Unlocking Brooke: A Conversation with Mika Abdalla on Her Role in 'Snack Shack'

[00:00:00] .

[00:00:10] Mika, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged.

[00:00:12] Thank you for having me.

[00:00:14] Exciting times about a few days away from your latest movie, Snack Check.

[00:00:19] It's going to be in the theaters at first and streaming about what?

[00:00:22] A couple weeks after that, right?

[00:00:23] I think early April in Unshaming.

[00:00:27] I would jump into the movie a little bit.

[00:00:28] I watched it last night and I will talk a little bit in a few minutes, but I was doing

[00:00:31] some research on you also because you're all over the place.

[00:00:33] You've done so many different roles and at the same time now you're studying college.

[00:00:37] How do you balance all this?

[00:00:40] I don't.

[00:00:41] It's tough.

[00:00:42] I'm like an eighth year senior.

[00:00:45] I just keep taking time off to focus on work, but we're getting there.

[00:00:49] We're getting there.

[00:00:50] It's important.

[00:00:51] There you go.

[00:00:52] Why psychology?

[00:00:54] Philosophy.

[00:00:56] Philosophy.

[00:00:57] Philosophy.

[00:00:59] I went into school as a political science major, stopped that pretty much immediately, but

[00:01:06] I took a philosophy class just to fill in GE requirement and I really liked it.

[00:01:13] I really enjoyed it.

[00:01:14] I thought the material was really fun and then I kind of jumped around with majors for

[00:01:18] a while and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and I just kind of fell into

[00:01:22] philosophy.

[00:01:23] Now that I'm in my last couple of classes, I'm like, wait, I actually do really enjoy

[00:01:27] this.

[00:01:28] There you go.

[00:01:29] What made you fall over the acting world there?

[00:01:30] What made you push yourself into that?

[00:01:33] It was crazy.

[00:01:34] It was really my mom.

[00:01:36] I was super shy growing up and my mom was just trying to find ways to get me to talk

[00:01:42] to people and my dentist growing up had some open call for a children's magazine or something.

[00:01:52] My mom was like, sure.

[00:01:54] At six, I did a little photo shoot and I really enjoyed it.

[00:01:56] I really enjoyed being on set.

[00:01:58] From there, I started doing commercials in little student films, short films in whatever

[00:02:02] in Texas where I'm from and then eventually got an agent out here, moved out here, started

[00:02:08] really taking it seriously.

[00:02:11] Awesome.

[00:02:12] I noticed also, you've done, remember you from sex appeal?

[00:02:16] You've also were on the flash for a few episodes.

[00:02:18] How do you choose what project attracts you and you want to go for it?

[00:02:22] Is there a specific thing you look for?

[00:02:24] I feel like it's usually just an interesting character that I've never really played before

[00:02:29] or a story that I'm interested in telling.

[00:02:32] I feel like everything I've done is pretty different.

[00:02:37] It's just all read-as-cript, all read-sides are a character description and if it jumps

[00:02:42] out at me if there's something interesting about it to me, I'm down to do it to give it

[00:02:47] a shot.

[00:02:48] Awesome.

[00:02:49] For the comic book geeks out there and everything, how does it feel like your name now is

[00:02:53] part of that DC universe also being part of the flash for those few episodes?

[00:02:57] It's really cool.

[00:02:58] It's actually kind of crazy.

[00:03:00] It didn't really register for me until I was on set and I'm seeing all like going into

[00:03:06] do fittings and stuff and seeing actual clips from comic books as in-spo for the outfits

[00:03:12] that Wardrobe was picking out and I was like, oh wow, that's really neat.

[00:03:16] Not a lot of people get to have that or get to say that.

[00:03:20] They play a comic book character.

[00:03:23] What's great is not like you're saying your name is always on that list when people do

[00:03:25] research on certain comics or shows, they're right in there now.

[00:03:30] Yeah and just like the DC universe is just so huge and it's very cool.

[00:03:36] It's really cool.

[00:03:37] Awesome.

[00:03:38] So yeah, so let's jump into the snack check.

[00:03:39] We see you as Brooke in the film and I love the 90s and the 80s type of era and the 90s

[00:03:45] was also great.

[00:03:46] Tell us a little about your audition and how were you approached for this role?

[00:03:52] Well, yeah I read the script.

[00:03:55] I loved the script.

[00:03:57] I think what really drew me to Brooke was I felt like she was a character that I really

[00:04:03] understood and really could relate to more than many other characters.

[00:04:09] I've kind of taken on before.

[00:04:11] So I was really excited to get to play somebody just so natural and similar to myself.

[00:04:17] So yeah, the first audition was on tape.

[00:04:20] So I taped myself with my mom over FaceTime.

[00:04:25] And yeah, I felt really good about it when we did it then going to the chemistry reads

[00:04:30] and doing the reads with Connor and Gabe and so many other actors that were there that

[00:04:35] were so amazing.

[00:04:36] It all just felt so easy and the flow was just really there.

[00:04:40] I think that's what Adam felt when he cast us and that's what he likes to talk about

[00:04:43] is it was just like a vibe that he got from the three of us together.

[00:04:47] What was Brooke's description when you first started reading?

[00:04:51] It was like, it wasn't like this kind of it was, it was just very like free spirit,

[00:04:59] sarcastic, dry, likes to push everyone's buttons, kind of challenges the mundane reality

[00:05:08] of Nebraska city, which I just I thought was fun.

[00:05:12] We see you as a lifeguard in the film too, any background in like swimming, lifeguard type

[00:05:17] of things?

[00:05:18] Do any type of training for this film?

[00:05:20] No, they actually were pre blown away by my inability to swim fast and be athletic.

[00:05:27] No, I mean, I grew up in Texas everybody swam that gets hot in the summer.

