Scream [1] and Heartstrings [2] star Willa Fitzgerald has been dominating screens as both a drama actress and horror lead, and is now taking those strong female character experiences as inspiration for her new show Dare Me [3], a dramatic deep dive into the competitive world of high school cheerleading. As an actress in film, theatre, and television, Willa Fitzgerald isn't a stranger to adapting her persona to fit her explosive characters. We've put together eight little-known facts about her — from her time in children's theatre (which involved puppets) to her days as a child of hippie parents. Keep reading to see them all.
Willa Fitzgerald a Yale Graduate
Willa Fitzgerald graduated with the Ivys in 2013 when she received her BA in Theatre Studies from Yale University. After studying psychology for two years and some self-reflection, she made the switch to go back to her first love, theatre. She was adamant when it came to getting a liberal arts education [4] with a diverse catalogueue of courses to learn from, rather than study at a conservatory specifically for aspiring actors, she told Wonderland.
Willa Fitzgerald Has an Extensive Theatre Background
Besides her roles in television and film, Willa Fitzgerald started on the call sheets of plays like Couple in the Kitchen, The Private Sector, Cow Play, and The Cat and the Canary. In college, she did a lot of playwriting and is open to directing tv and film just as she did theatre. Speaking to Wonderland, Willa said, "I certainly didn't go to school to learn how to be a film or TV actor, so, therefore, transitioning from theatre I really had to learn on the job, and it's the most trial by fire to learn anything, but also the most direct way to learn anything."
Willa Fitzgerald Is a Big Fan of CBD
Willa Fitzgerald's boyfriend, Gabe Kennedy, co-owns a hemp and herbal company [5] and has her favourite CBD oil to help her sleep. She advocates for it helping to relieve her stress along with daily mediation. Willa explained to Wonderland that her morning and night routines require a lot of care because of her busy work schedule: "Between the weird hours and stress, I rely completely on meditation, three milligrams of melatonin, and a hefty dose of CBD."
Willa Fitzgerald Fights Hormonal Disorders With Adaptogenic Herbs
Willa Fitzgerald suffers from polycystic ovarian disorder, which can ultimately mess with menstrual cycles and reproduction. To assuage the symptoms, Willa regularly consumes herbs with healing properties, by cooking and baking them into her food. Her go-to breakfast is an homemade smoothie, because she "find[s] ashwagandha, chaga mushrooms, and vitex all really helpful" [6] to treating her pain.
In Her Next Life, Willa Fitzgerald Would Be an Environmental Activist
Willa Fitzgerald's Instagram is full of pictures of her in nature and playing with animals and has been a place for her environmental advocacy. In fact, she told Wonerland that if she weren't an actor, she would probably devote more time to environmental causes [7].
Willa Fitzgerald Considers Her Parents Hippies
Willa Fitzgerald told Bon Appetit about how she grew up in an organic and natural household, explaining, "My parents were also definitely hippies — they made their own yoghurt, had raised beds in their front yard, and bought organic meats before it was commonplace." She still owns the organic cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook, her mom gifted her in college and regularly makes meals from it in an attempt to meal prep rather than eat out.
Willa Fitzgerald Prefers Television Over Film
On social media, the Scream star is open about her beliefs in viewing acting as a means to study the human psyche and condition, which has inspired a lot of her techniques to get into character. When it comes to the medium she does best in, she claims television gives room for actors to receive feedback from the audience and adjust and improve. She told Talk Nerdy With Us, "Acting on TV is a totally different language [8] that you have to learn. There's a lot of times where on the road to figuring out something you feel completely lost. It's just like college and real life, when you make a break through it's completely satisfying and super exciting." Her method of acting is similar to educational and digital feedback loops in which she adjusts her future interactions and decisions based on how well received her initial acting was, something most film actors can't do because of the finality of their filming process.
Willa Fitzgerald Was a Puppeteer
Still in line with her love of theatre and acting, Willa Fitzgerald has done children's theatre that involved shadow and hand puppets. Before leaving for college, Willa grew up in Nashville and was a part of a children's theatre group [9] that travelled and performed in parks. Some of her performances included live action and puppeteering, like Alice in Wonderland.