She Oughta Be in Pictures Issue #41

Portia Doubleday gets ready for her close-up

By Jessica Galliart
Published: September 1st, 2009 | 4:32pm

Like many twenty-somethings, Portia Doubleday is in a transitional phase in her life. At just 21 years old, she says she feels “old,” although her career has only recently taken off. Doubleday landed a starring role in her first feature film — a feat practically unheard of these days — opposite Michael Cera and a slew of other A-list actors. It’s new territory for the vivacious, free-spirited Los Angeles native (who has kept her nose in textbooks most of her life), but it’s something she’s embracing with a remarkably humble, kid-in-a-candy-store attitude.

Spending most of last summer filming in various locations throughout Michigan, Doubleday worked with the likes of Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart, and Fred Willard for the highly anticipated Youth in Revolt, a film adaptation of the cult classic book series by C.D. Payne. The film (to be released this fall) follows the trail of sex-obsessed, 14-year-old Nick Twisp, who goes to incredible lengths to win the love of his trailer park sweetheart, Sheeni Saunders. An intellectual, refined, impossibly difficult to woo young beauty, the role of Sheeni is an intimidating one to take on, says Doubleday, who hadn’t read the books before being offered the role.

“Sheeni is very calm and collected and confident. I’m very excitable, and it was really difficult for me to just find a place of ease in doing it and falling into it,” says Doubleday. Aside from the challenge of bringing to life a character that many readers have held so close to their hearts for so long, Doubleday is charged with emitting the complex presence and attitude of Sheeni, who the actress says, “just kind of sucks the air out of the room.”

Although this is her first feature film, Doubleday is no amateur. Practically bred for acting by her veteran actor parents — even though her father constantly pushed for a life of academia and philosophy — she did commercials and plays here and there and spent much of her youth watching her older sister, Kaitlin Doubleday (Waiting, the Cavemen TV series), pursue acting. For the youngest Doubleday, the idea of following in the footsteps of her family to become an actress was always in the back of her mind. “You always think, ‘When I get older I’ll do this.’ And I am older — I’m really old,” Doubleday says. “I just figured I have to do this now. I knew something was missing in school; I wasn’t happy.”

Between her studies, Doubleday picked up a few impressive roles, including the lead in the 2009 short film 18, about a young woman faced with the decision of whether or not to take her comatose mother off life support. The 14-minute short — written and directed by Joy Gohring, whom Doubleday calls an inspiration — showcases her range, simplistic beauty, and presence on screen.

Despite the doors that have newly opened for her, the young star isn’t quite ready to give up completely on academia — she’s interested in studying psychology, but just isn’t ready for years of medical school. Doubleday considers acting her first love, and finds many correlations in the study of human behavior and her new career path. “It goes hand in hand with acting.”

There’s no doubt that Doubleday’s keen observations of the human condition will come in handy in her future endeavors; “I would love to direct, God willing,” she says. “You’re essentially creating something that’s on the paper, using these full of life actors. Just to have the chance to work with people like that and discuss it and create something that is original and unique is amazing.”

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