Greg Staffa: 0:00

You're listening to the Staffa Corner Podcast, a Staffatarian look at entertainment and life. With your host, Greg Staffa. She can be seen on things like the musical and fourth and 44. Kyler, thank you for joining us today.

Chyler Emery: 0:39

Thank you for having me.

Greg Staffa: 0:41

If people haven't been able to tell already, uh, you're a very young actress. Do you mind me asking? I know you're not supposed to ask a woman how old she is, but how old are you?

Chyler Emery: 0:50

I am 12 years old.

Greg Staffa: 0:52

12 years old. And how long have you been acting?

Chyler Emery: 0:55

I have been acting since I was around. I did like rec acting when I was like around eight. And then when I was 10, I started having more of a passion for it and started actually auditioning for a lot of things.

Greg Staffa: 1:09

And what was it about acting that that got you interested?

Chyler Emery: 1:14

Well, I was young and my I didn't really like I had a say and I loved watching shows and I was like, oh my gosh, I want to be an actress. So then my mom put me in some stuff and I ended up loving it. And I was like, okay, wait, I want to do this like full time. And then my mom was like, okay, so then she put me in acting classes and she got me with an agent, and then I started auditioning.

Greg Staffa: 1:40

And what kind of stuff happens in the acting classes? What do you what are you studying or how does that that work?

Chyler Emery: 1:47

In acting classes, what you do, at least my acting classes, you she'll give you a script, and then you have around that week, or depends on she gives it to you. Sometimes you'll have like two days or a whole week, and you go over it and then you read the script with the other person, because normally there's like two people in the script talking back and forth, and then she'll give us notes, and then at the end of the class we'll do it again.

Greg Staffa: 2:16

Is that something that uh you're doing with other kids?

Chyler Emery: 2:19

No, it's mostly there's an age range. I think it's like 10 to maybe 18, something like that. No, not really adults, it's more of like the teens.

Greg Staffa: 2:34

And when you were thinking about becoming an actress, was there a particular like doing film, television, plays, was there a s uh was there a particular route that you were interested in, or just being an actress?

Chyler Emery: 2:48

Well, I just wanted to be an actress. I did go through Broadway auditions when I was a bit younger, and then I started more going into acting. So I'm more into the acting room, but whatever's fine with me.

Greg Staffa: 3:05

And what was your first experience on seeing yourself on the screen, television or film? What was that first role like?

Chyler Emery: 3:14

Ooh, my first role, my first role was 4th and 44. It was really amazing. I mean, the thing, um, the musical, I saw the musical on the big screen, and I just like could not believe my eyes. I was like, wait, is that actually me? Because it was on a huge screen in the Eckles Theater at Sundance, and I was like, I I could not even talk. I was speechless. I was like, I would never have thought that my younger self would never have thought that I would be on screen and be in movies and be in doormans and all that stuff. Because I used to watch all of these things that I'm in now, and then now I'm in the things, which is unbelievable to me.

Greg Staffa: 3:58

And how does your friends react to knowing that you're on the big screen?

Chyler Emery: 4:03

Oh, they're very, very, very supportive. A few of my friends are actually actresses and actors. So they're very supportive. They know what it's like. And my friends who aren't actresses or actors are also very supportive. They don't really like watch the movies, but they do know, and they're not they don't like bully or anything. They're just like, wow, that's super cool.

Greg Staffa: 4:26

You're at a young age, and I think when I was your age, I didn't know what I wanted. I, you know, if someone asked me what I wanted to do with my career, I would say I just want to go out and play. What has that been like? Are you when you're entering in a role or entering in like a um a set, do you feel like you're taken seriously? Are you treated like the little kid? What kind of what is the attitude around you, given how young you are, around your peers?

Chyler Emery: 5:00

Hmm. Well, around my peers, they all know of it and they all watch it. And on set, I mean they don't like treat any of us like babies because we're not babies and because we're also child actors and actresses. So it's they know like we're not babies, so they treat us like normal, but they don't treat us like adults because younger kids have a less set time. It's just because there's a certain age, and then when you get to an adult, you can work as many hours. But when you're a kid, I'm pretty sure in at least California, it's around nine hours max that they can work.

