“Look, the shortest and most talented person I’ve ever worked with is definitely Anna Garcia,” said Channing Tatum in a TikTok video that went viral in early July. The snippet was taken during a cheeky interaction between the actors at the world premiere of their new film, Fly Me To The Moon, when Anna hijacked Tatum’s interview on the red carpet — but the praise couldn’t have been more genuine.

In fact, it started before the American actor even stepped into the role. Anna Garcia’s self-tape was handpicked by none other than her future co-star Scarlett Johansson, who takes the lead role in Greg Berlanti’s 60s space romance, side by side with Tatum. In the film, Garcia plays Ruby, the witty assistant to Johansson’s Kelly, a seasoned marketer hired by the Nixon administration to help generate some buzz around NASA’s new programme in the lead-up to the Apollo 11 launch.

Just like her character, Garcia is quick-witted, light-hearted, and one of those people who can take humour for granted — a natural comedian ready to break through in the industry. Catching up with Wonderland, she talks about her excitement for fully embracing her breakout role, bonding on set with fellow castmates and on- and off-screen role models, and looking forward to the aftermath of an exhausting first step into stardom. Keep reading…

Hi Anna! Thanks for chatting with us. How have you been? How are you feeling about all the exciting things happening in your career right now?
Hi! Thank you so much for asking. I am so tired. I am feeling so excited and hopeful and absolutely scared shitless. And as previously mentioned, really tired.

Tell us a bit about your creative upbringing. Did you always know you wanted to be an actor? How and when did you fall in love with the craft?
Unfortunately for everyone around me, I was born performing. I would get dragged to church as a young kid and would leave my family and just walk up to people and go “Hi! I Anna.” I don’t know what it was, but I just loved to make people laugh. Attention was a drug from FAR too early of an age, and honey? I’m still addicted!

But no, I got into musicals and theatre from a very young age, and it was a perfect fit. I fell in love at the age of six, when I started doing shows at the Marquis Theater in Northville, Michigan. They would do shows but wouldn’t buy the rights to them so we would end up doing “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” and I would play a dwarf named Ziggy and at some point we’d end up singing Kokomo by the Beach Boys as the finale. It’s psychotic in retrospect, but it was heaven to me.

Who were some of your earliest influences in acting?
I think one of my first heroes was Ernie Nolan – he was the director of the theatre camp I did, and he encouraged me to unapologetically be myself, and to make big choices. Performing is so fun, and being able to do it as a career is such a gift, and having a role model like that at an early age really influenced my relationship with performing.

And this is news to NO ONE, but I was (am) a massive theatre kid, A lot of my influences came from Broadway Cast Recordings; I loved the grandness and dramatics of acting for the stage. As a result, most of my acting notes from casting are just “Can you tone it down?” And they’re right for that! I also really adored the zany kids shows on Nickelodeon- The Amanda Show was absolutely HUGE for me. It was so inspiring to see a young girl spearhead her own variety show and be so gifted. She was ahead of her time.

Congratulations on your big screen debut in Fly Me to the Moon! How did you feel when you found out you got the role, and what were your first reactions to the script?
I was on the way to my favourite place in LA, the CVS pharmacy on Glendale Boulevard, when I got the news. I sobbed so hard. And not in the cute way, in the disgusting way – like the too-much-snot-that-now-it’s-on-your-chin way. Booking a job in this industry feels like a miracle every time. It was by far and large the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me, and it was such a long audition process, I was so deeply invested. I kept asking my rep “Are you fucking kidding me?” Over and over.

And the script is genius! I adore the writer Rose Gilroy. The story really is brilliant. It’s such an inventive take on the moon landing – so fresh and playful; it really stood out to me. And I adored my character. I always dreamed of playing the “sidekick.” And Ruby was the charismatic, funny, fully fleshed out version of that as Kelly’s assistant. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Your audition for Fly Me to the Moon was reportedly very impressive. Can you share a bit about this process and how you prepared for it?
This process was exciting! And long! It was my first time auditioning for casting director Ellen Lewis, an absolute legend in her field. I taped for it, was given notes, taped again, and a month later had a Zoom with Ellen. She was like “Alright. Who are you?” I then had a directors session, and a week later, a chemistry read with Miss Scarlett Johansson herself. Everything was over Zoom which DID make me want to throw up and die.

