EXCLUSIVE: Gabriella Uhl Gives Us All The Details on Her New Movie, Netflix’s 13: The Musical
Tomorrow, August 12, Netflix will premiere its adaptation of the hit musical, 13: The Musical. To celebrate the release of the new movie, we got the chance to speak with one of it’s stars, Gabriella Uhl.
Uhl portrays bookish, Patrice, who ends up befriending the musical’s lead character, Evan Goldman (Eli Golden). During our chat with the actress, we talked how she landed the role, her favorite song from the musical, her dream Broadway role, and so much more. Check out what she had to say below.
What was the audition process like for Netflix’s 13: The Musical?
“Believe it or not, the process was almost a year long, partially because of the pandemic. My first audition for 13 was the last in-person audition I did before everything shut down in March of 2020. The next audition I did after that was in October, on tape. between October and February, when I was cast, there were several more taped and live (on Zoom) auditions, each one with more of the creative team on the Zoom. I worked on music with the music director, scenes with the director, and sang and did scenes for the whole creative team — all from my house! Finally, there were a few sessions of chemistry reads with the actors who were being considered for other roles, until the last day, a Saturday, when we had a very long day of doing scenes with different kids. They told us on Zoom that evening that we would be the cast of 13: The Musical, and we left for Canada to start rehearsals a few weeks later.”
What drew you to your character Patrice?
“In the Broadway/stage show, Patrice sings the most iconic songs. Every tween girl who does theater auditions learns either ‘The Lamest Place in the World’ or ‘What It Means to Be a Friend’ (or both!) at some point, and I grew up listening to Allie Trimm, the Broadway Patrice, singing those songs so well. They’re difficult songs to sing well, and I was excited about the chance to maybe be the reference for the next generation of tween theater girls to listen and aspire to like I’ve listened and aspired to Allie.”
How do you relate to Patrice?
“Patrice has lived her whole life in the same small town and wants to break out and discover new people and places. She is so excited to meet Evan, the new kid, and hear about life in the big city he came from. I can relate to Patrice because I also like to travel, meet interesting people, and learn new things.”
What was it like working with your castmates? Any fun BTS story to share?
“Working on this movie was one of the most fun things I ever did and my castmates are some of my best friends even still. One funny day I remember was when Eli (Evan) was shooting a scene and Jonathan (Archie) and I were on set waiting to shoot the next scene that we were in. Jonathan and I, for whatever reason, got a bad case of the giggles, but we had to be completely silent or we would get in trouble. Of course, everything is 50 times funnier when you’re not allowed to laugh.”
Can you tell us a little about recording the music for the movie?
“I am totally a theater kid and a singer, so rehearsing and recording the music was my absolute favorite part of making this movie. Working with Georgia Stitt and her team was an indescribably amazing experience for me. I learned so much and they treated me like a professional, helping me to give the best performance I possibly could. The only bummer about recording the songs was that, because of COVID, singing together was too risky and we all had to go to the studio individually. We never all got to sing together as a cast without being distanced and behind barriers. I’m sad that we didn’t get to all share that recording studio experience together.”
Did you have a favorite song from the movie?
“Just one song? I am a huge Jason Robert Brown fan and have loved all of the songs from the stage version of this musical since I was 6 years old (the first time I heard them). If I have to pick one favorite from the movie, I think it’s ‘I’ve Been Waiting,’ because it’s a really fun ensemble song with amazing choreography. It reminds me of ‘Summer Lovin” from Grease!”
What would you say was the most difficult scene to film?
“‘Tell Her’ took days for us to get. There was a lot going on in that scene and we had to do it so many times, exactly the same, to get every shot the director wanted. It was a real test of our endurance.”
What are you hoping fans get from 13: The Musical?
“I hope longtime fans of the Broadway/stage version are excited to hear some of their favorite songs and I hope new fans discover this great story and music. It’s a whole new product, with a whole new audience in mind. I think fans, old and new, will find a feel-good family movie that’s really fun to watch!”
You are not new to the musical world, how was this experience different from being in School of Rock?
“It was so different. From my own perspective, 13 was one of my favorite musicals before I was cast, and I didn’t really know School of Rock when I started rehearsals, so I felt a lot more prepared to play Patrice than I felt to play Sophie. In School of Rock, I learned 5 different roles over the 2 years I was on tour, because in theater, we have understudies. Obviously, for 13, I only had to learn the role of Patrice. In School of Rock, we learned the whole show as a full company but for 13, we were only at the studio or on set for songs and scenes we were in. The biggest difference is that for theater, we have to perform 8 shows a week, each time for a new audience and we have to get everything right every time. For the movie, we could get several takes to get something right, but only one performance made it into the movie and that’s the one the world will see for years and years, long after I am much too old to play Patrice!”
Do you have a dream role on Broadway?
“Oh gosh, there are so many. I loved making the movie, but Broadway is what I set out to do first and I’ll never stop loving theater. If you asked me this question in 2019, I would have told you that Patrice was my dream role! I’m so happy I got to play her for this movie. Now, as I look toward playing adults, my dream roles are Euridice (Hadestown), Katherine (Newsies), Jenna (Waitress), and Elphaba (Wicked). All of them are determined, strong women.”
What is next for Gabriella?
“I’ve had some opportunities to sing the national anthem at professional sporting events. This is really special for me because when I was born and during my early childhood, both of my parents were military musicians and the national anthem was a big part of how they brought music to people. It’s a huge honor to get to sing it. I have a great team that keeps me busy with lots of auditions, but I’m never allowed to share what I’m working on until it’s officially announced!”
Where can fans find you on social media?
“On Instagram I’m @gabriellauhl”
Make sure to check out 13: The Musical when it’s released to the streaming platform. And, make sure to let us know what you thought!
Photo credit: Corinne Louie