[00:05:32] And so I'm like comfortable in the water.

[00:05:34] I'm definitely not like a proficient swimmer.

[00:05:36] So there was a lot of trying to finagule certain shots to make me look a little more adept

[00:05:44] in the water than normal for this character.

[00:05:48] Like what elements did you find most like a trick in about Brooke?

[00:05:51] And what do you think it was like the biggest challenge for this character?

[00:05:57] I feel like just her attitude being so different than the people that she's around in this film,

[00:06:07] I feel like she has more of like a modern feel.

[00:06:10] You know, then some others.

[00:06:15] I feel like what was challenging was making sure that you know, because there is kind

[00:06:18] of like a love triangle going on and I think it was really important to me and to add

[00:06:23] him to make sure that we still feel like Brooke is a good person and her intentions are

[00:06:28] good.

[00:06:29] And that she's just having fun this summer.

[00:06:32] And yeah, just making sure that Brooke is not necessarily the bad guy all the time.

[00:06:40] Right.

[00:06:41] I mentioned 90s in this in the film.

[00:06:43] What was your favorite thing about it?

[00:06:45] 90s when you were doing this film.

[00:06:48] Anything that stuck out for you?

[00:06:50] The clothes.

[00:06:51] I loved all the clothes.

[00:06:52] Yeah, yeah.

[00:06:53] I think probably.

[00:06:57] And the cars, oh my god, all the cars that we got to drive were so cool.

[00:07:00] I drove a few of you in it was like so cool.

[00:07:05] We mentioned, you know, your character tests like the friendship now between these two

[00:07:10] characters.

[00:07:11] How did you approach like the dynamics for the story?

[00:07:14] Like like because you know what I'm trying to say here is like, you know, like the chemistry

[00:07:19] between the three of you.

[00:07:22] It was it was pretty easy.

[00:07:23] I mean, we were we did all those scenes with the more intimate scenes towards the shooting

[00:07:29] and and the boys and I had already been up there for so maybe like a month and a half

[00:07:34] two months and all we really did was hang out with each other.

[00:07:36] You know, the city is so small and you know, the crew made up half the population.

[00:07:41] It felt like at that point.

[00:07:43] And so we had built such a good friendship that the chemistry was just kind of there.

[00:07:49] Because it was weird because we were such good friends at that point, but but it made

[00:07:53] it.

[00:07:54] It made our jobs really easy.

[00:07:56] The film is like a humor friendship.

[00:07:59] What do you hope for like when the audience to watch this?

[00:08:01] What do you hope you can get out of this film?

[00:08:05] Just like an nostalgic feeling.

[00:08:07] I feel like the movie has such good vibes.

[00:08:12] Just like it makes you feel like you know, you're a kid and it's all our time and you're

[00:08:18] just hanging out with your best friend at the pool.

[00:08:20] It's really fun and it yeah, I feel like it's just a good feeling, good feeling film.

[00:08:28] I miss those days in the 90s, there was no stress at the summer time.

[00:08:33] You just play out with your friends and just hang out.

[00:08:36] Yeah.

[00:08:37] And that's what was so cool about shooting in Nebraska at that pool.

[00:08:41] That's what our work days were like go to the pool and swim or like you know, jump off

[00:08:45] the diving board like and like work would end and then we would just keep doing the same

[00:08:50] things.

[00:08:51] We're walking around town.

[00:08:52] We're going to get a snow cone like it felt very, it felt like summer time in my childhood.

[00:08:57] So it was just so, so great.

[00:09:00] Filming this movie was like what was your favorite experience you think for a favorite moment?

[00:09:07] Um, like during shooting or outside of shooting both I guess I'll put you on the spot.

[00:09:14] Okay, well outside of shooting we all one night broke into the pool and jumped off the

[00:09:23] diving board which we were like this is the only place that I feel like we can do this.

[00:09:30] You know, so that was really cool and that was one of those experiences that it's like

[00:09:35] I feel like a lot of kids growing up like my dad, my parents have so many crazy stories

[00:09:39] from when they were kids in the 80s and and they got to do so many crazy things and I feel

[00:09:44] like we're so monitored now which is good.

[00:09:46] Like, keeps us very safe but I feel like I got to kind of do those crazy like irresponsible

[00:09:52] stupid things on set offset.

[00:09:56] Yeah, yeah, I feel like those memories are my favorite like just doing the stupid like running

[00:10:01] around the park at night and breaking into the pool.

[00:10:05] Like that was all that was all very, very fun, very special.

[00:10:09] Yeah, my favorite like a favorite scene that you can't wait for the viewers to see.

[00:10:14] Favorite scene?

[00:10:17] Um, or you don't want to give out spoilers, which I do that kind of.

[00:10:22] I'm like every time I want to say a favorite scene, I'm like I can't say that it gives too

[00:10:25] much away, it gives too much away, it gives too much away.

[00:10:28] Yeah, my favorite well this actually doesn't give anything away.

[00:10:31] My favorite scene is Connor cleaning AJ, Connor please AJ.

[00:10:37] Cleaning out the snack shack that they've just bought and he's dancing and it's truly

[00:10:42] spectacular.

[00:10:43] Just the way that he flails his body is like something that I don't think anybody's ever

[00:10:48] seen.

[00:10:49] He's really something.

[00:10:51] So he's a snack shack March 15th movie theaters, then I think it was we said April for

[00:10:57] Paramount Plus streaming.

[00:10:59] Lastly, how can the viewers and listeners find you on social media to keep up with you

[00:11:02] so they can see more clips than you've been dropping lately?

[00:11:06] Hopefully on Instagram, I'm really just on Instagram, mecha.com.

[00:11:11] Mecha this was great.

[00:11:12] Thank you for giving me a minute and good luck with the film.

[00:11:14] Yeah, thank you.