Charlotte is all grown up!
Hannah Leigh shares the comforting way Lauren Graham helped her on set.
Plus, a fun fact about the cotillion girls in this episode.
I Am all In.
I Am all In with Scott Patterson an iHeartRadio podcast.
Hey Everybody, Scott Patterson, I Am all In Podcast one eleven productions, iHeartRadio, I Heart Media, iHeart Podcasts. One on one Interview, Season seven, Episode three, and we have very special guest. Hannah Lee appeared as Charlotte Courtwright, the little girl that answered the door in the very first scene for one episode. You only did the one episode show. It was one of the young girls Emily was mentoring for Katillion. Let's talk about her bio a little bit. She's an actress's a singer, well, let's get into that too. Featured on Swat, Body of Proof, mad Men, Bones Lone Star Without a Tray's Kicking It, and more recent in the Sex Lives of College Girls. Hannah is also an indie pomp singer songwriter with music available on all streaming platforms. That's exciting. So let's talk about Hannah. How you got the role on Gilmore Girls and welcome to the show.
Thank you, thank you. This is like such a treat. I couldn't believe it when I got the Invice is so fun. I love reliving the days of Gilmore Girls. So I'm stoked how I got the role. It was the classic, Like Jamiwdowsky was the casting director at the time for my episode, and I think the whole show, and I just remember it was a really positive experience. You never know what you're going to get as a condector in the room, and it was the classic. I think pre read in two callbacks, and she was such a light and I remember feeling really comfy and the casting process was pretty easy. It was nice.
How old were you at the time, ten.
Eleven, ten or eleven?
Yeah, what's that like being so young and being involved in the business at that level?
I could write a thesis on that question. I love to keep it short for you. I think I started in the industry at the age of four. My first was four years old, so I didn't have tangible memory of not being an actor. So by the time I got to Gilmore Girls, it had been six years of my life, of my very developmental life. So it was just something I was so used to doing that it didn't feel like anything abnormal, which I think a lot of other child actors might have a different take or maybe the same, but to me, it was all I knew, So it was. It was just kind of like the life I had.
Right fit like a glove, all natural. There you go, this is what I do. It's not a big deal. I've always done it.
Yeah, yeah, exactly and that other things. But yeah, for me at the time, it was just another another day, another audition.
Were you a fan of the show before you auditioned?
I didn't watch it. I was I think maybe on the lower age end as far as like understanding the amazing intelligent comedy. But my mom and my sister were like stoked about that girl. My mom was like over the moon, and I actually recently just started binging gol my girl's blued or not? And I'm like, where has this been all my life? I can't believe it took me so long too. Wow.
All right, so now you're on the set with Kellie Bishop ed Herman. Did they offer any kind of sage advice? What would they like?
Yeah? I remember feeling so welcomed in a way that maybe it hadn't clicked before on a set because I felt included in a professional and kind way, and I didn't feel like I was treated like a little kid for maybe the first time. I remember that feeling really special, like I was just as respected as everybody else on that set, and Lauren in particular, she gave me a lot of comfort on those days. I mean, the dialogue is crazy, the pace is crazy on that show, and I don't think I had done anything like it. And I remember that on one of the days, I was given like a new paragraph of dialogue, like at lunch or something, and I couldn't It wasn't happening for my brain, Like it was not happening. It was a big paragraph. And I remember Lauren pulled me aside and she was like all of us on set like trip up on these this dialogue, like it is crazy fast, You're not alone. And I just remember feeling so comforted by all of them about the type of show. But it was it was a positive experience.
Yeah, she was great like that with guest stars. She always made them feel welcome and comfortable help them. Yeah, it's nice to see because not everybody, not every number one is like that.
No, not at all, but yeah, she was.
Yeah, she was great at that. So did you after you filmed the episodes? Your parents like you watch it? Yeah, there is some content in there that's a little racing.
You know, I don't think I think even my own like in my own scenes, Like there's a line where, uh, I think Laura makes a joke about if I'm going to have a drink and if I'm driving home that night, and I'm like, like, Laura, I'm only ten. I don't even think I understood what I was saying. Like, I think my parents knew that watching it wasn't going to be anything because I just there yet. I was like, yeah, I watched it.
It was it was cute, right right right. I thought it was very funny that that was really funny.
It was a good one. It was fun.
It was such a great scene.
Thank you.
Uh uh So, really, what was it like growing up as a child actor? How were you different from other kids? Did you feel different from other kids? Did they treat you differently?
