Betty Gilpin: The Time I Went Into a Full-Body Spasm for Six Days

— 2 minute read

Betty Gilpin plays Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan on the Netflix series GLOW. I'm currently a few episodes into season 2 but Gilpin's description of life trying to make it as an actor puts a whole new perspective on the physical toll of being an actor - especially one acting like a female wrestler from the 80's:

That week, I booked Glow, a show about female wrestling, and definitely the biggest part I'd ever had on-screen. I immediately began wrestling training between filming Masters. I'd get up at 3:30 a.m., workout, scream-drive through traffic to Masters, try not to be a terrible actor until rush hour, scream-drive through traffic to wrestling training, snort coffee before four hours of body slams, scream-drive home, and wake up to do it again. And again and again. I tried to Frankenstein a Sheryl out of my brainwomen, but they were in hysterics, sobbing into their bathrobes, trying to teach themselves Excel and linear thinking. It's fine, I thought. Once I get through this insane month, I will be fine. This is what all my successful actor friends have done for years while Crags and Ingrid had me YouTubing game-show winners. I could fake a Sheryl. I had to.