'It's a Wonderful Life' Table Read: An Interview With Neurodiverse Actress Naomi Rubin

Naomi Rubin from seasons two and three of “Atypical” is co-starring this holiday season in the “It’s a Wonderful Life” table read. She was excited to share with me the all-star cast she is performing with on December 5. I was inspired by her journey as an actress diagnosed with autism and her creative imagination that empowers her for a career in acting.

1. What impact did your childhood in LA have on your acting career?

“Everything is in LA. Growing up in LA, I was able to meet many cool actors and actresses like Rowan Blanchard who played Riley Matthews in the Disney Channel series ‘Girl Meets World.’ We went to school together. My parents knew many actors and filmmakers and they encouraged me to be in school musicals and plays. A problem with LA is the slow traffic on the freeway.”

2. What sparked your interest in acting and musicals?

“I always had an active imagination and acting was the perfect fit. In fourth grade, I began acting by playing in ‘Willy Wonka Junior.’ I auditioned for the role of Veruca Salt who is my favorite character of all time, but was picked for another role. I loved being on the stage and performing.

This play started me on a path of being in school musicals and a few summer camp productions. In eleventh grade, my mom received an email about an open casting call for ‘Atypical.’ We sent in a tape and the next day, I was chosen. After appearing in only three episodes, they named my character Noelle and gave me some lines. I went on to co-star in seasons two and three of ‘Atypical.’ I also played Audrey in the 2019 Disney pilot ‘The A Girl,’ as well as appearing in a long-form web commercial for an international online retailer, and Investigation Discovery’s ‘A Stranger Among Us.’ Recently, I did a new show, ‘As We See It,’ for Amazon, which will be out next month.”

3. How did your family and teachers encourage your passion for acting?

“My parents are passionate about musical theater and they’ve passed that passion on to me. The autism community is very supportive and Elaine Hall, the founder of The Miracle Project has mentored me and I worked with her on some projects. My acting coach Liz Flemming from Out of the Box Theatrics has been a great teacher and helped me with my harder auditions. Liz is a great source of light and a real motivator.”

4. How does your neurodiverse thinking empower you for an acting career?

“My neurodiverse thinking empowers me as an actress by giving me an active imagination that enables me to visualize my characters and portray their mannerisms and emotions. I learned through acting to block out noise and overcome my natural shyness with confidence on the stage.”

5. What are some similarities between you and your character Noelle in “Atypical?”

“Like my character Noelle, I am sassy and we both have an uncle who was on academic probation, only my uncle was not in jail like Noelle’s.”

6. As an actress on the spectrum, what were some unique challenges you experienced, and how did you overcome them?

“One challenge I experienced with autism in acting was social anxiety. When auditioning, actresses are expected to be super outgoing, warm, funny, and bubbly. I try to have these qualities but sometimes it’s difficult when I had a bad day or I am tired. I learned to own the room as best, I can by being an outgoing version of myself.”

7. What character do you play in the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ table read and what do you like best about this character?

“I play the role of Violet Bick. I really like that Violet is ahead of her time. She is not afraid to take charge in a relationship and flirts with George Bailey who is the main character in the story. By the end of the show, she owns her own business.”

8. How is the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ table read different from the original classic?

“The table read version follows the original script but is different by being a virtual live experience on Zoom. Every actor is in boxes and the host is Tom Bergeron from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘Hollywood Squares.’ It also has two legendary storytellers: Mandy Patinkin, a Broadway star who was in the film The Princess Bride, and comedian Phil Lamarr, who is the number one voice actor in the world. I am so excited to be working with them and this all-star cast.”

9. What other actors and actresses are you working with in the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ table read?

“In addition to the three actors I’ve already mentioned, I’ll be working with Jason Sudeikis who is playing George Bailey, Kathy Bates as Ma Bailey, Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Martin Sheen, Spencer Harte, Dominique Brown, and many other big names. I can hardly wait to work with all of them.”

 

10. What are some future roles you hope to play in films and TV shows?

“I would love to act in an episode of my favorite television show, ‘Doctor Who,’ and a superhero movie by Marvel or D.C.”

11. Share a humorous moment from your life.

“As I mentioned earlier, I have a big imagination with several layers on top of it and that can be an issue. When I was very young I had imaginary friends who went with me everywhere. On vacation in Jamaica, my family went to a resort with a big waterslide; I made the other children in line wait for my three imaginary friends to go down the waterslide before me. My three imaginary friends were Harry Potter and his two friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I look back on this incident and wish I could apologize for being such a waterslide hog.”

12. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

“I’d like to encourage everyone on the spectrum. You’re incredible and never give up on your dreams because you’re unique.”

13. What advice would you give to individuals with autism who hope to be actors or actresses?

“Do it! Jump into acting. If you got a big imagination as I do, go for it. The world is your oyster.”

14. How can we watch the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ table read?

“You can watch the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ table read by purchasing tickets at the Ed Asner Family Center website.

Click on the button ‘Get Your Ticket Now.’ For those who missed the live version, tickets for the encore recorded version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” are available through New Year’s Day, starting at $30. All proceeds go directly to The Ed Asner Family Center, providing community enrichment and mental health support to neurodivergent and special needs families.”