Audrey Hsieh stars alongside Billy Crystal in the new film ‘Here Today’ and holds her own with the Hollywood great. HL spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Audrey about that hilarious bat mitzvah scene and more.
Audrey Hsieh is a talented young actress on the rise. She stars as Lindsay in Billy Crystal’s new film Here Today, which he starred, directed, and wrote. One of the most memorable scenes in the film is when Lindsay tells jokes at her bat mitzvah ceremony. Audrey chatted EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife about showing off her comedic skills in front of Billy.
“I will be honest, I was quite nervous about the jokes part,” she told HollywoodLife. “Because, it’s his jokes, right? I needed to make sure that I nailed the delivery, I needed to make clear that I get the punch line and all these different inflections and stuff. I was really nervous, but I was also really, really honored because I’m reading his jokes, and he’ll assess how I’m funny and stuff. So it was nervous, but it was also very cool.”
Later on, Billy’s character, Charlie, and his granddaughter share a sweet dance where he gives her his wife’s cherished necklace. Audrey shined alongside Billy in this poignant scene. “It was a very intimate thing,” Audrey said. “It felt real. I don’t know how to put it into words, but it just felt really genuine, even though you do a few takes of it. Every single time, he was really supportive and very encouraging. It felt like it was coming from a real place.” The young actress did get to keep the necklace, too.
Audrey couldn’t say enough great things about working with the When Harry Met Sally star. She noted that when she went to his office for a chemistry read, Billy had a “really big Mike Wazowski [his character from Monsters, Inc.] statue.” Audrey said that Billy was “just so supportive and warm from the get-go.”
The film follows veteran comedy writer Charlie who is losing his memory. He meets Emma, played by Tiffany Haddish, and they form an unbreakable bond. She helps him navigate his complicated relationships with his family.
Audrey was so excited to work with Tiffany on Here Today. “Tiffany Haddish is exactly the same behind the scenes and on-screen,” Audrey gushed. “She’s just a joy to be around. She’s so conversational. She was just amazing. She was so funny on and off-screen.” Here Today was released in theaters on May 7.