- 16 hours ago
"Hopefully it's just the first!" the actress says about her her first ever nomination.
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00:00Hi, this is Mariah Gullow from The Hollywood Reporter, and I'm here with Shannon Purser for Meet Your Emmy Nominee.
00:06Hi!
00:07Hi, Shannon! Congratulations, this is your first Emmy nomination.
00:12Thank you, yeah, it's hopefully just the first, but it's incredible, yeah.
00:17You play Bart Polland in Stranger Things, so let's talk about how you found out about your Emmy nomination.
00:24Did you know that they were submitting you?
00:26No, no, I had no idea, actually. I knew that the show was going to be submitted, and I was
00:35not surprised at all to see that I got the amount of nominations that I got, because it's just so
00:39beautifully made and well done.
00:41I'm a little biased, obviously, but yeah, no, did not know they were submitting me, and I remember I was
00:47on a plane to Vancouver to do season two of Riverdale when they announced it,
00:54and so the plane landed, and I turned on my phone, and it just was, like, blowing up, and I
01:00had no idea what was going on until I got a phone call,
01:03and they were like, you got nominated, and I freaked out.
01:06Wow, that's so awesome.
01:07So have you gotten any interesting reactions from fans, from other actors, you know, any surprising shoutouts from people?
01:16I don't know. I mean, I think one of the things that's been, like, most encouraging to me is David
01:23Harbour, who's a hopper in Stranger Things,
01:25whom I love and is just this wonderful human being and actor, has said some very kind things to me
01:32about it and just congratulating me for it,
01:34and I'm also so glad that he was nominated as well, because I think he was absolutely brilliant in that
01:39show.
01:40Yes, yeah, absolutely. We've had him on a couple of times for New Year's nominees as well.
01:45Oh, yes, I love him so much.
01:45Yeah, he's great. Did you spend any time at Comic-Con this year? Were you down there?
01:50Yeah, I was there for, like, one day, which was really fun. Basically, the Duffer brothers had this idea to
01:57bring me in and surprise the rest of the cast
01:59when they were doing the Stranger Things panel for season two. Oh, that's hilarious. So, yeah, they got to, like,
02:03the Q&A part of the panel,
02:06and I, like, just popped up, and everybody freaked out because I wasn't supposed to be there, and I was,
02:13like, sworn to secrecy, and, yeah, that was a lot of fun.
02:17Oh, wow. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about the cultural phenomenon that is Barb.
02:22Oh, my gosh.
02:22So, like, this was kind of your first big acting gig.
02:26Yeah.
02:27And so you came in, you saw the script, it looked really like a really fun kind of special show.
02:33Yeah.
02:34And then, you know, you filmed the show, and I would love to talk to you more about this,
02:39but I want to get to the point where how did you discover that Barb was, like, beyond just a
02:46character on the show?
02:46It was so weird, and it, I feel like it happened, like, slowly, but also when I look back at
02:56it, it all really happened over a couple weeks.
02:59That the show had come out, and it was starting to get really positive reviews, which I was so happy
03:03about.
03:06But, yeah, no, I never expected that anybody would really notice me, much less care about my character at all.
03:13I mean, it is pretty wild to have been there for such a short amount of time and to have
03:19made the impact that the character did.
03:22And, yeah, I just remember all these notifications, like, Twitter and Instagram blowing up,
03:27and that hashtag, Justice for Barb, started, like, trending on Twitter, which was so weird.
03:34And it's been a wild ride, for sure.
03:37Do you feel kind of a kinship with Millie Bobby Brown?
03:39Because one of the things I noticed when watching the final episode of Stranger Things is I was like,
03:44well, the kids are so excited that they have their friend back, but what about Eleven?
03:49They were like, oh, some stuff happened.
03:51We had a new friend, but everything's great, you know?
03:53I know.
03:53And I was like, hey, Justice for Eleven, come on.
03:56I know, it is kind of funny how that worked out.
03:58And I think Mike is definitely devastated about Eleven being gone.
04:04But, yeah, I don't know.
04:05I think maybe it's just because this all happened such a short amount of time,
04:08and I think all the other kids were still, like, a little suspicious of her,
04:11but I think Mike is definitely the one who really felt it when Eleven was gone.
04:15And maybe Barb and Eleven in Season 2, you're going to kind of see more of, like,
04:19the aftermath of what happens when these characters are gone.
04:22I think so, too.
04:23I mean, the brothers have promised that there will be justice for Barb in Season 2.
04:27I love that.
