Fiona Gubelmann – Mommy’s Little Girl

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been working on?

A) I just finished recurring on “Telenovla” where I got to play a crazy, kooky character and it was so much fun. I’m about to head to Canada to be the lead in a Hallmark movie. I will also be recurring on YouTube’s new scripted series “Sing It,” which will come out in a couple of months. Then, recently I did a bunch of guest stars on “iZombie,” “Castle” and “The League.”

Q) We will be seeing you coming up in the Lifetime movie Mommy’s Little Girl. How was your character originally described to you?

A) There was no character description. I was just sent the script. It was going to be similar to The Bad Seed, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think going into it with no preconceived ideas about the film was great because I got to go along for the ride as a viewer would. I really enjoyed the story and the relationship between the characters. I loved how everything felt real and motivated by real emotions and things that happened to the different characters. Especially getting to be a mother, I don’t often get to play moms. So, that was a really cool opportunity, too.

Q) Was there instant cast chemistry when everyone began working together?

A) The cast was phenomenal. I have to say I was so lucky to work with such talented and kind people. Emma Hentschel, who plays my daughter – she and I got along so well and we became buddies. I have stayed in touch with her. We just had so much fun. Acting with her was so easy! All we had to do was talk to each other and that’s how acting should be, but so often it is not. It was just so beautiful and I learned so much about acting. James Gallanders, who plays my husband, was one of the kindest people. He was just so loving. Having him play my husband and he being a good guy came so easy. Deb Grover is like a ray of sunshine, joy and rainbows bottled up! You can’t believe she is playing such a mean character! She brought so much joy to the set and it was so much fun getting to play with her. Casting in a project is so important and chemistry in a project is so important and I really feel like Pierre [David] and the producers did a wonderful job putting this together and making us a real family.

Q) What were some of your memorable moments from filming?

A) One day we were filming in a park, just Deb and I. We were sitting at a picnic table and all of a sudden over her right shoulder this giant spider started crawling from her back towards the front. I was like out of Arachnophobia that I just started screaming! I ran as far and as fast as I could! Deb was so calm and just shoo it away.

Q) What was it like working with director Curtis Crawford?

A) Curtis is like a pop of air. He’s the nicest person. He was so patient and so kind. If I had questions or needed some advice about something he was right there. He always wanted to make sure we were happy with what we were doing and never felt rushed. We weren’t working crazy long days and we came in on schedule. He’s done a lot of work and it shows in his experience and his calmness. He also is so kind and everyone who works on his crew just follows his lead. I felt like I had a family and keep in touch with so many of the cast and crew. I still consider them my Canadian family.

Q) What makes Mommy’s Little Girl a great fit for the Lifetime network?

A) The writing is terrific and it’s a really fun script. It’s a great thriller and when you have a good story it’s so great. You think it’s such an easy thing, but I read so many scripts. This was a great script so I think first of all that is really important. I also think people expect fun thriller films from Lifetime with good acting and good stories. I think this definitely delivers then.

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching the movie?

A) I just really hope people have a great time and they can see how hard we worked and how great we all got along. I hope they don’t think it is silly or unbelievable. People will wonder if she is a bad seed or the devil. I love that it is a really psychological story and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I hope people will, too.

Q) Will you be live tweeting during the film’s premiere?

A) Yes, I will definitely be tweeting live while people watch it. I always love to tweet live because I think it is so much fun to see peoples’ reactions and hear their thoughts. It’s a great perk for me. I grew up doing theatre and it’s kind of like doing theatre in the sense that you at least get to have a sense of an idea of what they are enjoying.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with fans?

A) I’m really excited for people to watch this movie!