For Isabel Gravitt, the journey to playing Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet’s daughter on one of Apple TV+’s most anticipated new series began at her local Walmart. She was seven years old when her mom, dad, and brother were shopping at the retail giant in Whittier, California and stumbled upon a booth for an acting school.
“It was called Barbizon, and it was one of those things, like, ‘Your kid is going to be a star! Come on over and we’ll show you,” Gravitt says with a laugh.
While this might usually serve as a cautionary tale of what not to do to become an actor, in this case it worked. Gravitt’s parents enrolled her in the acting program to help her overcome her shyness and break her out of her shell. Some kids might have balked at the idea, but Gravitt says she thrived.
“I immediately was like, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,’” she says. “I was obsessed with memorizing lines and doing monologues and the drama of it all. I ended up falling in love with it.”
But it wasn’t stardom right away (it never is). The now 21-year-old started out doing background work until she worked her way up to feature background, then to co-star and guest star. “It’s taken a bit to get here, which has just made me even more grateful,” she says. “I was around 14 when I got my first recurring guest-star appearance, which was so exciting.”
Roles in American Housewife, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Watcher followed, but Your Friends & Neighbors has the potential to be her breakout role. In fact, the addictive nine-episode series—the first of which premiere on April 11—has already been renewed for a second season.
“I was such a shy child and just ended up falling in love with acting,” Gravitt says. “I’m so grateful. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
But Gravitt more than rises to the occasion, even when, she says, her audition was so bad that she thought it was the end of her career. The lesson learned? “If it’s meant for you, it’s meant for you,” she says.
Now, for Glamour‘s latest edition of New Here, Gravitt opens up about meeting on-screen dad Jon Hamm for the first time, her impressive Gilmore Girls knowledge, and the lengths she went to to become a tennis prodigy—well, on TV at least.
Glamour: Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet play your parents in Your Friends & Neighbors. How familiar were you with their work, and what did your parents say about this casting?
Isabel Gravitt: I was very familiar with Amanda Peet. I had first seen her in this ’90s film called She’s the One, directed by Ed Burns. That was my first introduction to her, which she played Jennifer Aniston’s spunky sister. I thought she was so fun in that, and then I watched Togetherness. The second season is one of my favorite seasons of television of all time. I thought she was unbelievable in that.
And then, the first thing I saw Jon Hamm in was as a guest star in Gilmore Girls, because I love Gilmore Girls. Of course, I’ve been watching Mad Men too. So just a dream. My parents were like, “Jon Hamm? Wait. Amanda Peet? What?” Absolutely unbelievable.
Did you tell Jon that you first saw him in Gilmore Girls?
I did. It took me a little to work up the nerve to tell him the reason why I first heard of him was Gilmore Girls. But I was like, so, “Peyton Sanders, Gilmore Girls episode three of…” No, but I talked to him a little bit about it. Because Alexis Bledel was in Mad Men, and so there was that connection there. So yeah, I got to bring it up to him, which was hilarious.
And what did he say?
He was a little surprised. I’m sure it’s been a minute since he’s heard the name Gilmore Girls, but I’m glad to talk about it. I love that show.
Did your parents get to meet Jon and Amanda?
My mom met Jon. It was actually hilarious, because my mom is very shy, and I brought her to set with me one day. Jon was in the corner wearing his suit, and he was on his phone just kind of hanging out. We were between setups. I was like, “Do you want to go say hi to him?” My mom was like, “No, no, I couldn’t. I couldn’t.” And I’m like, “Okay, it’s fine.” And [creator/showrunner] Jonathan Tropper walks up to us, and he’s like, “Let’s go say hi to Jon Hamm.” My mom’s like, “No.” And he’s like, “Let’s go. He doesn’t bite. Come on.” So he took us over to say hi, and Jon was so nice. My mom was like, “Oh my God.” Afterwards, she couldn’t believe that we made her do that. It was hilarious.
That is so cute. But I mean, she’s got to meet him! He’s your onscreen dad now, so come on.
Exactly.
So tell me, what was your audition like for the show?
