Keeley Karsten Talks About Working With Steven Spielberg For Her Role In ‘The Fablemans’

A breakout actress!

Keeley is quickly becoming an actress to know! She is about to star as ‘Natalie Fableman’ in the highly anticipated Steven Spielberg film ‘The Fablemans’.

We had the amazing honor of talking with Keely about her favorite Steven Spielberg film, Millie Bobby Brown, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in acting?

K: “I’ve always known that I wanted to act. My dad told me a story of when I was much younger, about 4 years old; He works in the theatre and sometimes I was allowed to visit him, and he remembers this one time where he asked me: “Would you want to help the stage manager a bit?” And I answered with “no dad, I’m an actor!” So, it’s fair to say I’ve always known that I wanted to act.  I also remember seeing the musicals “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, and “Guys And Dolls”, and I wanted to be in those shows so badly. I would return home and sing the songs over and over.”

Tell us more about your character in the upcoming film ‘The Fabelmans’.

K: “I play Natalie Fabelman, who is the younger sister of Sammy Fabelman. I always thought of Natalie as the feistiest one out of the family. She challenges not just Sammy, but the whole family with her honesty. Natalie is the middle sister, so I think she sometimes felt overlooked and I believe that may be part of why she is so truthful and willful. However, she also feels very loved and is part of a very tight knit family. In a way she learned to say the truth from her mother Mitzi, who was always very honest too. I could feel not only through all the stories that Steven Spielberg and his sister Sue Spielberg shared with me on set, but through the script how much the family loved one another, and I believe Natalie would do anything for her family!”

Do you think that you have anything in common with ‘Natalie’?

K: “Yes, Natalie is basically me! When you become a character, you have to put pieces of yourself into it, and this was such an interesting process because there are so many parts of me in Natalie, but I also think that Natalie brought out different sides to me that were a bit more hidden before. We can both sometimes be too loud and combative, but we always have a big heart. And we are both very sensitive.”

What was it like working on a movie directed by the one and only Steven Spielberg?

K: “Working with Steven Spielberg was amazing. I had seen some of his movies, and loved them so much but I never thought I would be in one of them. So I was beyond excited to get to work with him. What I loved the most was that his movies are often so magical, and he is like that in person! It was my first movie, so I was very excited, but he was just as excited as I was. Steven was gentle and kind and very busy but he was always there for us if we needed to talk to him.”

Do you have a favorite Steven Spielberg film?

K: “My favorite Steven Spielberg film is ET! It’s such a magical film, isn’t it? Actually, one of my absolute favorite moments in film is the shot when Elliot rides the bicycle with ET in front of the moon. But you know, it was a beautiful friendship between them and when ET leaves, and when he tells Elliot “I’ll be right here” you just melt. Doesn’t everybody at some point just connect to that in a way where you can’t help but cry? Doesn’t everybody want a friend like that?”

This was a star-studded project! Is there an actor/actress you would love to work with in the future?

K: “Working with Michelle Williams and Paul Dano, and everyone else on this movie, was so exhilarating! You can’t help but learn so much from being around and working with them. There are many actors that I would love to work with, one of them being Millie Bobby Brown. She is insanely talented and watching Stranger Things I very much looked up to her, Sadie Sink and all of the kids on the show. I also see a bit of myself in Millie.”

Is there a type of character you have always wanted to play?

K: “I want to play all kinds of characters. For me, the more varied the better! I’m interested in playing roles that scare me a bit. The more challenging, the more I’m able to learn.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

K: “You can find me on Instagram and twitter (@keeleykarsten), but I also hope you come see the movie! Thank you for taking the time to speak to me!”

See Keeley shine in ‘The Fablemans’, available in theatres on November 11th!

Photo Credit: Irvin Rivera

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.