Greg Staffa: 5:41

You also have to go to school then too. What is that like going to school and being on a set?

Chyler Emery: 5:46

Going to school and being on set. So being being on set while doing school kind of cancels the school out for me because I'm on set doing my favorite thing in the world, but also school is my least favorite thing in the world. But then I do my school and then I go to set, and then it's not that bad because I'm with my friends.

Greg Staffa: 6:05

Do you have at least a favorite subject in school?

Chyler Emery: 6:07

Yes. Math. Math is just so confusing because they add like letters instead of numbers. I'm like, why does this have to come in here?

Greg Staffa: 6:19

And a little secret, as an adult, you don't use math as much.

Chyler Emery: 6:23

I know. That's what I'm saying. Like, I can't wait to be done with school. Because math, like, you have phones to search everything up.

Greg Staffa: 6:33

To grow up at an age with the iPhone and all those little gadgets on your phone where you can look up. I remember days where I had to go to the library to look up information and now the kids have it all on your cell phones.

Chyler Emery: 6:44

Yeah, I mean it's one thing if I was if uh phones were invented, but now that phones are invented, we should not be doing school because we have it all on the internet.

Greg Staffa: 6:56

Still think you need a little bit of schooling, but I understand what you're saying.

Chyler Emery: 7:00

Yeah.

Greg Staffa: 7:01

So is an acting, I mean I I mentioned it before how you know when I was your age, I didn't know what I want. Do you think this is something that your acting is gonna be something that you're gonna want to do forever?

Chyler Emery: 7:13

I'm definitely gonna want to do acting forever because acting is like my favorite thing in the world. I love getting scripts, I love learning scripts, and then all of the stuff that entails, all the things that acting entails, I just love doing. Anything that's acting like movies or shows, anything. I'll watch anything that has something to do with acting, whether it's like a documentary. So this is definitely something I would want to do for my whole life till I die.

Greg Staffa: 7:40

Now, learning a script seems something that would be very kind of school-like. Do you enjoy having to learn dialogue and and stuff like that?

Chyler Emery: 7:50

Oh yeah. School for me, school and learning a script is a bit different because school, you like for learning scripts, you do have to memorize, but for school, it will like it's just so hard because math and everything, and you just have to like add the numbers together. Like in your brain, you do have to add the numbers, not actual numbers, it's like lines. And for me, it's a bit way, it's way easier learning a script than doing school because I learn things in chunks, and then with math, they just like throw it at you. But like with a script, sometimes you'll have like time to learn it.

Greg Staffa: 8:34

And what are some of the actors and actresses that you've gotten to work with?

Chyler Emery: 8:37

Ooh, oh, I've gotten to work with Rob Lowe, which I also got to work with Gillian Jacobs and Will Brill, and I also got to work with there's another person, but I forgot. Hold on. I got to work with some people in Dharman. I got to work with one of the stars in Dharman, and uh, she shows up in a lot of Dharman videos, but the main people I've worked with are the people from the musical Roblo, and he's been in a lot of cool things.

Greg Staffa: 9:11

Yes, he has. He's a wonderful person to interview too. I've interviewed him once, and so on. That was very cool.

Chyler Emery: 9:18

Oh, on the podcast?

Greg Staffa: 9:20

Not on the podcast, a different type of interview for uh a show he was doing at the time, and so uh very nice guy.

Chyler Emery: 9:27

I love him, he's so nice.

Greg Staffa: 9:29

What I mean, you're young, you're relatively new to doing this. When you're getting scripts and stuff and looking it over, how are you making your decisions on a role to take, or are you pretty much taking anything that you can get right now to get that exposure?

Chyler Emery: 9:45

Honestly, anything that I can get the exposure. I'll take anything, honestly. Whatever comes my way, I will take.

Greg Staffa: 9:54

And is there a particular, you know, story your type or a genre that you're you're especially interested in or would love to do more of, like a a Western or science fiction?

Chyler Emery: 10:06

Ooh. Hmm, that's horror. I think it does like horror count.