04:28So, um, we'll have to see.
04:29Maybe your dad will come to town.
04:30Right?
04:31I know.
04:31Like, where is he?
04:32Maybe Barb has, like, a very troubled home life.
04:34Like, no, no.
04:35Her mom doesn't seem to care that she's, like, gone.
04:37So, that bodes well.
04:40Well, you know, I mean, the thing that really connected me to Barb is that
04:43there was a kid in my elementary school who was, like, a red-headed girl with glasses
04:47who her favorite color was pink, you know?
04:49And she was, like, kind of this pink and red thing.
04:52Yep.
04:53And I was just, like, I feel like maybe this is, like, a very universal person
04:57who exists, you know, in all of our childhoods.
05:00Maybe.
05:00There's just that weird redhead.
05:03I don't know.
05:04Did you wear a lot of pink when you were a little kid?
05:06Um, maybe.
05:07I don't know.
05:08I always go back to, like, my middle school days when I was deep in my emo phase.
05:12So, at that point in my life, pink was definitely not part of my wardrobe.
05:16Yes.
05:17Something like this.
05:18I'm like, give me, like, studded belts and plaid miniskirts and stuff.
05:22And it was.
05:22You were way cooler than you were.
05:23It was really bad, but I enjoyed it at the time.
05:27So, are you a fan of 80s movies?
05:30Absolutely.
05:30I love, I mean, I think 80s were probably, arguably, the best decade for film.
05:37Definitely the best decade for kids in film, too.
05:40Yeah, absolutely.
05:41Really started to see, like.
05:42The Goonies and Stand By Me and it's just so good.
05:45Yeah.
05:46What are some of your favorite kind of, like, 80s, like, tropes?
05:49Like, I love, like, the young moms who are, like, constantly smoking and stressed out.
05:54Right?
05:54I'm like, is this a.
05:55The best, like, 80s.
05:56I think about that all the time because I'm watching Twin Peaks right now, the original.
06:00And I'm like, were teenagers just allowed to smoke in school and nobody cared at all?
06:06Like, I don't know.
06:07Like, because everybody seems to be, like, chain smoking in the 80s.
06:11I do.
06:11I have, like, really dark memories because I'm older than you, but younger than, like, being
06:17an 80s teenager.
06:18Yeah.
06:18But I do remember that the Mayview is a smoking section.
06:22I think, like, when I lived in Virginia in the South, there might have been a smoking
06:26section for kids in high school.
06:27Wow.
06:28I seem to remember that.
06:29It's so funny because that would have never happened now.
06:32Yeah.
06:32Yeah.
06:33I do love that one.
06:35I also love, like, I just love the hair so much.
06:41Yeah.
06:41You know, you wonder what these people were thinking and it's beautiful.
06:47Yeah.
06:47Yeah.
06:48I love macrame.
06:49I like that macrame was a thing.
06:51It's, like, more of a 70s thing, but, like, if you want to show, like, kind of, like, a
06:55certain class of person, like, they would still have macrame in their house.
06:59Absolutely.
07:00And also, I think, just the clothes.
07:03You know, people hate on mom jeans a lot, but they're really comfortable.
07:06And they're back.
07:07I was all about it.
07:09It was great.
07:10That's awesome.
07:12So tell me a little bit about, like, kind of the acting process because you, this is a
07:17pretty juicy role.
07:18Like, I see why you got Emmy nominated because you get to be, you get to do, like, the kind
07:23of outcast thing, but then you get to have this, like, wonderful, like, horror movie scene.
07:27Yeah, which was so much fun.
07:30I mean, yeah, Stranger Things really is kind of everything that I love about TV.
07:33You know, I love, obviously, the 80s and I love science fiction and horror and it was
07:38this really beautiful kind of medley of that.
07:43But, yeah, I mean, I think there really wasn't a lot on the page for Barb, you know?
07:47I think it was just, like, Barb, bookish and nerdy.
07:51And, like, that was, like, all I had to go on, really.
07:55And that says a lot, obviously, about the Duffer brothers and Sean Levy who directed and
08:00they were incredible.
08:02But, yeah, I think most of the time I really kind of just drew from my own high school experience.
08:07I'm a fairly awkward and introverted person, so I definitely kind of relate to Barb in
08:15a lot of ways.
08:16And I've definitely been a third wheel at too many parties, so that wasn't a stretch for
08:21me.
08:22Yeah, that is a very identifiable moment.
08:24Yeah, when you're just sitting there and you're like, I don't want to be here at all.
