Watching Gideon Adlon on-screen is a familiar feeling, like running into someone you see on the elevators at work in public. You want to say “hi” but then realize you never met. She conveys an archetype of the girl next door, to the girl next door someone that is just as prone to romance as they are to danger.
Since we were introduced to Gideon in her breakout big-screen debut, 2018’s Blockers, Hollywood has developed an appetite for the rising star. The actress has booked roles from acclaimed indie film Mustang produced by Robert Redford to recurring roles in American Crime and When We Rise. Most recently was announced to star as part of the coven of highschool witches in the remake of mid 90s film, The Craft. She is still getting used to it all.
“When I first saw my face on a billboard it was a trip, they were literally everywhere, and it honestly took a while to register that it was MY face!”
Though she grew up in an esteemed Los Angeles household (her mom is icon Pam Adlon), that label makes her laugh a bit.
“We were very sheltered from Hollywood until we really started working ourselves. Our mom is a real one, she was never really involved in the glitz and glamour parts of it all, she just loves to work.”
Her childhood was ideal surrounded by the melting pot of L.A, albeit the normal challenges of growing pains.
“I was badly bullied in elementary school, and I’ve had some family problems in and out of the years. But, nobody is perfect and everyone has to go through tough shit to come out the other end and become the best person they can be from all of the lessons they’ve learned.”
Cinema was a nice solace and fascination for her as a child. Classics like Funny Girl and TV shows like The Munsters were part of her upbringing. The art of the craft just gave her a thrill that she found hard to find elsewhere.
“I started with theater and at first I was just doing it for fun but deep down there was something about it that made me feel really good inside. I didn’t know that my life path would lead me to be in front of the camera, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Acting is about transformation. To me, that’s the most beautiful part of the craft.”
Of all the cinematic mediums, theater still has a special place in her heart.
“I went to public high school and I took part in DTASC for four years in high school. We would put together plays (mostly Shakespeare) we’d reverse tirelessly after school for a month and then go and compete against other high schools near the end of the school year. This was an after school program provided by my high school. It got me excited to go to school every day and gave me something to look forward too rather than just loathing going to school altogether. I loved it. I think having an outlet for arts at any school is important because kids need a place to let loose, a place to feel comfortable and to create things they usually wouldn’t be doing anywhere else. The arts in school, be it multimedia, dance, music, or theatre is so extremely important for the youth of all ages.”
The starlet has come a long way from the stage, but getting there wasn’t a straight path. Like any burgeoning actor, the audition process came with its trials and tribulations.
“I think the hardest part for an actor is when you’re very very close to the end of the booking process and then the role goes to someone else. I’m never angry, I’m always happy for my fellow actors, booking is incredible. I just find myself getting very involved in the script and what I could do with it before even booking and that is what makes rejection difficult to bare. All of us have to deal with rejection. At points, it’s the thing that has made me want to give up, but at the end of the day, it’s more so what pushes me to keep moving forward and become bigger and better. “
Up next, the actress has a lot she wants to explore. She would love to do a period piece, work with Woody Harrelson and continue to learn from the actors she gets to work with. As far as her private life, mum’s the word on that for now.
“It’s always nice to have some mystery,” she says, signing off.
