Lacey Chabert Recalls Going Through a ‘Lot of Firsts’ on ‘Party of Five’ Set: ‘It Was Real Issues’

Transcript

00:00I mean, I was 11 when the show started, so I didn't understand the scope of what it really

00:05meant to be on a television show. I just knew I loved acting and telling stories,

00:09and I got to do that with this incredible group of people who I loved hanging out with.

00:13And they're like family to me. Scott and I did a movie together last year for Hallmark,

00:19and the first day on set instantly brought tears to my eyes because he's such a, I love him so

00:24much. And it felt like no time had passed, you know, when we stepped on set together.

00:28And it's really hard to believe that it's been 30 years, but I feel like so much of who I am

00:36now as an adult, so much of it is from the influence that that amazing group of people

00:42had on me from the ages of 11 to 17. You know, you take that stuff with you as you grow, and

00:46I'm really thankful to have had that experience. And I learned so much being on set.

00:52Well, my character really grew up, so I went through a lot of firsts,

00:56like kind of every first that a girl from 11 to 17 can go through.

01:00And a lot of times it was hadn't yet happened for me in real life, or it was a first time.

01:05And, you know, it was just, there was so much reality to it is what I'm saying.

01:10And I think that, um, I think with each character, our audience had someone that,

01:15you know, they connected with, whether it's because they were that age or the character

01:18was going through something they related to. Um, so I'll have people tell me all the time,

01:22oh, I saw so much of myself and Claudia and the show was just so well-written, you know,

01:26it was real issues, real people going through real life struggles and these five kids navigating life

01:31without their parents and raising each other. So it was just very, um, it was all very poignant.

01:36I don't know. I don't have plans yet. Um, I actually, my brother had a child born.

01:44One of my nephews was born on October 3rd and he called me many years ago and he goes,

01:48why is everyone congratulating me that my child was born on Mean Girls Day?

01:52What is Mean Girls Day? So that's kind of like our fun family story, but, you know,

01:57every year that it passes, I just appreciate all of the love and support. And whenever you're a

02:03part of a project, you hope it resonates with people and people are going to enjoy it. And

02:07so for it to have had the life that it's had, the movie and the love that it's had is just wonderful.