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Gabriel LaBelle is not playing a youngSteven SpielberginThe Fabelmans,but Sammy Fabelman is pretty close.
But LaBelles performance isnt an imitation, not exactly.
He wears green contact lenses but has a rounder face.
LaBelle draws a triangle with his hands as he explains it.
Theres Spielberg, himself, and then Sammy somewhere in between.
This muscle doesnt go up, he says, the top of his lip covering his teeth.
It helped me transform into this character, he says.
It adds his essence.
When I showed up to meet him, he had his head down and was writing in a journal.
Theres so much coming up, but honestly I dont think about it much, he says.
I dont know if Im blocking it out of fear or I just choose not to.
Here I am, ten years later, just fuming, he jokes.
LaBelle began taking regular acting classes at 9, and by 11 he was auditioning for roles.
I thought,This is a movie!
He flew out to Montreal for auditions, then the province suddenly shut down due to COVID.
He got into Concordia Universitys drama program, but attending through his computer didnt seem appealing.
His friends went off to school, but for a year he stayed home with his family.
(LaBelle actually plays the role for the second two-thirds with Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord playing Younger Sammy.)
It wasnt until May that he got a text about a callback.
It was a really intimate experience, LaBelle says.
I felt in my bones it was the best performance Id done in my life.
The next day, he was told he got the part.
They knew it would be a particularly hard role to fill.
How do you show a director a younger version of himself?
Tolan says, With Gabe, there was a poignancy.
He could convey the pathos that was needed and also the humor.
When she brought LaBelle to the director, his mind was made up quickly.
I wasnt looking for what I see in the mirror, Spielberg says.
Prior to shooting, LaBelle read and reread the script.
Williams and LaBelles scenes together are the emotional high points, fights that cut deep and true.
Then they heard the door open, and Spielberg walked in.
And he goes, Okay, thats enough of that.
And we all hug each other.
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