By Joe Puccio
Throughout the vast history of cinema, there has been an abundance of thematic examples of characters successfully willing desired happenings into existence. Classic instances harken all the way back to the 1930s and ‘40s as Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion all triumphantly gained their cravings of returning home, a brain, a heart, and courage, respectively, in The Wizard of Oz, while George Bailey effectively managed to reverse his erroneous plea of never being born in It’s a Wonderful Life. More modern illustrations, with varying results, can be found via 1988’s lighthearted Big, in which a young boy yearns to be an adult, and in last year’s supernatural thriller Obsession, where a lovesick shop clerk pines for reciprocal feelings from his platonic friend and coworker.
But not all Hollywood wishes are pretend. And in the case of gifted actress Robyn Lively, her good fortune relates to her regularly securing the coveted roles that she deeply aspired to obtain. And with the sheer talent that the Georgia-born performer possesses, it’s certainly no surprise to everybody who has seen her body of work.
“The Karate Kid was one of my favorite movies of all time so when I got cast in such a prominent role in The Karate Kid Part III, it was surreal,” Lively beamed, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “It was an absolute career highlight and never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined being a part of it at the time. I couldn’t believe I was opposite Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita)!”
Lively won significant praise for her turn as Jessica Andrews in the beloved martial arts franchise that ultimately spawned an additional trio of films, as well as a hit spinoff television series titled Cobra Kai in which she again portrayed the character – more than 30 years later. “When I noticed that the producers were bringing back cast members from the films, I hoped to get a call and when I did, I was thrilled,” she stated. “Everything about the episode was great, especially the bar fight.” Adding an unforeseen twist to the reunion of Jessica and Daniel in the revelation that she is his wife Amanda’s cousin – and the individual who originally introduced the pair to one another – was something that Lively felt was smart and furthered the plot along nicely. “The backstory of me being a family member was quite clever. I always appreciated that our characters weren’t romantically involved (in The Karate Kid Part III),” she shared. “They simply made us friends and doing that was outside the box.”
Lively was up against a plethora of fresh-faced ingénues at the time, among them a young Heather Graham. “I remember thinking I was doomed because she’s so beautiful so when I got it, it was even more satisfying,” she enthused. “It was great chemistry all around and I think it was a really good fit for me.”
Just a couple of years removed from The Karate Kid Part III, Lively landed a regular role on the charming Neil Patrick Harris-led medical dramedy Doogie Howser, M.D. As Nurse Michele Farber, the part differed in a notable way – her and the genius teenage physician were, in fact, an item on the Steven Bochco/David E. Kelley show. “I was such a fan of Doogie before I got hired. Honestly, I think everyone was at that time,” she opined. “But what made it such an incredible experience was working with Neil. I adore him and he’s so talented.” Of the lengthy list of top tier names who Lively has worked with over the years, Harris stands out as one of the kindest.
“On my very first day on the set, before I even knew Neil, we were supposed to have a kissing scene. Why do that to us? There was no thought or consideration to the fact that these two people have never met before,” she recounted. “Neil was so sensitive to that, and he reached out to invite me to lunch. And I appreciated that gesture so much. He and I wound up becoming very good friends after that.”
In one of the seasoned thespian’s more mature personas, Lively played Lana Budding Milford on surrealist mystery series Twin Peaks’ second season. Created by influential filmmaker David Lynch and screenwriter Mark Frost, the quirky drama was yet another dream come true for the artist and solidified her clear penchant for manifesting the many professional blessings she maintained. “The first season of the show was just groundbreaking. There was nothing like it on TV. I was 19 when I auditioned and for some reason, I decided to read it with a southern, syrupy type accent. Being from the south, that came naturally to me, and I made the choice in the moment,” she recalled. “It thankfully went in my favor, and I still have the photo of myself jumping for joy when I was told I got it. I was screaming with excitement.”
Although Lively didn’t get to personally work with Lynch since the acclaimed director was mostly uninvolved by Twin Peaks’ sophomore year, she is clearly aware of the serendipitous circumstances of her reading risk that allowed her to be part of such a revolutionary project. “It was a leap of faith in myself that really paid off,” she believed. “I took a chance and just did it.”
In what might surprise some due to her extensive resume, Lively names the fantasy motion picture Teen Witch as the project that’s brought up to her more than any other at her public appearances. “Hands down, it’s always the first thing people ask me about,” she commented. “The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai would be a close second, but fans lose their minds over Teen Witch.” The 1989 flick, which was originally intended to be a female version of Michael J. Fox’s Teen Wolf before evolving into a standalone feature, about a girl who discovers she’s a witch and gains powers on her 16th birthday, failed to strike gold at the box office during its theatrical run but eventually acquired cult classic status through home video and cable television. “I went to a party at Ricki Lake’s house in the early ‘90s as a guest of someone – I didn’t know her – and she actually had the movie in her VCR,” she laughed. “But seriously, I’ve had so many people tell me how much it affected them, which is something I never could have imagined when I made it. There was a teenage boy at a midnight screening in San Francisco one time who came up to me with tears in his eyes and told me how much it touched him. He was struggling with things in his life and Teen Witch helped him and it wasn’t just a silly movie. It’s moments like that when you realize that some of the work you do truly matters to people,” she continued. “It was a humbling experience.”
Lively, surrounded by a proficient roster of show business luminaries for virtually her entire life (her family includes acting siblings Jason, Lori, Eric, and Blake, late father Ernie, husband Bart Johnson, as well as brother-in-law Ryan Reynolds), made her screen debut at age six in the television movie Summer of My German Soldier. From there, she secured steady work on a variety of programming throughout the ‘80s, such as Knight Rider, Punky Brewster, Silver Spoons, and 21 Jump Street, before landing more adult-oriented roles on shows like JAG, CSI: NY, Nip/Tuck, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. “My mother (Elaine) is wonderful and I credit her entirely for my career. She was a model and eventually became a very successful talent manager,” she clarified. “She didn’t officially manage me, but she taught me how to act and was always with me when I was learning.”
Currently, Lively can be seen in the popular Paramount+ series Landman as Ellie, a waitress at the show’s Patch Café. While production on its third season is underway, a release date for the Billy Bob Thornton-starring vehicle has not yet been announced by the network. The entertainer has nothing but praise for show anchor Thornton. “Billy Bob is one of the kindest, most down to earth, talented human beings you’ll ever meet. He’s good to his core,” she emphasized. “The whole cast is wonderful. And a lot of people may not know this, but Taylor Sheridan (creator and executive producer) was a student in my dad’s acting classes many years ago. Just to even be a small part of Landman is fantastic.”
It’s clearly obvious that Lively’s chosen vocation has worked out quite well for the now-veteran actress, with a career that launched in the late ‘70s – although one wouldn’t know it by her youthful appearance. “I have such gratitude to be able to keep doing what I love. I don’t even look at it as a job,” she contended. “Everything’s been amazing and I believe my life has worked out the way it was meant to be.”
