I spoke with Saxon Sharbino about Love, Poltergeist, taking a more active role in Hollywood, and more. Saxon plays Simone in Love. Love is a new Netflix series created by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, and Paul Rust. It also stars Gillian Jacobs, Paul Rust, and Dave Allen. The entire first season of Love will be available on February 19th on Netflix.
Lena: You were great in Touch. I really loved that show. They need to have you join David Mazouz in Gotham.
Saxon Sharbino: Thank you. Yes, that would be really cool.
Lena: What was the scariest thing about filming and watching Poltergeist?
Saxon Sharbino: The scariest thing, while filming on set, was when we invited a medium and the medium could tell you things and repeat conversations that you had a month ago back word for word. That was really scary while filming. There wasn’t anything really scary while actually filming because everything was green screen, but watching the movie I really like the demon thing in the garage. I was really surprised that it was that scary. I loved it.
Lena: Were you a fan of the original film? The guy peeling his face off still freaks me out.
Saxon Sharbino: I hadn’t seen the original until after we finished filming Poltergeist the reboot.
Lena: How was it working with Sam Rockwell? It seems like he would be really fun to work with?
Saxon Sharbino: He was amazing to work with. Every take he would do something a little bit different to keep you on your toes, which is really helpful. It really keeps you fresh and in the moment. I loved working with him.
Lena: You are starring in Judd Apatow’s Netflix series, Love. It has already been renewed for a second season. What can you say about the show and your character Simone?
Saxon Sharbino: Yeah, it was picked up for two seasons immediately. The TV show is centered around a set, and I’m one of the actors on the set within a set. It was really awesome meeting Judd Apatow and I worked with his daughter Iris and that was really cool.
Lena: What are you thoughts, as an actor and a viewer, on networks releasing entire seasons at once?
Saxon Sharbino: Honestly, I think it’s really helpful, as an actor, to be able to know your story and you character arc right straight out and where you end. It will definitely help you make smarter choices about your character in the scenes if you are aware of where your character is going to end up. I really like it. As a viewer, I like watching all of the episodes together. I would rather watch a whole season in one night.
Lena: Can you talk about working with Judd and the cast?
Saxon Sharbino: It was really awesome working with them. I worked with his daughter and she’s an amazing actress. It was cool to play actors within a show because they had a fake soundstage, even though we were actually in a real film set. That was definitely interesting. I’ve never worked on a show like that before. Everyone was really sweet and I loved filming.
Lena: What’s your favorite Judd Apatow film?
Saxon Sharbino: I don’t really have one. All of them are amazing. [For a series] It has to be Love because I was on it and I know what it was like filming.
Lena: You must be able to give your sister, Brighton, some wonderful advice about acting.
Saxon Sharbino: Yeah, we like that we are both actors. We started around the same time, like five years ago. She’s on The Walking Dead and her new movie Miracles from Heaven is about to come out. It’s just what we love to do and what we want to do for the rest of our lives.
Lena: Are you going to be doing any shows or films together?
Saxon Sharbino: That would be so cool. I would love to do a film with Brighton.
Lena: She’s such a good actress, too.
Saxon Sharbino: Yes, she is. I’m so proud of her.
Lena: What other projects do you have coming up?
Saxon Sharbino: I have a movie called Bedeviled. It’s probably coming out late this fall. The directors were Abel and Burlee Vang. I’m also learning how to be a producer because I want to take a more active role in Hollywood. I just optioned my first script, so I’m really excited about that—being able to act and produce.
Lena: It’s great to be able to do a bit of everything.
Saxon Sharbino: Yeah, especially when you have to wait for somebody to hire you. I love acting and I love working. I know that I want to be in this business for the rest of my life, so in finding my own jobs—I have to start being more active in Hollywood. Maybe Brighton and I can do something together.
Love premieres February 19th on Netflix.
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Photo: Deidhra Fahey