Yeah, I mean it was a weird kind of balance because on one end of the of the stick, you got like the kids who were so excited to be your friend because you were on Disney Channel and you were like someone that they could watch on their television. And on the other end, there was like that kind of isolated feeling of nobody is experiencing what I'm experiencing in my day to day life, but I'm being celebrated for it, but I don't know where the real aspect of that comes along. Is like being an outcast and having friends. I also, like, didn't go to school. I was homeschool because of acting, so I found a lot of I found a lot of my friendships, like in dance, because I grew up dancing as well. And actually, a very fun fact, a lot of the little extras on this episode were from my dance studio, and I didn't know that they were hired as extras until I got on set that day and we were kind of like, why are you here? Why are you here?
Like to make you feel comfortable going on?
Sure, But I had actually just started at that dance studio, so I didn't really know all of them, so it was kind of this, like why does Hannah have lines? Like what's going on?
Right? Right right, right right?
But they're some of my best friends to this day.
Still.
That's great, Yeah, that's great. So you're also a singer songwriter? Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. I'm a songwriter. I wouldn't call myself a singer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been writing songs my whole life. Who are your influencing I.
Would say like current day influences are like the paper Kites, Passenger Boy, Genius. Older influences I just grew up on like sixpence on the Richer, Johnny Mitchell Taylor, James Taylor. But I am definitely driven by the singer songwriter, more folk side of me. I think I just grew up that way. As I'm kind of coming into my own as an adult, I'm definitely exploring pop as a genre as well. It's fun, it makes me happy at shows to play, So I'm kind of melding those two worlds.
Right now, are you? Are you writing a lot of pop songs?
Yeah, I'm I'm about to release my second EP this year really kind of it's le leaning into that more pop rock. I have a couple of those classic singer songwriter acoustic things on the EP, just because that's where I feel so at home. But I'm excited to like explore the stuff that's like fun to me.
Right right, That's that's great. Are you Are you signed with anybody or no? Right?
No, I I'm just doing it all on my own at the moment. I just I just played a show at the Troubadour last year, which kind of felt like the biggest moment for my career so far.
And then How to Go. How to Go?
It was great, we sold out. I had the best side of my life, but I lost my mind.
Did you film it?
Yeah?
I mean there's videos like it was truly the greatest night I think of my life. I'll probably say until maybe my wedding, but yeah, everyone I could have ever met was there. It was It was truly special, and so I feel like that was a really big catalyst for like what's to come for this year's release.
Oh that's good, Good for you. All Right, we're gonna play a game called rapid Fine, it doesn't mean you have to answer quickly, but here, how do you like your coffee?
I like it with three sugars and oat milk?
Okay? Are your team Logan, Team Jess or Team Dean?
Uh?
Okay, I'm definitely not Team Jess, but I'm only on season three?
Mean, why aren't your team Chess?
Sorry? I'm so sorry.
No, No, you don't have to apologize.
I just he hasn't stolen my heart yet. He was you know, didn't yet screwing up.
He's screwing up a lot. Yeah, who's your favorite Gilmour couple? Luke and Laura, Emily and Richard.
Oh, Luke and Laura, Like there you go.
Of course, the only answer is would you rather work with Michelle or Kirk? O?
God, I feel like Michelle and I would weirdly get along, Like I feel like I can find the sweet spot?
Mm hmm, okay, right, yeah, Kirk would be hard to Yeah, that's that would be a daily.
Sort of a challenge.
Fun to watch for other people that maybe not being in the pocket.
With that on a TA think I'd find Kirk.
Who would you rather hang out with? Paris or Lane?
All?
Lane?
But Paris is such a sweet spot in my heart.
She's a tender flowers.
But Lane's cool.
Harvard or Yale? Or drop out and live in the poolhouse?
Mm hmm Harvard O g dream? Why not?
Would you rather attend a D A R Event with Emily or a town meeting with Taylor?
Town meeting?
Oh?
Yeah, I want to have meeting.
Gilmore. Girl's character that you would want as a roommate?
Mmm. I'm gonna say Emily because I want to live in that house. And I want the I want to I want that cool room that they have as kids.
Okay, uh, something in your life you are all in on. I think I already know what that is.
Oh I I'm going to say A happy answer is loving my people. I love people and I just want to be here to spread love and if that's through art, then that's how I do it. But that's what I'm all in on all the time.
Well that's fantastic. Listen, it's We're going to talk a little bit after we're finished here about some things. But thanks for coming on. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for sharing with us. Good luck with your singing and songwriting career. Thank you and all the best to you too.
This is so fun. Thank you, hey
Everybody, and don't forget follow us on Instagram at I Am all In Podcast and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com.