As for preparing, I am very lucky to have very talented friends. My friend Jetta Zoomed with me before every step of the process to run lines with me and hype me up. She had already helped me twice and then the chemistry read came up and I was so superstitious about not running the scenes with her beforehand, I was like “CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE GIRL.”

Scarlett Johansson personally discovered your self-tape and advocated for you to get the role. What was it like working with her and having her support on set?
I think I’ve said it roughly 1000 times, and I’ll say it 1000 more. She is such a gift to this industry. Working with her is a dream come true. Her skill as a performer is unparalleled – she makes it look effortless. Working alongside her for five months is the best masterclass in acting I could’ve asked for. On top of that, she’s a truly stand-out person that I’m honoured to call a friend. Basically my job was to follow her around the whole movie, and I really felt like she took me under her wing. I mean, maybe I weaselled my way in there. But we became buddies. I could ask her all my questions about this industry and her experiences, and she was an open book. And I just love kicking it with her. She’s funny as hell, and deeply curious. A really good friend and boss and actor and person.

How do you approach developing a new character? Do you have a specific process or technique you like to use?
In terms of preparation, I always look for the similarities I have as a person with the character, and focus on playing those as truthfully as I can. I also try to put myself in the characters’ world as much as possible, and flesh it out. What’s cool to this person? Who do they look up to?

Luckily, Ruby felt very close to home for me, and bringing her to life was such a treat.

And, of course, tell us a bit about your character — who’s Ruby Martin? What about playing this character was most exciting and challenging for you?
I adore Ruby. She’s the young assistant to Kelly Jones, the brilliant marketer. One of my favourite things about Ruby is that she’s an artist, she does the art for her and Kelly’s campaigns. I actually got to take drawing lessons leading up to the movie. I learned to sketch and shade and draw figures and movement – it was so exciting. It felt very old-school Hollywood. It was both exciting and a challenge emerging myself in the time period. Ruby is famously a Nixon hater, so I did a boat-load of research on that dumb guy. I know too much about Richard Nixon now. A fun challenge for me was the differences in colloquialisms and speech patterns between now and the 60’s – I watched a lot of old footage to ensure Ruby sounded like a true counter-culture kid of the late 60’s.

Comedy is a big part of your career. What do you enjoy most about performing comedy, and how do you handle the challenges that come with it?
To me, comedy is the best thing in the world. What I enjoy most is how much of myself I can bring to comedy and comedic performance – what about this situation is funny to me? What’s my take on this? When I perform improv or stand-up or in my variety show, it’s following your silliest whim. It feels so personal yet liberating in that way. It encourages risks, and having a strong point of view. And absolutely slay segue here – with risks, sometimes you blow it. Trying a bit I thought was funny on set only to have it not play? Instant desire to perish. Write a personal joke and it bombs? Oh, cool, now I hate that thing about myself. I take the challenges with stride, it’s like a constant learning experience; it feels like you hone in your sense of humour with every experience, be it for a sitcom or an unpaid improv show.

What are some of your personal goals for the future, both in your career and personal life? What excites you most about what’s to come?
Thank you for asking. I am addicted to having goals. Career wise, I hope to continue doing comedic work. I think I’d love to play a really big character, sort of the way Jim Rash was in Fly me to the Moon. A scene stealer – (not me being addicted to attention again!) And I write my own work as well! I’m developing a comedic feature right now that feels very fun and silly to me. I am so excited about where to go next from here. What will the next job bring? What will I find myself drawn to next? Not knowing is terrifying and thrilling. The world is my oyster.

And personal life? I am excited to get a little more sleep. <3