Greg Staffa: 10:12

Horror counts, yeah.

Chyler Emery: 10:14

I would say because I don't get to do very much horror. Like, um, I do sometimes um crying auditions come and stuff, and mostly because right now it's a lot of happy things that are going on because summer's coming and summer's happy. And I would like to do more things like stranger things, like Millie Bobby Brown, because she's my acting idol. And I would love to do more crying and horror things like fiction things, like fighting a demogorgon and that stuff.

Greg Staffa: 10:44

And is there I mean, you're young, and so there's a lot of I think when we're younger, we have a tendency to believe in things a little bit more. Is there any kind of ruining it for you when you you see how movies are made that you're kind of like, wow, I I almost wish I didn't know that that's how they did it? Or are you kind of fascinated by some of the movie magic that you see taking place?

Chyler Emery: 11:08

Definitely fascinated because I mean everything when the musical got to like put together into a movie rather than just seeing it in pieces, it's crazy because sometimes like they're talking to a nobody, and then sometimes, but then when they piece it together, it looks like you're talking to someone. So I think it's cool. I don't think it ruins it for me. I think it's cool, and I'm definitely fascinated by all these things. Like, I know some things in Stranger Things, it was like sometimes they actually did do the demogorgon and Vecna, but sometimes it was a person in a green screen.

Greg Staffa: 11:51

And you love being in front of the camera. Do you have any interest in learning how directors work or lighting or any of those other jobs in the industry, or are you mostly focused on being an actress?

Chyler Emery: 12:05

Well, as of right now, an actress, because I don't know any 12-year-olds that are directing a movie or a film right now. So definitely right now acting. But I think when I'm older, I want to do be the director and also act in the movie. Because that's like two of them combined. And I think it's really cool, like how they direct everything, how they have so much patience. I mean, I think I would have so much patience, but it's it's I mean it's hard because sometimes you get sick on set, but you still have to direct.

Greg Staffa: 12:43

Now, between going to school and learning your lines, are you still able to be kind of a kid? Are you still able to do things that are you know kid friendly, kid fun stuff, or is your focus mainly your career now?

Chyler Emery: 12:58

Well, my main focus is my career, and whenever auditions come, I learn the lines. But I'm homeschooled, so it makes it so much easier to do all stuff. And I'm still I'm a kid, like I go to the beach with my friends. I went to the beach with my friend yesterday, and I also do my dance at night, I do my singing, and then I'll do my auditions in the middle of the day. But I do everything a normal kid would do, but I just add the stuff on and then I fit it into everyday life.

Greg Staffa: 13:30

And how supportive has your family been with all this? Because I imagine that you're not able to drive yourself around, so your parents have to have a big role in that. What has that been like to have to rely on your parents so much?

Chyler Emery: 13:44

Well, my parents are very, very, very supportive, and my whole family is supportive. My parents are very supportive. They don't really, what's it called? They don't doubt me at all. They're like helping me. They're like, all right, Kylie, let's go. I'm gonna read the other person. Let's run your lines, you got this. And then my dad, he is definitely supportive. We were trying to, he was trying to watch the movie, and he went to both of my screenings for the musical, and he is very supportive because he even though he does do work and stuff in the day, that doesn't like stop him from doing anything. He doesn't know about any of like the auditions I do. But then when I book something, he'll know because I scream, and then he's like, Why are you screaming?

Greg Staffa: 14:36

And what is that like? I mean, you're doing auditions, you're and you're still being a kid. How do you find that balance and how do you find time to or do you make the time to to still have time for yourself?

Chyler Emery: 14:53

Well, I mean like while being like an actress and doing all my things, I still Okay. So being an actress and doing all of my things and still like focusing on myself and like kids stuff and what I would do. Well, it's kind of like the same thing. I just do the acting and then at night I'll do everything else I could possibly do because I learn my scripts whenever I get them, and then depending how long the script is, I'll probably like if it's a short two-page script, I'll probably learn it in like 15 to 30 minutes. So that doesn't take much of my day up, but sometimes I do have like three auditions a day.