08:27And, yeah, it was very real.
08:30Did you look at any past performances of actresses from, like, the 80s or were you, or were, are
08:37the Duffer brothers more about kind of pulling a performance out of you specifically?
08:41Yeah, I don't think I ever intentionally drew from other actors, you know, from the 80s.
08:48But, I mean, I do love Molly Ringwald a lot in everything that she does.
08:55And I guess, like, as a redhead, especially, I was like, I could be Molly Ringwald.
09:00Like, she's incredible.
09:02And I do think there are kind of some similarities there.
09:04It is interesting how, like, even the style of acting was very particular in the 80s too.
09:09Like, there are subtle differences if you look hard enough between how a lot of the acting
09:14was done in the 80s versus now.
09:16What did you notice, like, especially, like, in relation to Molly Ringwald, who probably
09:22is somebody who you can really study all the different emotional ranges because her character
09:26goes, her character is always super emotional.
09:30Like, did you notice any, like, differences in how, how she reacts to things as opposed to,
09:35like, kind of how people are today?
09:37Yeah, I mean, I think there's, there was this really endearing and charming realism to her.
09:43Um, and that was the thing about Barb is that I feel like she could have been a very obnoxious
09:49character, you know, always, like, being, like, the Debbie Downer, like, I don't want
09:52to be at this party, like, whining.
09:55But, um, you know, it was, it was my first job and I was so incredibly psyched to be there
10:02that I'm like, I'm going to put my heart and soul into this character even if I only have,
10:06like, ten lines total and that's what I did.
10:10That's awesome.
10:10I tried to.
10:11What was it like filming the, uh, being dragged into the, uh, the other world?
10:16Oh, it was so much fun.
10:17The Upside Down.
10:17The Upside Down, yeah.
10:18No, that was amazing.
10:19That was actually my last day, um, shooting, but it was so eventful.
10:24I remember, like, I had so many bruises all over at the end of the day because I did try
10:28to do most of my stunts, um, and they weren't, like, super intensive, but I got, like, you
10:34had to get kind of pulled down.
10:35Dragged down and, like, fell back onto, like, a mattress or whatever, um, but no, it was
10:42so much fun.
10:42It was really gross.
10:44There was, like, slime and glycerin everywhere.
10:47I had to do, like, ten takes at the very beginning where I'm coughing up, like, slime,
10:52which was actually baby food and it was disgusting.
10:55Oh, gross.
10:55Um, yeah, and then I had to, like, change out of those slimy clothes, put the harness
11:01on, and then change back into the gross slimy clothes, and it was not fun, but I would absolutely
11:06do it all over again in a heartbeat, for sure.
11:09We had, um, Sean Levy in here before, and he was, he was talking a little bit about, um,
11:15the SAG Awards when, uh, you guys won for the best cast.
11:19Yes.
11:20And the kind of weird thing that happened where Winona Ryder became a meme.
11:25Yeah.
11:26And how, she had, like, a, she had a really good attitude about it.
11:28She called it face gate.
11:30She's amazing.
11:31Yeah.
11:31I love her.
11:32Have you guys spoken about your, like, weird internet celebrity that has happened?
11:37It is really funny because I definitely remember that night, and right after we got off the
11:43stage, she, like, came up to me and was like, could you hear what David was saying?
11:47Because I, it was so loud, I had no idea what he was saying.
11:51And so, while maybe there were other things going on, and it was certainly kind of an
11:57exaggerated response, I guess.
11:59Um, but I think she genuinely, like, couldn't hear what was going on.
12:03And everybody was cheering and freaking out because his speech was beautiful.
12:06And I think she was just very confused.
12:09But I'm, every interaction that I've had with her has been so positive.
12:13She's so good and talented and, and down to earth.
12:17So, yeah.
12:18I love her a lot.
12:19I really admire her.
12:20That's awesome.
12:21Um, also, now that you have this kind of large, uh, social media platform to, like,
12:28speak about your thoughts, um, because of, uh, the whole cultural phenomenon of Stranger
12:34Things and Barb, um, what, is it important for you to, like, uh, do you think now about
12:39what you want to say to the world because you've kind of got people's ear now?
12:43Absolutely.
12:44No, I mean, I think I never expected to have a platform ever, much less at this age and
12:52one so big.
12:54Um, but I do think that if I, like, looked back on my life and all I did was act
13:00and
13:00never actively tried to, to be a help to anyone or to, to bring some light to the world, I
13:07would be really disappointed with myself.
13:09Um, so I do feel like there is kind of a responsibility.
13:12If you have a platform to do something good, um, and I am very much an open book about myself.
13:20I don't have anything that I'm afraid to talk about.
13:23So, I, I love being honest and I think people seem to appreciate it.
13:28Yeah.
13:29And is there anything you're passionate about right now that you're...
13:33Yeah, I mean, I think my main cause for sure is definitely mental health.
13:39Um, and talking about mental illness and sort of erasing the stigma around it.
13:46Um, because there still is one and, you know, people who are, who are struggling and who have
13:52different brain chemistries are, are called crazy and are, you know, looked down on and
13:57that's really not okay.
14:00And it, it hurts me a lot to think of the way that mentally ill people are very often isolated,
14:06um, from society.
14:07So, it's really important to me that I can talk about that and kind of make it seem like less
14:12scary, um, than it is, you know?
14:15Yeah, I think it's important, you know, that kids now, since they spend so much time in front of a
14:20computer, you know, that kind of outcast feeling could be really amplified.
14:24Absolutely.
14:25And it's good to hear that somebody's, like, reaching out and saying, you know, like, you can, you can go
14:31out there and don't worry about it, like, being an outcast.
14:34Because it's actually celebrated in many parts of the country.
14:38No, absolutely.
14:38Including Hollywood.
14:39Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
14:41I think I wouldn't be here if I were less of a weirdo than I am.
14:46So, it's kind of great.
14:48That's awesome.
14:49Um, okay, so we have, like, a quick, uh, rapid-fire question round called First Best, Last Worst.
14:55I'm scared, but okay.
14:56Ugh, yeah, you'll be fine.
14:57Um, this, this is going to be a really obvious one.
15:00Yep.
15:01First acting job that made you think, I've made it.
15:04Stranger Things.
15:04Oh, wow.
15:06In case you didn't know.
15:07Uh, best story you have from the set of Stranger Things.
15:10Ooh, wow.
15:12Um, I guess this is kind of a common practice when you're all done with all of your scenes for
15:18our
15:18project, everybody will clap for you, um, which is really sweet and wonderful, but I
15:24didn't know that was a thing, and so I remember, like, the end of my shoot, when I had finished
15:30that long day of doing, like, the upside-down scenes, everybody, like, clapped for me, and
15:34I, like, just sort of cried inwardly.
15:39I'm like, oh my gosh, it's the most magical thing in the entire world, um, and it still
15:43is.
15:43I remember thinking, like, wow, this is real, and I can really do this, and, yeah, I
15:48I don't think I'll ever forget that, for sure.
15:50That's so cute.
15:51Um, okay, uh, weirdest place you've been recognized?
15:56Um, in the bathroom of a casino.
16:02I don't gamble.
16:04It was for a thing, and it was, yeah, I just remember, like, coming out to wash my hands,
16:09and this girl just, like, staring at me like I was a ghost, and, yeah.
16:14Um, worst audition experience?
16:18Hmm.
16:20I remember when I, like, my very first auditions, actually, maybe I'll talk about a different
16:27one.
16:28Okay.
16:29No, I'll talk about this one.
16:30Um, yeah, I had to, like, play a cheerleader-type character, and they wanted me to do, like, a cheerleading
16:38cheer, and I am just not good at being that, like, super peppy, like, like, I, I don't know,
16:48I'm not a cheerleader, is what I'm trying to say, and it went horribly wrong.
16:52I like to think that, like, if I did it now, maybe I would have a better handle on it,
16:56but
16:56it was not my crowning moment.
16:59Um, okay, so I have one more question for you before I let you go.
17:02Yeah.
17:02Um, if you could sit next to anybody at the Emmys, on Emmys night, who would it be?
17:08Besides your plus one, of course.
17:09Yes.
17:10Wow.
17:11Oh, wow.
17:12Um, so many good and talented people.
17:20Uh, like, I don't even know if Meryl Streep would be there, because she's not on TV right
17:24now, but if she was, I would...
17:27I mean, this is a fantasy situation, so, yeah.
17:30Yes, I would love to sit next to Meryl Streep.
17:32I would love to just, like, sit at her feet and listen to everything she has to say.
17:37Yeah.
17:37I think, I think at some point you're going to meet her.
17:39That would be incredible.
17:40That would be absolutely incredible.
17:42Shannon Purser, thank you so much for being here.
17:44Yeah, thank you.
17:44And we will see you on Emmy night.
17:46Yes, it's going to be great.
17:47So excited.
17:48Bye.
17:49Bye.
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