Abby Ryder Fortson discusses working on Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret and reveals if she would ever return to Marvel.
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret brings the well loved Judy Blume classic from page to screen. In the Lionsgate adaptation, 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City for the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school.
She relies on her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who isn’t happy they moved away and likes to remind them every chance she gets.
Abby Ryder Fortson Talks Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret
Mama’s Geeky: Well, thank you, Abby, for taking the time to talk today. I would love to know how it felt when you saw these reviews coming in, because it’s 99% critics and 95% audience.
Abby Ryder Fortson: Oh, my God, I still can’t believe it. Honestly, I’m so proud of this movie. I love that the people who have who have read the book and really know the character, and have carried the story for so long, are enjoying it too. I know that I love watching it. I think it’s something that everyone who worked on it can be really proud of. I’m just so thankful and so grateful that everyone else is appreciating it as much as we do.
Mama’s Geeky: Yeah, I remember reading the book in school. Did you read it before you got the audition?
Abby Ryder Fortson: I actually didn’t. I got the audition, and then I read the book. I turned to my parents and I was like, oh my god, someone wrote this in the ’70s. I guess Judy Blume and I didn’t cross paths when I was younger. But by now I’ve read so many of her books, and I can say for certain that they are all amazing and funny and so relatable.
Mama’s Geeky: Did you get to meet her?
Abby Ryder Fortson: I have met her and seen her multiple times. She’s so sweet. She’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. She was on set for a good couple of weeks and she gave us a lot of insider tips on the book and her vision for the story.
Mama’s Geeky: What do you think it is about this story that makes it so important to be to be told?
Abby Ryder Fortson: Honestly, I think Margaret’s journey and her experience. She’s just trying to figure herself out. It’s so relatable. So many people, no matter what age you are, no matter what gender, you see yourself in Margaret. I’m 15 and still figuring myself out. I know my parents are. My grandparents are. They’re learning new things about themselves every single day. It’s just such an important story in a world where sometimes things don’t make sense. It’s hard to find good stories like this that make you feel good. It’s a really great thing that we’ve created together. It inspires people and makes them feel happy.
Mama’s Geeky: I remember I saw it with my daughters who were 10 and 11 at the time and my 10 year old during the sex education scene was like, this is so awkward.
Abby Ryder Fortson: I had to watch it with my mom, my dad, and both of my grandparents so I can relate to that.
Mama’s Geeky: I’ve got to ask you about working with Rachel McAdams because I think she’s one of the best actresses out there. She seems like one of the nicest human beings. How is she in real life?
Abby Ryder Fortson: Oh, she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. She’s so sweet. Such an amazing actress and such an inspiration, honestly. I feel so lucky that I got to have her as one of my stage moms.
Mama’s Geeky: You guys really felt like mother and daughter. It really came across. Did you get a lot of time to spend together to build that relationship before you started filming?
Abby Ryder Fortson: Before we started filming? No, we met about two days before we were supposed to shoot. We had we all had a sit down meeting with Kathy and Benny, as well as Kelly. We sat down in in this Simon’s New York apartment. And we’re like, Hey, we’re a family now. Let’s let’s do this. I think that’s one of the funnest things you get to do as an actor, is you get to walk up to a random person you’ve never seen before and be like, Hey, you’re my mother now. I love you. So it’s really fun. She made it so easy to work together. She’s a great mom. I can say that for certain. I know she has kids, so they’re really lucky to have her.
Mama’s Geeky: Speaking of Kathy, I love your relationship with her as well. How is she?
Abby Ryder Fortson: She’s amazing. She’s an incredible actress. It’s funny because we actually wrote letters back and forth to each other before we had ever met in person. Because Margaret and her grandma have such a strong, amazing relationship, we were like, Okay, let’s do this. Let’s write letters back and forth as our characters to really build that bank of improv stories and backstories that we can use while we’re on set together to really make that bond believable.
Mama’s Geeky: Wow, I love that so much. All the kids seem like, again, you have a great friendship. Is that something that developed over time on set?
Abby Ryder Fortson: Oh, yeah, we’re all great friends now. They were all so awesome to work with. Every single one of them. It was really fun to work with kids. We were all on set together for a good month. That was that was really, really fun to work with other kids, because you don’t always get to do that in our industry.
Mama’s Geeky: Did you guys do stuff offset together?
Abby Ryder Fortson: I was so swamped. Honestly after getting off of set, I immediately just went to bed and passed out. But if we’re ever in the same cities, we’ll hang out and see each other.
Mama’s Geeky: For the last question, I’m gonna jump over to Marvel. I’m curious, because there is the multiverse and things are opening up, we’re seeing all sorts of versions of people. Would you ever come back as Cassie Lang again?
Abby Ryder Fortson: Yeah, I would love to. I loved my experience working with Marvel. Everyone was so lovely to work with and it would be awesome to return as Cassie Lang.
You never know. I’d love to do it.
Check out Abby’s great performance as Margaret in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. which is now available on Digital and On Demand! Coming to Blu-ray™ + DVD + Digital Combo and DVD on July 11 from Lionsgate.
NEXT: Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Movie Review
About Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.
For over fifty years, Judy Blume’s classic and groundbreaking novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. has impacted generations with its timeless coming of age story, insightful humor, and candid exploration of life’s biggest questions.
In Lionsgate’s big-screen adaptation, 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City for the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school. She relies on her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who isn’t happy they moved away and likes to remind them every chance she gets.
The film also stars Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza, Good Time) and is written for the screen and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen), based on the book by Judy Blume, and produced by Gracie Films’ Academy Award® winner James L. Brooks (Best Picture, 1983 – Terms of Endearment), alongside Julie Ansell, Richard Sakai, Kelly Fremon Craig, Judy Blume, Amy Lorraine Brooks, Aldric La’auli Porter, and executive produced by Jonathan McCoy.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is now available on Digital and On Demand!
Coming to Blu-ray™ + DVD + Digital Combo and DVD on July 11 from Lionsgate!
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.