Gabriel LaBelle rose to fame in 2018 for ‘Predator’, the umpteenth sequel to the saga, but it has not been until ‘The Fabelmans’, the new by Steven Spielberg, who has conquered critics and the public as the alter ego of the legendary director. So much so that, in addition to receiving praise in recent months, the actor won the award for Best Young Performer at the Critics Choice Awards. About embodying Spielberg and the advice that the veteran director gave him, we have talked with him in an interview for eCartelera.
It’s not every day you get a call from Steven Spielberg himself with the intention of starring in his new movie. And above to play himself. LaBelle excitedly tells us about the process of getting involved in the film: “I auditioned in March 2021 and then heard nothing for 3 months. In May they called me back. I had a Zoom meeting with the casting director. Then I had another Zoom meeting with Steven Spielberg. I had two scenes out of five minutes each, two shots each. As I collect images to send to you I realize there are 25 minutes of material. The interview was for an hour, so we spent 35 minutes just talking, and it was amazing. The next day my agent called me and told me that she got it.”.
For someone who has practically just entered the industry, it is very easy that, when participating in a great film, their world turns upside down at the first opportunity. However, starring in the new film from the person responsible for ‘Jaws’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘Jurassic Park’ or ‘Schindler’s List’ is something that goes beyond any expectation. “To be cast in any movie is a big thing”LaBelle declares, “To be chosen for this one is really amazing. it changes your life. You know that you are going to be thrown into this environment of teachers, and that it is going to be hard but also wonderful.”.
Getting into Spielberg’s skin
“Then they sent me the script”the actor continues “and I realized that I had auditioned for the teenage Sammy. When I got the script I realized that for the first 30 pages…it was a boy!”. Despite the fact that they had not told her about this small detail, LaBelle did not hesitate to get down to business: “The first thing I asked him was ‘How much of this has actually happened?’ It was all real! I thought Spielberg would tell me what it means to be him. He didn’t tell me, I had to find out myself.”. The young actor decided to shadow the director: “I spent a month with Spielberg to get to know each other better.. I got to see everything he filmed of his family growing up, tons of stuff. I had to base my physique on how he moved, I learned to smile like him. I learned to use his experiences to influence my acting. I was able to do Sammy Fabelman however I wanted, and it was amazing. With all the actors he’s like ‘It’s your job!’ but he’s always there if you need him. He was there for me when I needed him.”.
‘Los Fabelman’ arrives in Spanish cinemas next Feb. 10.
Reference-www.ecartelera.com