Greg Staffa: 15:37

I mean, a lot of this sounds fun and you're enjoying it, and it's it's work, but it's something that you love. What has been the hardest part for about acting or being an actress?

Chyler Emery: 15:48

The hardest part, the hardest part about being an actress is probably I would say well to me there's no like hardest, hardest part. But I think when you're auditioning, the hardest part is probably well I know for a lot of people it is to me there's no hard part because like hard to me means like a job. Like acting's not like a job to me, it's more of something like I would do it like in my sleep. Like I'll dream about acting and I'll do acting. So for probably me, there's no hardest part. I just love doing all of it.

Greg Staffa: 16:34

What would you recommend to another young, maybe a 10-year-old that's thinking about getting into acting? What advice would you give to them now that you've been doing this for a little bit?

Chyler Emery: 16:45

The advice I'd give to someone who's just trying to start acting is don't give up because you're gonna get a lot of no's. You're gonna audition for like a million things in a year, and then you might only get one yes. So if you love acting so much, you will stay on the acting until you get your big yeses because I people get turned down all the time. So we have to stay strong, be confident, and we have to get all the equipment to film and make sure they have proper stuff, proper lighting, proper phone, not phone, proper phone stand to make sure they film everything and make sure they have a blue backdrop and just be confident and uh just be yourself because no one wants to see like an animated robot.

Greg Staffa: 17:36

I mean, you talked about a little bit the rejection that you get that might be considered something that's hard about being an actor or an actress. How do you deal with the rejection? Is there something that you you go out and do, you go running, you go biking? Is there something that you do to let off that frustration of not getting a role, or you just let it go and focus on the next role?

Chyler Emery: 18:01

Well, whenever I get nose, I just know that that role wasn't meant for me, and something else will come up because maybe I'm auditioning for like a little commercial, and then I don't book it, but then I book something humongous that was like the same date as that. But I didn't book the commercial, but I booked the big job. So I feel like when I don't um get something, or I I think I just I mean I get upset for a second because like people don't like text you, oh you didn't get the job. Like you kind of just know if you don't hear after a while. So I feel like when I don't book a job, I kind of just let it go. I mean, I am sad for a second, but then I let it go and then focus on all my other roles that could potentially come up. And then I just like tell myself, like, it's okay that I didn't get this role because a bunch of other roles will come my way.

Greg Staffa: 18:59

You but that's a very mature and and smart answer.

Chyler Emery: 19:03

Thank you.

Greg Staffa: 19:05

When you've mentioned a couple people that you idolize or look up to, what other actors and actresses would you love to work with?

Chyler Emery: 19:15

Oh, Millie Bobby Brown. I love her so much. I would definitely want to work with Millie Bobby Brown, of course, love her, and I would I think I wanna well not think. I wanna work with I don't she I don't know if she still acts. I think she's mostly focused on her singing career, but I want there to make like a salmon cat spin-off, and then like there's like the same people, and then they add different characters. So I'd love to work with Ariana Grande if she still acts. I'm I'm still stuck in the Salmon Cat era because I've watched it so many times. I'd come home from set from the musical, I would sit right in front of my TV and turn Salmon Cat on and watch it until I had to go to bed. So I'd work with them. Um there's a bunch of other actresses and actors. I want to work with, hmm, wait, let me think real quick. I want to work with Natalie Portman. Natalie Portman is super amazing. Want to work with Natalie Portman, and I would want to work with everyone, every single person from Stranger Things. Every single person from that, and also people from Full House. Those people. All those people in all those shows, I will work with any opportunity. I'll push through. Even if it's even if it's not with them, I'll still push through for the opportunity.

Greg Staffa: 20:46

As an actress, you get a play, you know, a dancer, you can play a space astronaut. Is there any particular role that you would love to kind of explore and pretend that you're that kind of person for for a role?

Chyler Emery: 21:01

That kind of person. The I would want to be in um like a I would well honestly being a s being in space, okay sounds cool. I think I would want to be one in in like a traumatized thing. Like I'm trying to think how to say it. Like a traumatized thing, you know, like Grey's Anatomy. Like, I would want to be like a doctor. I'd either want to be the doctor or be the patient that's getting worked on. Because I have not done one of those, and I think that's so cool.

