BECCA TOBIN, LADYGANG CREATOR, ON PLAYING A BADASS, AMBITIOUS WOMAN IN DISNEY+’S TURNER & HOOCH

BY IRVIN RIVERA

Actress, singer, dancer and New York Times best-selling author BECCA TOBIN currently stars as Brooke in Disney+’s TURNER & HOOCH, a continuation of the 1989 movie with Tom Hanks.

Tobin ascended to pop-culture fame when she got the role of Kitty Wilde on Fox’s GLEE for three seasons where she earned a Teen Choice Award nomination. Tobin is a busy, badass, woman on and off-camera. She also currently co-hosts The LadyGang podcast and she is also one of the co-writers of the New York Times bestselling book Act Like a Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions, and Humiliating Tales from Three Undignified Women.

Alongside her LadyGang podcast hosts, Tobin passionately works with several philanthropic organizations and has awarded $100,000 in educational scholarships to women in their community. The ladies have also partnered with Barry’s Bootcamp for Make March Matter, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’s annual fundraising campaign, Greenleaf to help foster youth at A Sense of Home, the Australian Red Cross during the wildfires and Bethenny Frankel’s B Strong Foundation to help disperse Coronavirus kits to hospitals around the country.

We caught up with the Becca on her TURNER & HOOCH character, the challenges of filming during the pandemic, The LadyGang podcast, her book, what keeps her busy, and life lessons.

MAKE-UP ARTIST: STEPHEN MOLESKI, HAIRSTYLIST: KYLEE HEATH

Hi Becca, how are you?

I’m doing well, thanks! I recently moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas so I’m just settling in but feeling really excited for this new chapter.

How were you able to navigate life, acting and content creation in general throughout the global pandemic?

In the beginning of the pandemic, I was really fortunate because I was able to continue doing a lot of my regular jobs by making only some minor adjustments. We took our LadyGang podcast from studio recordings to Zoom, which was a relatively easy switch. My social media content was a lot of working out and baking like so many other peoples’ were in the beginning of the pandemic. And then I got the ultimate gift about halfway through 2020, and booked a role on the new series “Turner and Hooch” for Disney +, so I was in Vancouver shooting that for the remainder of the lockdown.

Let’s talk about Turner & Hooch. What could you tell us about your character Brooke Mailer?

Turner and Hooch is a continuation of the original story from the 1989 movie with Tom Hanks. I play the ex-girlfriend of Scott Turner, who is played by the amazingly talented Josh Peck. My character, Brooke is an Assistant United States Attorney, and she’s way more impressive than myself!

What drew you to her character?

I was very drawn to this character because I come from three generations of attorneys. My grandfather was an attorney and magistrate court judge, my parents are both attorneys, and so is my older sister, Jessica. Needless to say, I’ve been doing a character study my entire life.

What’s the best part about playing Brooke?

The best part about playing Brooke was being able to play such a strong and ambitious woman. It’s exciting to see more and more roles being written for women that are successful, badass characters as opposed to the whole damsel in distress thing.

What are the challenges and the highs that you experienced during filming?

The biggest challenge while filming was that it was during a pandemic and the protocols were (understandably) very serious. Along with many other things, we were being tested three times a week, and everyone was wearing masks and shields (except the actors when we were shooting) so it made it harder to connect with people on set as quickly as you normally would. It’s crazy to think that I worked closely with people for six months and never saw the lower halves of their faces or shared a glass of wine with them after work.

How did you manage to rise above the challenges?

It was easy to rise above those challenges because we were all so collectively grateful for the opportunity to work. On the days where it got overwhelming with all the protocols, I would remind myself how lucky I was to be there and be doing what I love. There were so many people out of work in our industry (and in SO MANY other fields) who didn’t have the luxury of going to a job and making money at that time.

What’s the most memorable moment for you throughout the whole process of making the series?

The most memorable moment for me during filming was my first day on set and meeting the cast…and the dogs!!! I am such a dog lover and being able to have them on set and in scenes was so enjoyable for me. I will never forget looking down at that big slobbery face during my first scene and being so excited for the next several months!

What’s The Lady Gang podcast about? What can the curious audience expect from it?

The LadyGang is a female-driven podcast that airs twice a week where myself and two other hosts, Keltie Knight and Jac Vanek talk about all things lady! Whether its dating, sex, career, friendship, etc., the conversations are candid and VERY real. The purpose of these conversations is not only to entertain but to make women listening feel less alone. We are all dealing with something and it’s nice to be reminded that you’re not the only one.

Let’s talk about your book, “Act Like a Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions, and Humiliating Tales from Three Undignified Women” with Jac Vanek and Keltie Knight. What are your memorable experiences as you co-write the book?

The book was a very interesting adventure. I really resisted writing it because I felt like I had nothing interesting to say, and (if we are going to get totally honest) I’m the girl who didn’t do her homework in school and this just seemed like one GIANT homework assignment. While I wasn’t wrong about it being a ton of work, it turned out to be a really cathartic experience for me. I opened up about some stuff I never thought I would and it felt nice to hear from other women that those stories and essays helped them in some way. We also made the New York Times Best Seller list, so I guess we had a few interesting things to say.

How would you describe your evolution as an actress from Drop Dead Diva, to Glee, to Turner & Hooch?

I started my career in musical theatre, so making the adjustment from Broadway musicals to TV acting was pretty intimidating for me. Glee was my first TV job (which feels insane to say) but so much of that job served as my training ground for television acting. Since then, the biggest evolution has just been my overall confidence level. The more hours I spent on a set and in front of a camera, the more comfortable I became in the choices I made while acting and in my craft in general.

What’s the proudest moment of your career so far?

The proudest moment in my entire career has been creating The LadyGang. I love acting so so much and it will always be where my passion lies, but the LadyGang is something that’s all mine…and I don’t have to worry about getting fired or written off because I’m the boss and the creator!

What’s your dream project?

My dream project would be to go back to Broadway at some point or do another series or movie with singing and dancing. I miss live theatre and I miss music and choreography so much.

Out of all the roles that you’ve played, is there any role/character that resonated with you the most and why?

The role that resonated with me the most was probably Kitty Wilde on Glee. She was really tough on the outside, but we came to learn that she was actually pretty sensitive and squishy on the inside.

Aside from acting and the podcast, what else keeps you busy?

I am starting another company right now based around women’s fertility, which is super exciting for me because I’m very passionate about helping women in this area of their lives.

What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned that you always carry with you?

A valuable lesson I’ve learned that I’ve taken with me throughout my life is that nothing is permanent. So, if I’m experiencing something terrible or sad or stressful, I find solace in knowing that the feeling or circumstance won’t last forever. And the flip side of that is when I’m experiencing something truly wonderful, I make sure to savor it and appreciate it as much as possible.