‘Everything’s Gonna Be Okay’ actor wants to break misconceptions about autism

Freeform’s newest comedy series Everything’s Gonna Be Okay picks up right where tragedy leaves off: After teenage sisters Matilda (Kayla Cromer) and Genevieve (Maeve Press) lose their father, Darren (Christopher May), to cancer, their Australian half-brother Nicholas (Josh Thomas) swoops in to save the day and acts as the girls’ legal guardian. 

From the mind of Josh Thomas (Please Like Me), Everything’s Gonna Be Okay showcases all the awkward parts of grief, such as the pressures of entertaining friends at your father’s funeral, forming new romantic relationships while mourning, and a lot of crying at random times. Nicholas, Genevieve, and Matilda, who is on the autism spectrum, juggle it all while navigating their relationships with each other and themselves. 

Judging from the six episodes I’ve seen, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is an absolute gem. The series is funny, self-deprecating, and heart-wrenching. Nicholas, Matilda, and Genevieve make light of a painful and difficult situation while facing head on the truth and vulnerability that comes along with grief.

Before the series’ premiere on Freeform Thursday night, Mashable spoke with Cromer to discuss why Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is such a unique and extraordinary show.

As a female actress portraying a female character on the autism spectrum, you’re making history in Hollywood. What message do you want to send to other actresses on the autism spectrum? 

You already know how to overcome what life throws at you. Some people still use labels like the “r” word… and that’s one of the words I hate the most. Just let your genuine self shine through, kick stereotypes out the door, and go after your dreams.

What has playing Matilda meant for you personally?

It’s hard to put into words because there’s so many emotions that go into this, from first seeing the casting, going through over a month of callbacks, booking the role, filming season one, to present day… I am still ecstatic, I still can’t believe it because everything’s happening so fast, just over a two year process… I’ve worked so hard to get to this point in my life, but now I feel like Matilda and all my supporters are just taking journey alongside with me, after everything that’s gone into this project.

What are your favorite parts of Matilda as a character? How do your own experiences inform how you play the role?

Matilda is hilarious without even knowing it, which I’m sure you’ve noticed with the things she says. 

Totally!

Her quirky dance moves — she can get you dancing just by her little moves — and her blunt honesty. She’s very blunt, which is awesome, but it can be a good and bad thing. Positive outlook, for the most part. She’s an old soul, kind-hearted.

The purpose of authentic casting is to keep casting in the real world. Because people with disabilities, including autism, are part of the population and we are part of the audience who is watching these [films and TV shows]. 

I just love analyzing scripts. It’s not easy to draw on your own experiences, sometimes it’s very painful. But, it creates depth and an honest performance that can make [the show] even better. So now, I just often think: What would Matilda do? 

“The purpose of authentic casting is to keep casting in the real world. Because people with disabilities, including autism, are part of the population and part of the audience.”

Can you speak about portraying a character who is grieving the death of a parent? How do you work to most accurately portray that grief? 

The loss of my grandmother Shirley in 2012; she was basically like a parent to me because my parents were trying to afford a private school education in special ed. So, she would babysit me all day and all night while they worked…. And losing her was essentially like losing a parent. I did her eulogy at her funeral, and I brought in the comedic aspect: all the funny moments, and the sadness involving her passing. So, I brought that into the eulogy scene [on Everything’s Gonna Be Okay] in the pilot because there’s parts in the eulogy for Matilda, she’s trying to be funny on purpose to lighten people’s mood. 

Well, I haven’t figured that out yet. It’s either that or doesn’t realize it’s funny, or it’s a little bit of both. But I think she’s just trying to be funny, just to brighten people’s moods to the best of her ability.

What do you hope viewers learn from Matilda’s journey on the show?

That, for her, prepping is key. Because Matilda gets distracted a lot. There’s certain things that she should be focusing on for her future, instead of letting sociability or love interests in the way. When somebody like Matilda isn’t prepared for going to the next stage in their life, it’s just going to hit them straight in the face when it’s time, and they have no idea what to do. And it’s just going to delay that time for their path. Because they have to learn that all over again last minute. And most likely it’s not going to go well.

You have to prep in advance, especially with autism. So, [for those viewers who are on the autism spectrum], I really hope that they understand that and realize they have to focus on preparing for the next cycle — pre-teen, teenager, young adult, adult — there’s things that you have to prepare for, like bank cards, paychecks, work, finances… there’s a lot. I’m still learning about taxes.

I love how the series exemplifies that grief, self-deprecation, humor, humility, and honesty can all coexist, even in a single conversation. What is your favorite aspect of starring on Everything’s Gonna Be Okay?

When I saw [Josh Thomas’s Australian comedy series] Please Like Me, it was real life comedy in dark situations. And I haven’t seen an American TV show that has done that. And I haven’t seen an American TV show that has done that. Because mostly it’s a white picket fence family living through comedic moments. 

But, [Everything’s Gonna Be Okay] is dealing with situations that are relevant. And it’s dealing with it head on, but unconventional ways. Everybody deals with these things differently. [Everything’s Gonna Be Okay] opens you eyes that not everyone deals with stuff that’s the same. 

And plus, playing Matilda is the best part. Being the first actor on the autism spectrum to be playing an autistic character in a leading role is huge. Just that aspect is probably one of the most exciting things… I’m hoping for an Emmy for this. 

Hell yeah!

I am. Just because disabilities always go well; and people with disabilities never get nominated. So, if neurotypicals can get awards for playing autistic characters, why not actually have an autistic person get nominated for playing an autistic character?

What are you hoping for Matilda’s storyline going forward? Are there other issues and topics that you hope to address from the perspective of a character on the autism spectrum through Matilda’s journey?

Well, definitely as I said, prepping for the next stages in life. I also hope she gets in a relationship with a neurotypical man, because [creator and star] Josh [Thomas] always likes inputting my life stories partially into Matilda, and that is part of my journey: Everyone I’ve dated has been neurotypical. 

So I just want to show people that we are capable of having a relationship with someone who’s — well, essentially normal — that’s just how I see it. We can have a relationship with someone who is normal. It can just take time. By showing that on TV, it’ll maybe break the misconception that people have about us, that we aren’t capable of it. 

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay premieres on Freeform on January 16.