Greg Staffa: 21:40

Well, some kind of medical drama or something.

Chyler Emery: 21:42

Yeah.

Greg Staffa: 21:43

And when you're on a set and you're working with the director, what is that relationship like? Are you we talked about earlier how you know how other actors treat you. When you're working with a new director, does he see you? Oh, here's another kid, or do they know your reputation? That you're a hard worker, how do how do you kind of introduce yourself or kind of break the ice with the director to know that you're serious?

Chyler Emery: 22:10

Like while on set or in the audition process?

Greg Staffa: 22:13

Both.

Chyler Emery: 22:14

Okay. So for the for on set, if if I book the job, what I feel like I I feel like they would know how hard I work based off of my worth ethic in the audition and the in-person auditions and everything, they will know. And they're not like, oh, it's another kid. It's more like, oh, that's another kid. I'm so excited. And when the audition process comes and I haven't booked the job yet, I feel like I just try whenever like I accidentally lock eyes with like the director because I'm like looking around the room for something, I'll smile at them and they're like, oh, she's sweet, but she's super hardworking. Yeah, purposely like lock eyes with the director. But like if I'm like there's a turn and I accidentally like spot and then accidentally like not actually almost hit her, but accidentally look at her, then I'll just smile.

Greg Staffa: 23:16

Now, without giving any spoilers or anything away, is there anything you can talk about that you're working on right now?

Chyler Emery: 23:23

Oh no. I can't say anything I'm working on right now.

Greg Staffa: 23:28

Hmm. Is there can you give us without again without spoiling anything, can you give us a hint of when fans can see you next? Is there something that's coming up that we can look forward to, or is filming or whatever a ways off?

Chyler Emery: 23:45

Well, right now it's just a bunch of auditions.

Greg Staffa: 23:49

Okay.

Chyler Emery: 23:49

But there's nothing specific yet that is coming up.

Greg Staffa: 23:56

And of the roles that you've done in the past, is there something that that you're really proud of that you see a lot of yourself in? Because a lot of times when we're taking on roles, we're pretending people that we're not, we're taking on different characters. Is there what's something that if I wanted to get if this was the first time I'm hearing of you and I wanted to get to know your work, what should I check out first of yours?

Chyler Emery: 24:27

The musical because the musical is me, like literally me, but not as rude. So I do play a lot of mean characters, but I feel like if I was talking to someone for the first time about something, I would say watch the musical first, and then probably I would watch Darman after, because I play a bunch of mean girls, but I'm not mean in real life.

Greg Staffa: 25:00

Well, that's good to know. Yeah. And what was it about the musical? You played the role of Cindy. Tell us a little bit about what makes that special.

Chyler Emery: 25:10

Well, Cindy, what Cindy's special to me. This is so like weird, but Kyler and Cindy start with like the same initials. So I was like, oh my gosh, like this like resonates with me. This has to tell me something. And then um, yeah, I would just say that she's very like me, and she resonates with me a lot.

Greg Staffa: 25:37

Now, working with Rob Lowe on that, what was that? Like, did you know a little bit about him? Had you looked him up, or what did you know about Rob Lowe?

Chyler Emery: 25:48

Well, when I found out I booked for this job, and my mom was like, Oh yeah, Rob Lowe's gonna be in the film. And I don't I'm more into movies like of this and shows of this generation, like 2013 generation kind of. So I feel like I did I've had heard his name before. I just didn't really like click with what his name was. Because like when I see him on the internet, it's different than when it becomes reality. My mom was like, You're working with Rob Low. So I had to search him up, and I was like, Oh my gosh, wait, this is actually so cool. So I did have I did know him a little bit, but then when I searched him up, I was definitely more into what Rob Lowe was like.

Greg Staffa: 26:42

And what was that like?

Chyler Emery: 26:44

Working with Rob Lowe.

Greg Staffa: 26:46

Yeah.

