Jillian Shea Spaeder – Godmothered

By starrymag | January 5, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the film Godmothered.

 

A) The film is about a young, inexperienced godmother, Eleanor (Jillian Bell), who finds out her chosen profession is going extinct. So, she finds a mislaid letter from a young girl and sets out to help her. What she finds is that the young girl is now a single working mother of two kids. Eleanor tries to help the whole family find their happily ever after.

 

Q) How was your character Jane originally described to you?

 

A) The character breakdown for my audition referred to Jane as a “sensitive and awkward teenage girl with self-esteem issues” who is a talented singer-songwriter but lacks the confidence to share her gifts with the world. She is distant with her mom, who always seems tired and grumpy, and also discourages Jane from singing in public.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of this film?

 

A) As both an actor and singer-songwriter, I’m always excited to audition for a role where the character sings or plays guitar. In this case, the character does both. So, being able to do three things I love in one project was a huge draw for me. Plus, it’s a Disney movie that takes place around the holidays, so that was a bonus!

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on this movie?

 

A) I had only seen Isla [Fisher] in movies and I heard of Jillian Bell, but I wasn’t familiar with any of her projects. My parents were excited to hear about Jane Curtin being cast, but I had no idea who she was!

 

Q) Talk about working with Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher.

 

A) Jillian and Isla are two of the sweetest human beings on the planet! They are both so funny and inspiring. I loved working with both of them and learned so much from watching them on set. Most of my scenes were with Jillian, Isla, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Willa Skye (who played my aunt and sister in the film). We got close during the production and we’ve kept that relationship going through texts and social media.

 

Q) What kind of prep went into your beautiful song performance for the movie?

 

A) The Disney music pros sent me a sample track of “Rise Up” before I even headed to Boston to start filming. I already knew the song from performing it an event five years ago, so I just had to learn the version they wanted to use in the film. One of the first things I did when I got to Boston was head into the studio to record the vocal track for “Rise Up.” Months later, during post-production, they asked me to re-record a few of the vocal parts, especially since it would be released on the soundtrack.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film?

 

A) One highlight for me was filming the Christmas concert scene. As a musician, it was surreal performing “Rise Up (Joy to the World)” with a choir behind me and a big crowd in front of me. And, as an actor, I enjoyed taking the character from shy and nervous to confident and happy by the end of the song. One of my other favorite scenes to film was riding in the watermelon carriage. It was shot in front of a green screen, but the carriage was on a mechanical base that the crew could move up, down and all around. I love rides, so that was a lot of fun!

 

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

 

A) The main message of the movie is that true love comes in many forms and also that you don’t need a prince, a ball or a gown to have happily ever after. You just need to live happily.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of response have you gotten to the movie?

 

A) Most of the people who have commented about the movie loved it and I also got a lot of wonderful feedback about “Rise Up (Joy to the World).” Godmothered came out toward the end of a really crazy year, so I’m glad the film helped end 2020 on a positive note!

 

Q) What advice would you give to other young girls and boys who want to start acting?

 

A) Take classes, be in school shows and audition for local theatre productions. If you do that and find you want to do more, look for a talent agent who can get you auditions for film and TV roles.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of the work you do?

 

A) Thank you SO much! I’m glad to know there are people whose lives I’ve touched in some way and your support means everything to me.

 

 

 

 

Follow Jillian Shae Spaeder

Social Media:

Socials: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok

Music: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Website: www.jillianshea.com