While I have not seen Betty Gilpin in a lot of things over the years (sorry GLOW, I’m just not there yet), it’s her interviews about the projects that prompted me to seek out her collection of essays. Seriously, if you have not watched a single one of her interviews before, do it. She’s hilarious, and even though the collection of essays goes to some dark places, having heard her speak before really helped me get into her headspace and really hear her telling these stories.
All in all, Betty lived a pretty great life, with parents who were primarily stage actors, two younger brothers and just a general shine to life that most people experience. In the nethers of her brain though, Betty was just never quite sure how to be utterly herself. She always felt as if she was presenting some different version of herself in a myriad of situations, but that just being who she is would never be good enough. Obviously, she also suffered from depression for no known reason she could pinpoint, or even recognize for quite some time. These thoughts and feelings managed to significantly impact a large portion of her life, almost through present day, and while she still suffers from inferiority complex even today at times, it appears that the passing of time and the right people in her life have helped her see herself and not be afraid to project that into the world.
My favorite passages related to her very long-term relationship with her now husband, Cosmo. Even when she namelessly described him a decade earlier, I just knew this was the guy she was going to end up with. Who applies aloe to a person’s butt if they don’t love you? I also really enjoyed reading about her experiences with The Hunt. I personally really enjoyed that film, but the chaos that surrounded it, both before and after it got cancelled, and also you know, the pandemic, was insightful. I was sad that that experience and the passing of her adorable dog, Babe, made the films ultimate release not as exciting as it should have been, but at least she had an incredible time filming it. There were definitely a lot of lows in Betty’s life, but I hope she starts taking advantage of the highs that are certainly to come.
Overall, this was a nice read to learn more about an actress I admire, but similar to other autobiographies I’ve read, this was just sort of hard to read. It’s hard to read how a person normally speaks. I felt similarly with Busy Philipps’ effort, as well. Still, I’m glad I took the time to sit down with this collection.