Twitter and beyond?
Mara Wilson: Thanks so much!
Having a big following has made me a bit more cautious than I once was, I think. I try to weigh in only when I feel I have something important to say, or when I know that something will be funny or interesting to others.
A few years ago my Twitter following surpassed the population of my hometown (Burbank, California), and I started to visualize myself standing on the hills overlooking Burbank with the world’s biggest megaphone and shouting out my thoughts to them. Would I want that many people to hear it? (It’s since increased to about the size of Burbank and its neighboring city, Glendale.)
But it also bothers me when people don’t treat their fans well. It’s true that you can’t be best friends with all of them (and dating them is out of the question), but you can be thankful and polite.
SK: Let’s talk about your book, Where Am I Now? What was it like to revisit your years as a child actor? What did you discover that you might have forgotten about over the years?
MW: I think I never realized how young I was. I was in a world of grown-ups, and I talked like them and thought I was equal with them.
But I look at a five, six, or seven-year-old now, and they seem, well, like kids! In some ways it’s allowed me to forgive myself for some of the more embarrassing things I did as a child. For years I thought, “I should have been more responsible, I should have known better.
But I was so young!
I also think I realized how lucky I was. I worked with a lot of really wonderful actors and directors, I had an agent who was like a favorite aunt, and I had a very supportive, loving family. It wasn’t always easy, but I feel incredibly grateful for all I had.
SK: Your writing is smart, funny and acerbic. One of the things I love to ask creative people is about the process: when you are writing, how do you keep yourself focused? Where do you draw your inspiration?
MW: Thank you!
I believe that inspiration comes from everywhere, it’s just a matter of realizing when it’s there. There’s a saying that most scientific discoveries don’t come from “Eureka!” but rather, from “That’s odd…” I feel the same thing is true of writing: what is interesting or unusual that is not being talked about, or that you have noticed or experienced but others have not? Probably, though, the one thing that is most important to my process is structure. Either imposing it on myself, or having deadlines set for me is the only way I will get things done!
A cup of tea also helps.
SK: How do you approach your voice-over work? I’m always interested to hear about the amount of effort it must take to remain in character, especially when you might not even have your other actors around you, like you would on a film set.
MW: Film acting and stage acting are very much about being in the moment and reacting to what’s around you.
Voice-over is much more about text analysis and imagination, which, to a left-brained over-thinker like myself, comes much more easily. I did a lot of Shakespeare in high school, and voice-over sometimes reminds me of that: every word matters and every word means something, often multiple things.
I also love that I can be a hero or a villain, beautiful or hideous, an old woman or a child or an animal. Live acting means I can’t be cast as much more than a short brunette. Voice acting means I can be anything!
SK: I’ve loved to see (or hear) your appearances on some of my favorite podcasts. Whether it was Welcome to Night Vale or, my favorite podcast of all time, Gilmore Guys, you’ve been such a fun presence.
What are some of your favorite experiences on these shows?
MW: Touring with Welcome to Night Vale was some of the most fun I’ve had in my life; the people working on the show are wonderful. I love the Faceless Old Woman so much, and it was heartening to hear that so many people love her, too. This seemed especially true in Canada: everywhere I went there, people told me they would have voted for her.
One of the best and oddest things about my Gilmore Guys experiences is that, both times I did a live show with them, one of them stripped: the first time Demi got down to his tights, and then the second time Kevin put on “Pony” by Ginuwine and poured a bottle of water over himself.
Both times, the audience LOVED it.
SK: And, for the written record, Team Dean … Team Jess … or Team Logan? I know you have some strong feelings….
MW: (Laughs) Oh dear. I kicked the hornet’s nest with this one before. I did not like Jess in the first few seasons, but I thought that he was by far the best ex-boyfriend in A Year in the Life. I thought Dean was a good first boyfriend, but she clearly outgrew him, and let’s not get into his bad behavior. I don’t like Logan at all.
Honestly, I might be Team Paris more than anything.
SK: You’ll be in Dallas this weekend for the upcoming Dallas Fan Days. What has it been like to meet some of your fans at these conventions?
MW: It’s great! I always have fun conversations with people, and I especially love when kids come to meet me. Especially when they’re dressed up: kids in costumes are the cutest.
SK: Anything else you want to plug? Anything coming up that you’re excited about? Feel free to copy and paste a bunch of your favorite tweets from the past couple weeks.
MW: I will be in Phoenix for Phoenix Fan Fest the weekend of November 10th! I’m also going to be doing more voiceover work in animation, so keep an ear out!
SK: Thanks again! If you need barbecue suggestions or anything else while you’re in town, let us know!
MW: In all seriousness, could do with a good place to get cowboy boots! I have a brown pair that I wear everywhere, but I want a black pair, too. They are the most comfortable shoes in the world.
Mara Wilson will be appearing at Dallas Fan Days this weekend, October 20 – October 22, 2017 at the Irving Convention Center. Stop by, say hi, and ask her any questions we may not have gotten to here!