I initially got the audition and saw Jon Hamm was attached to this Apple TV+ project as well as Jonathan Tropper, and I was immediately like, Oh my God, I need this. So I sent the audition in, and I didn’t really think much of it just because I just assumed it was a long shot, being such an amazing project. But then I got a callback, and I absolutely tanked my callback. I was like, okay, well, not getting this one. Onto the next. And they called and offered me the job. I got so insanely lucky.
Why did you think you tanked your callback?
I forgot my line mid-scene because I was so nervous. I was shaking with fear because Zoom callbacks are not for the weak, for me anyway. It really adds just a layer of nerves for me. I was just really feeling the pressure, because I really wanted this. I kind of blanked, and they were very generous about it. They said, “Okay, let’s just go again. It’s completely fine.” I was absolutely mortified, of course, but they were so kind about it. I think it was a really good lesson, knowing that if you’re right for something, you’re right for something. It doesn’t matter if you misalign or say something stupid. It doesn’t really matter. If it’s meant for you, it’s meant for you. So that kind of gave me peace of mind.
I’m glad you said that, because I believe that too, but it’s hard when you’re in the moment and freaking out. You’re not thinking, oh, it’s fine. You’re like, crap.
Exactly. I closed my laptop and was like, I’m never working again. This is it. It’s a wrap. I’m done. Yeah. But that’s never the case. It always feels that way.
What was your first scene on your first day of work?
My first day was all of my scenes in episode one. So the very first scene we did was [my on-screen boyfriend] and I running out of the house, and he gets into it with Coop (Jon Hamm). We just kind of hit the ground running. That scene, the introduction of Tori and her boyfriend, Jake, and so many moving parts in that scene was on my first day, which was absolutely surreal. I’m glad that I was thrown into it, because there was no time to be nervous. I was just kind of immediately in it.
Did you sleep the night before?
No, I never do. I always have first day nerves. But it was a great first day.
And what about your tennis skills? Did you learn to play tennis for this?
In my audition, I was like, “I’m Isabel Gravitt, and I’m a beginner. I can do beginner tennis stuff.” But that’s not the truth. I think I hit a ball once and thought, You know what? I’ll be able to do it. It’s fine. But they put me in lessons. They took me to John McEnroe Academy, which was absolutely ridiculous. I was like, what am I doing here?
I had amazing coaches. I was super lucky. I had one day of all the tennis stuff, and we went through it super quickly, but I got absolutely worked by Jon Hamm, because he’s such a good tennis player. But the way that it translated on screen, I’m very proud of it. I can sleep now.
How did you celebrate when you found out you got the role?
I remember expecting a call to deliver the news, but I didn’t know if it was going to be good or not. I always know it’s going to be good news if all of my managers are on, and I know it’s going to be bad news if it’s just my one manager. So when I answered the call, my manager said, “Say hello to so-and-so, so-and-so, so-and-so.” And I was like, “Oh my God, is this it?” And he’s like, “How would you feel about playing Jon Hamm’s daughter?” Because I was home with my parents, I ran into the living room, and they were sitting there, and I was like, “Mom and dad! Mom and dad! I booked it. I booked it!” We all just started jumping up and down. It was a big celebration. And then I got to call all of my friends and be like, “I’m moving to New York.”
It’s so crushing when you don’t get a role you want. I take it so hard every single time, and you would think that it would get easier or you’d get used to the rejection. I can get really attached to a role or a project, so not getting it is absolutely devastating sometimes.
You’ve already had great success as an actor, but was there anything else you thought you’d be interested in pursuing as a career?
In high school I did go through a little bit of a phase where I was like, “I don’t want to act.” I had braces and acne, and I was so awkward. I was like, “I don’t belong on the screen right now. Let’s be honest. I shouldn’t be up there.” I was just kind of dealing with high school experiences, so I took a step back for a second. I was doing this health academy at my school, and I was focused on speech therapy. So if I weren’t an actor, I think I would be working toward being a speech therapist.
I was looking at your Instagram, and you’re a natural blonde. Did you have to dye your hair for this role?
