A Conversation with Mayim Bialik on Her New Film, As They Made Us

Mayim Bialik is already a star on-screen — she was the title character in Blossom early on in her life and then continued her rise as Amy on The Big Bang Theory. She has been a longtime friend to Jew in the City and its founder, Allison Josephs. Now, Mayim is out with a new film called As They Made Us, which marks her writing and directorial debut and is loosely based on aspects of her own life. While there are so many negative representations of Jews on screen, Mayim’s new work is a refreshing look at how one can naturally weave in Jewish elements into a plot in a way that makes living a Jewish life one of normalcy, versus something more overt and negative or a faith one needs to run away from. 

In this video interview, Allison and Mayim catch up about the film and its significance. Essentially, it’s a comedic family drama that follows one daughter’s journey to keep her family from falling apart as her father is dying. Underneath that though is so much more. In the interview, Allison and Mayim talk about what went into creating the inherent Jewishness in the movie, how mental health plays into a person’s relationship to Judaism and what it was like to create such a work of art in contemporary Hollywood. 

The movie also has some all-stars signed on. Jewish actress Dianna Agron (of Glee) plays the main character with Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen as her parents in the film. Watch the video above to learn more about its making and meaning.

The film will be released simultaneously in theaters and on VOD on Friday, April 8. Check your local listing or wherever movies can be purchased online.

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