Chyler Emery: 26:47

Working with Rob Lowe, he is so nice. And when I first saw him, because we were mid-set day, and we were, if you watch the musical, it's a little basketball room. And we were in the basketball room. I think we were getting, I think we had a little break, and we were just talking, waiting for the next scene to start. And then everyone looked up. I was like, what are they looking up at? Because I was standing right next to him, so I didn't realize. And then I looked up and I was like, oh, that's Rob Lowe. He's so nice, he is funny, amazing actor. I mean, he's unbelievable. I can't believe how he does all this, and he delivers the lines different ways each time, which is very inspiring. And I definitely took some little acting tips that I saw when he was saying his stuff and acting.

Greg Staffa: 27:41

And did you watch any of his the stuff that he has done recently? Because I know he had a he had a show on Disney Plus, uh, that was the uh I think it was called Big Shots. What did you watch of his to get yourself familiar with him, or didn't you?

Chyler Emery: 27:59

Well, it was short notice because when we started filming, I was down because I'm by coastal. So I was in Cal California at the time, and then I had to come down here for an emergency, and then we found out I booked it down here. So then I think it was like a week later we went up, so we were just packing. So I didn't I did search up all like the movies he's been in, and I did recognize some of the movies that I might have watched before. So I didn't really watch his movies because I was kind of familiar with him based off the movies that I saw on his platform that say all the movies and shows that he's been in.

Greg Staffa: 28:48

Gotcha. So you're you're filming or well, you're auditioning now. What's what is kind of like your five-year plan? Is it keep on doing roles? Is it keep on are you looking at moving to New York or LA? Or what are your kind of hopes and aspirations for the future?

Chyler Emery: 29:08

My hopes for the future definitely to keep acting. I mean, I will never stop acting in my entire life, never get bored of it. Because my favorite thing to do is be on set. My favorite things to do is just be on set, sing, and dance. So I feel like in five years, I definitely would probably want well, I kind of like how the living is right now, because I have an apartment and then I have a house, like in separate areas. So I like the living space right now. But I think when I'm older in like a decade, when I live by myself after college, I hate college. Well, I haven't been in college, but I don't like school, so I probably will hate college. But when I'm done with all of my school, I think I would probably want to move to LA. Because if I do go to an in-person college, it would probably be an acting college. So yeah.

Greg Staffa: 30:08

Wait till you see the math in college.

Chyler Emery: 30:11

I know. I'm so cooked.

Greg Staffa: 30:14

Well, as we're wrapping up, and I appreciate you coming on. Let's get to know you a little bit more. Do you have any pets or anything?

Chyler Emery: 30:22

Pets, yes. I have two pets. Their names are Lily and Paisley, and they're both Pomeranians, and one is sounds so weird. One is my age. She's like a few months younger than me. And then the other one, Paisley, she's five. She's just a little baby.

Greg Staffa: 30:42

You said a little bit about what you like to do, but if you do not have to go on set for a few days, what are kind of things that you like to do for hobbies and stuff?

Chyler Emery: 30:52

For hobbies. Like if I had a break from set for a few days and then went back on it. Well, this actually happened to me. I had around a week, well, not a week. I had like five days off from filming the musical, which was the worst five days of my life. Because I hate having off when I'm on set. I just love being on it. So when I have to be offset for a few moments, it's just so hard. But I do uh go to like the beach sometimes. It's hard going to the beach in LA because it's freezing on every single beach in Los Angeles. And I also went to Cadillac Island with my friend. So just little things that we find in LA will do, like shopping, tanning, and just going wherever the wind takes me.

Greg Staffa: 31:48

Wow. Well, Kyler, thank you so much for coming on. It's been wonderful. It's been a wonderful getting to know you, and I look forward to seeing what your future has in store for you. I think there's gonna be a a lot more ahead for you. So I look forward to hopefully talking to you a few years from now. Yeah. Seeing what you're up to and hopefully it won't involve math or anything. But thank you for coming on and uh I really appreciate it.

Chyler Emery: 32:15

Thank you for having me. I had so much fun. I hope to see you in a few years as well.

Greg Staffa: 32:19

Thank you.