It was already dark. I dyed it dark for another project, and I just kept it brown because for some reason it works. The upkeep is a little bit of a concern, because it’s blonde roots, so I occasionally look like a skunk, because it’s kind of just growing in. I actually feel at home with brown hair. Blonde kind of freaks me out now.
There’s a photo of you when you were a toddler, and my first thought was you look exactly like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter, Shiloh Jolie, did as a baby. Have you heard that?
Growing up, the one person that I got most consistently was a young Dakota Fanning. But literally, within the past three weeks, I have been told Angelina Jolie or Angelina Jolie’s daughter, seven times. I’ve never heard that before in my life and now it’s coming up. It’s so funny. So it’s an honor you say that.
When you’re not working, what is your favorite way to spend an off day?
I’m a reader, so probably just going to the park and grabbing a coffee and reading with a friend or alone, and walking and listening to music. Then getting dinner, chilling, taking a bath. That’s a super dream day.
What’s your favorite book that you just read?
I’m currently reading Just Kids by Patti Smith. I’m in New York, so I feel like that was just the book to read. But my favorite book is A Spy in the House of Love by Anaïs Nin.
How did you most relate to Tori?
I drew from a lot of my own teenage experiences of feeling misunderstood. I feel like every 17-year-old has this innate, like a little bit of a rage, a little bit of I’m mad at the world, no one gets it, no one understands me. So I feel like that’s probably not present Isabel, but 17-year-old Isabel kind of related to, that’s what I tapped into a little bit.
What was your favorite part of Tori’s look? Did you like her style or was it very different from yours?
It’s pretty different, which was really fun to play with. I loved how they did my hair and makeup. Personally, it’s pretty different from what I do every day, but that’s the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing. I loved all of the dresses that I got to wear, particularly the one in episode four, which is a pink mini dress, and the one in episode nine.
Is there a hair and makeup trick that you learned from set and now incorporate into your own life?
Burt’s Bees chapstick as blush in the shade, Zinnia. The makeup artist would go ham, pun intended, with this Burt’s Bees chapstick on my face. It just creates this nice glow, and it’s so natural and matches your lips. So I feel like it all kind of ties a look together. It’s so natural.
What was your choice of snack or beverage on set?
Ooh, peanut butter and jelly was the go-to because it’s so easy and super quick to eat. And an iced coffee or a black coffee.
If there was a superlative for you on set, what would it be?
Maybe most likely to disassociate, or most likely to be listening to music. I always had earphones, earbuds in, which I’ve been trying to kind of fight against because I never want it to come across as, “You can’t talk to me.” But probably most likely to have earphones in, be listening to music.
What’s the greatest lesson you learned on set?
I think maybe to take chances and to be present. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I think time moves so fast. It’s easy to take things for granted. So really taking it all in and just being curious and asking questions.
Is there a scene that made you the most nervous, and then one that you had the most fun doing?
The fight that I have with Jon as my dad was really nerve wracking. It was kind of my first back and forth scene with him. It was my audition scene, so there was a lot of pressure there. I was moving so quick, because it was ingrained in my head, and I remember him just looking at me and being like, “Slow down. It’s okay. Take a deep breath, and it’s going to be fine. Look at me and everything will fall into place.” That advice carried me through the rest of the show. It was really important advice for me to hear.
Is there a scene you were most excited to do?
Every day I would be so excited, but basically every scene in episode six, including the one where I’m throwing up on the side of the road, I thought that was hilarious. Or when I’m throwing up in the college dorm. It was definitely nerve wracking at first, because it was obviously an intimate scene, but my nerves very quickly dissolved. We had so many women on set that day for comfort. That scene was a lot of fun.
Lastly, Your Friends & Neighbors has already been picked up for season two. When do you start filming, and do you have any plans before then?
We start very soon—it’s like right around the corner. I’ll just be spending time with my friends and family and getting a lot of that in before I completely dive into this.
Your Friends & Neighbors airs new episodes weekly on Apple TV+.
The post Isabel Gravitt’s Road to Stardom Started at Her Local Walmart appeared first on Glamour.
