Exclusive Interview: Susan Gallagher Talks Merry Good Enough, Cobra Kai, and More

Susan Gallagher, a highly acclaimed actress, writer, and producer renowned for her outstanding performances in projects such as Bloodline, Loki, Queering, and Cobra Kai, is enchanting audiences this December with the heartwarming holiday film, Merry Good Enough.

In this must-see movie, we delve into the intricate dynamics of Lucy Raulie (Raye Levine Spielberg), who grapples with the complexities of her dysfunctional family. When her mother, Carol (portrayed by Susan Gallagher), mysteriously disappears on Christmas Eve—possibly due to Lucy’s actions—it becomes Lucy’s unintended mission to reunite her fractured family.

Teaming up, in a somewhat reluctant fashion, with her older brother Tim (Daniel Desmarais) and younger sister Cynthia (Comfort Clinton), the Raulie siblings find themselves in for more than they bargained for. The addition of their eccentric father George (Joel Murray) to the mix promises to add both chaos and a touch of humor to the quest for Carol.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Susan about Merry Good Enough, her experience working on Cobra Kai, and more.

PC: You’ve got two great projects coming out in December, and each is so different from the other. As an actor, how do you decide what you want to be a part of? What was it about Merry Good Enough that resonated with you?
Susan: I’ve always been one to try to do something that’s a little unpredictable and to challenge myself as an actress. I’m always trying to grow and learn.

So I actually received this random email from this guy named Dan Kennedy. He said, “You probably don’t remember me, but you auditioned for me in New York City back in 2017.” He said, “We didn’t go with you; we went with this more character-looking actress, but we regretted it, and I never forgot your performance. I’m working on another indie film called Merry Good Enough, and there’s a role that I think you might really like if we can send you the script.” I was blown away, and I said, “Send me that script!”

I couldn’t believe he kept my email address all that time. Thankfully, I still had the same email address! I read the script, and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with Carol, my character in Merry Good Enough. It’s this dark comedy with heart, and it’s about a family with some dysfunction and mother-daughter struggles, but it also has a lot of humor and a lot of love.

PC: In addition to the incredible work that you’ve done on screen, you’ve also written, produced, and directed. How have your experiences behind the camera impacted the way that you approach your work on screen and interpret characters and scripts like this one?
Susan: Back in 2014 is when I formed Her Little Red Productions because I got tired of waiting for my agent to call. I was aging out of this and aging out of that, and I wanted to do more character work anyway, so I formed Her Little Red Productions. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I had friends who were doing the same thing. I was like, “Well, they don’t have a degree from Tisch or Southern Cal.”

I was at the point in my life where I wasn’t afraid to fail. That helped me from an audition and a casting point of view. It’s not personal. It’s a business. I became more comfortable with the whole casting and audition process from doing it myself from a production standpoint. That has helped too. I’ve also tried to learn more about camera technique and being more cinematic. I’ve got a long way to go, but I love learning, growing, and working with great people.

PC: There’s such fantastic chemistry that comes off the screen between you and the entire cast. You really do believe that they’re this dysfunctional family with their baggage, but what family doesn’t have that? How did you go about building that bond?
Susan: Dan Kennedy and Caroline Keene. Caroline co-directed and wrote this. They had me zoom with Raye Levine Spielberg, who is our star. She carries this movie brilliantly. She’s so talented and so beautiful inside and out. We immediately hit it off. She’s got two little children, a boy and a girl, which is what I also raised. We immediately had a warm and easy chemistry that helped a lot.

But then Dan and Caroline because it starts from the top, their energy was so lovely, chill, and open. It felt like such a collaboration, and in those situations, you do find yourself being able to relax. When we can relax and be a little freer, then hopefully, we can give a better performance.

Then we also have Joel Murray from Mad Men, who plays my ex-husband, Comfort Clinton from Billions plays my other daughter, Margaret Curry, and all these other wonderful people who wanted to be there because it’s not a big-budget film.

We didn’t have a lot of money, so the cast, crew, and everyone involved were people who wanted to be there because they loved the story, the writing, and the characters. This family is so relatable. We could all relate to it. It was an absolutely wonderful experience. I’m so glad that everybody’s going to get to see it because if you love Christmas, you’re going to love Merry Good Enough. And if you hate Christmas, you’re going to love Merry Good Enough. There’s something for everybody.

PC: Caroline co-directed and wrote this film. How different is the experience when the person who has helped create this universe and these characters is also at the helm co-directing? What was that collaboration like?
Susan: It was wonderful because I wanted to bring as much truth to Carol as I could. I have the writer right there. The mother-daughter relationship in this film are very close to Caroline’s heart, so I wanted to get it right. Having her there, being able to ask questions, and her sharing her thoughts was wonderful and very helpful.

She co-directed this with Dan. They’re just a wonderful team. They were a real dream team. Then having Sawyer Spielberg, who’s Steven’s son, and is also Raye Levine’s real-life husband. He plays her love interest in the movie. It was fun to watch them having to pretend like they were kissing for the first time. They’re just an adorable, lovely couple. They’re crazy talented. It was a labor of love. We had such a family energy. It was one of those projects that you hated to leave.

PC: There’s so much vulnerability that you have to tap into when you’re playing a character like this, especially towards the end of the film when there’s that beautiful moment between Carol and her daughter Lucy. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into that mindset and scene in particular?
Susan: The writing makes it possible. I have found that the better the writing is, the easier it is for me to get into that character. But I loved this character from the very beginning because she’s a little dysfunctional and disheveled. It was such a joy to slip into her skin and feel some of the emotions that she’s feeling.

At the end of the day, she just wants her children to like her, be happy, and well-adjusted. She’s had her own struggles. But at the end of the day, she really, truly loves her children and is a good, strong person. She’s not a victim. I think that audiences are going to fall in love with the whole family.

PC: You’ve touched upon this already, but you’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative and storyteller?
Susan: Number one, I have the opportunity to play usually a larger role. There’s a freedom that I’ve found in indie films. It’s a very collaborative effort, so you can take more risks. I can take more risks because it’s not like we’re making this with a huge amount of money, and you have to get in there and do it just right. So the liberties that we can take as artists and try different things, and the willingness to be able to play a bit more is a big difference in the indie world.

PC: Outside of Merry Good Enough, you’ve also been a part of Cobra Kai, which recently announced that the series will end with its sixth season and on its own terms. When you look back at that experience, what will you remember most?
Susan: Wow. Probably getting into hair, makeup, and costume, and the transformation to get into Homeless Lynn is amazing. It’s amazing what those departments can do. I love to tell this story, but one of the first times that I wrapped on Cobra Kai, I put on my clothes and jumped in my car. I had about a three-and-a-half, four-hour drive back to Asheville, North Carolina, from Atlanta. Then it suddenly hit me. I looked in the mirror and I was like, “Oh my gosh. I’m still Lynn. I’m never going to be able to go into a Starbucks and grab a coffee or go to McDonald’s to use the bathroom. [laughs] From that point, we had to figure out a plan on how to clean me up so that I don’t get arrested heading into McDonald’s or Starbucks. [laughs] That’s a great memory.

But I’m here to tell you, the fans have been absolutely wonderful. New fans and younger fans of Cobra Kai, but then you also got the loyal fans from the Karate Kid movies that have been waiting for thirty years for something like Cobra Kai to come back. They’ve been fantastic and so supportive of me in everything that I do. I love engaging with the fans. That’s been a highlight for me. It’s such a blessing to meet so many wonderful people.

To keep up with Susan, follow her on Instagram. Watch Merry Good Enough wherever you stream movies.