Pop Culturalist Chats with Rise’s Amy Forsyth

If you aren’t already tuning into NBC’s breakout hit, Rise, you’re missing out on the stunning performance by Amy Forsyth. Each week, the Ontario native is bringing strength, vulnerability, and truth to a character that you wouldn’t traditionally root for. On the surface, her character Gwen may appear to be your typical “mean girl” who has it all, but underneath, she struggles with personal matters at home, which causes her to misdirect her anger and pain. Pop Culturalist sat down with Amy to chat about Gwen’s struggles, a teacher who changed her life, and the impact the show has had on audiences.

PC: Tell us about Rise, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Amy: Rise takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania. It’s about a high school theatre department that gets a new director who revolutionizes the lives of the students, the people in the department, and the town. I play Gwen Strickland—the daughter of the football coach and someone who’s always been the lead in the school productions. When we first meet Gwen, she’s on top of the world and has her life together. But when Lou Mazzuchelli (Josh Radnor) comes in, he steals the role of theatre director from Rosie Perez’s character, Tracey, and makes some changes that deeply affect Gwen. At the end of the first episode, she is already knocked off her pedestal and she begins to unravel.

What drew me to this project was Jason Katims. I’ve been lucky enough to work with him in the past and I don’t think I could ever say no to him. He’s a genius. He’s so honest in his writing and he tells stories about real human beings without the glitz and glamour, which I think is so important. And it’s something he does really well. I also grew up doing musical theatre so a show where I could work with Jason and sing and dance is a dream.

PC: How much of yourself is in your character?
Amy: More than I’d like to admit! [laughs] When I was in high school, I was very similar to Gwen…hopefully a little nicer. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be an actor and I took myself very seriously. I was willing to do whatever it took to be taken seriously in the eyes of others. It can be frustrating when you’re a so-and-so “kid,” but you feel like an adult because you have your life figured out. It’s a really rare thing when you know what you want at a young age and people don’t know what to do with you, because most of the time when you’re in high school, you’re figuring out who you are. Of course, I was too, but I knew what mattered most to me. So by the time I reached high school, I was already wanting to be finished with it, and was ready to be in the real world. So, Gwen and I are very similar in that respect. I also am a child of divorce, so I related a lot to that. Ultimately, we’re both young, passionate, and determined women.

PC: So like you just mentioned, in last week’s episode we learn that Gwen is struggling with personal issues at home. How will that affect her and her relationships moving forward? Will we see her opening up to some of her classmates?
Amy: Yeah, things that are going on at home are never just left at home, especially when it comes to divorce. Divorce affects everyone greatly. I don’t believe there’s a person who can go off in life and pretend like nothing has happened. Everything that you’ve known and believed in changes and that uproots you as a person. When we first meet Gwen, she’s all about theatre, but as we progress throughout the season, we see the vulnerable side of Gwen who’s hurting; her world has done a complete 180. She definitely projects her anger and frustration on others, sometimes not in the best way, but as the season goes on, she starts to connect with some people that you may not expect her to.

PC: In the final moments of that episode, Gwen has this really emotional moment on stage. How did you prepare for that scene?
Amy: I was really nervous about that scene because anytime you read a script that says your character gets emotional, you have to make sure you’re able to bring it, and it can’t feel forced in anyway. Sometimes you show up on set and you’re supposed to do an emotional scene but you just can’t get there. That’s always stressful. To be honest, it came fairly easy on that day, and it’s a testament to Jason’s writing and his ability to bring forth the truth. It’s also a testament to Josh Radnor who plays Lou because he just has this nurturing way about him. It was a powerful moment because if you’re truly hurting in any way and someone’s able to look you in your eyes and give you permission that it’s okay not to be okay, it’s hard to hold it in. Our job as actors is to tell the truth.

Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

PC: Did you have a teacher like that growing up?
Amy: Yeah, I did. I was very fortunate that I was able to go to an art-type school. We called our teachers by their first names. There was a mutual respect. They didn’t treat us like typical high school students. They treated us like individuals and young adults, and that was huge. I had a moment when I was going through something in high school where a teacher came up to me, didn’t say anything, grabbed my hands, pulled me into her office, and made sure I was okay. A year later, she reached out to me and told me she was glad I was doing better. It was such a truthful moment. It was so vulnerable for me, but she saw how important it was for her to tell me that it’s okay not to be okay, and that she had my back. That was huge for me to have an adult who wasn’t a family member treat me like an equal and respect me and support me. It was a really special moment, and I’ll always remember it. We still keep in touch. I was fortunate to have teachers like Lou because they change lives.

PC: You said earlier you’ve done musical theatre, so this must feel like it’s come full circle. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned being a part of this community?
Amy: That’s a good question! There are so many lessons to be learned from the arts, and from doing theatre specifically, not just about being an artist, but about being a human being. It teaches responsibility in such an intense way. If you’re not prepared or you’re not pulling your weight, you let down an entire team. It’s very similar to a sports team in that way. With theatre, you’re in it for the long run. It’s not like you go in and shoot one scene and you’re done. You’re in rehearsals for a long time, and then your show is hopefully running for a long time. That commitment and that family is huge in theatre.

PC: If you could pick next season’s production, what would it be and why?
Amy: [laughs] Oh man, we’ve talked about this so many times and we’ve all been throwing ideas out there. Our troupe is so incredibly talented. These are all Broadway people. These are all people who have been on Broadway and are professional musical theatre people. I think it would be amazing to feature every single person, so something with a big ensemble, maybe Into the Woods or The Spelling Bee.

PC: Each character has their unique storyline and their own journey throughout the season. Besides Gwen, is there another one that’s resonated with you and why?
Amy: All of them? [laughs] I see pieces of myself in all of them. I do resonate with Lilette’s storyline a lot. I grew up with a single mom, and our relationship is not conventional. We are dysfunctional. We love each other through everything but there are times when we act like friends who are fighting rather than mother and daughter. Lilette’s storyline is pretty close to home for me.

PC: The show has gotten a great response on social media. Do you have a favorite fan reaction?
Amy: I do! It’s not about my character, but it’s about Ellie’s character, Michael. Ellie’s been posting some of the DMs that they’ve been getting and the messages they’ve been receiving on Twitter, and it’s so incredible to see the response. I saw someone’s response today that said, “I watch this show with my mom, and when my mom saw your character and the struggles that they were going through, she decided to reach out to trans kids in her school and make sure they were being taken care of.” This was somebody in the world of education who watched this storyline and went, “you know what? There’s nothing implemented in our schools for trans kids or the LGBTQ community,” and this show made her think, “that’s wrong and we need to do something about it.” That’s incredible and that’s what making this show is all about.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Amy: Pretty Little Liars

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Amy: Definitely, Maybe

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Amy: You can’t make me pick! Spring Awakening is one of them. Next to Normal is one of them. Dear Evan Hansen is incredible.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Amy: I don’t know if they’d be surprised to learn but maybe Anderson Paak

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Amy: Stranger Things

PC: Last person you texted?
Amy: The production assistant on the film I’m working on. [laughs]

Make sure to follow Amy on Twitter and Instagram, and check out new episodes of Rise every Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC.

Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC