As COVID cases surge, we could all use a fairy godmother to come to the rescue. Disney+ just delivered a comparable dose of magic: Godmothered is the spirited, at-home holiday delight we’ve all been searching for. The original fantasy film follows Eleanor (Jillian Bell), a fairy godmother-in-training that suddenly finds herself losing her profession during Christmastime. To keep her career, she must convince Mackenzie (Isla Fisher), a young woman whose wish was once ignored, that magic does indeed exist. Determined to keep the idea of happily ever after alive, Eleanor does whatever it takes to bring joy into Mackenzie’s everyday (much to the single mom’s disapproval). Below, Jillian Shea Spaeder—who plays Mackenzie’s daughter, Jane—discusses the film and its ability to spread real-life magic as well. 


What was the audition process like for Godmothered?

I got the first audition probably in late November. I had to sing for it, which was fun. I remember coming out of the room and being like, “I'm either not going to get this, or I'm going to get this. I'm not moving past here or I'm booking it. There's going to be no in between.” I did one more audition on Skype for the director and producers about a week later. A month and a half after that, I got the call and went right to Boston to film in January.

How does it differ from previous projects you’ve worked on?

Godmothered stands out because it's such a happy and heartwarming film. It gives you all the emotions because there are moments that make you laugh and moments that make you sad. It takes you through a trip that's 99% lighthearted, and it gives you a full story of a realistic family and what it would be like if there was magic in it. It’s a cool concept because audiences see something that looks like their home. They see a family eating pizza, and it's not glorified. Then, all of a sudden, there's magic in it. It has a sense of realness, which is cool.


How would you describe Jane?

Jane is the opposite of me. Although like me, loves to sing, she has horrible stage fright. She spends the whole movie bonding with her mom, and they have an interesting relationship. Jane is in her own little bubble and is an introvert, whereas I'm an extrovert. She likes sitting with her headphones instead of hanging out with her family. She does her own thing, but she's cool.


How did you tap into your character on set? 

There were bits and pieces I could tap into easily. At the beginning of the movie, you find out that her father passed away a few years back, and that's seemingly why she has horrible stage fright. She used to sing and play music with him. It was easy to tap into how I would feel if I was in that situation because I also grew up in a musical family. I could channel my emotions whenever I needed to make a bridge between my life and hers.

What was your favorite scene to film?

There’s a concert scene at the end where we find out if my character can overcome her stage fright or not. That was a really fun scene to film.


What was it like working with Isla Fisher?

It was awesome. She's such a great actor and a funny person. We had so much fun on set together. I talked to her all the time. We were constantly cracking up and making jokes on set and got along very well.


Any memorable behind-the-scenes moments you can share?

Isla mentioned that she had never had tacos before. Then, Jillian Bell decided, "You know what? I'm going to order a bunch of tacos." She got a million, trillion tacos from Taco Bell, and we passed them out to the cast and crew. Isla tasted her first bite of Taco Bell! She had mixed feelings about it. 

What was it like working with special effects?

It was so cool. I did a prank show before this movie, so I was used to stunts and FX and all that fun stuff. We didn't get to see the [magic] while we were filming, but it’s fun to watch the end result now. 


What’s the main message you hope audiences will take away from the film?

Everybody deserves happily ever after. And that isn't just about finding Prince Charming. There are many ways you can have a happy ending and have a fun life. It doesn't necessarily need to be because of a really cute prince. 

Follow Jillian on Social Media:

Instagram: @jilliansheaspaeder

Facebook: @officialjilliansheaspaeder

TikTok: @jillian.spaeder

Twitter: @jillianspaeder