The Characters That Shape Us: Astrid Rotenberry

Television captures life like nothing else. That is the sentiment and the central theme behind my interview with actress Astrid Rotenberry. In our conversation, we explore life’s precious moments, revisit her first audition, and discuss the types of roles and characters that inspire her.

“I think television does a really beautiful job of capturing modern life because it has time. We, as an audience, get to watch the characters grow the way that real people do. What I love so much about TV is that it’s so incredibly human.”

These captivating words come from Astrid Rotenberry, known for her recent work in projects such as His & Hers on Netflix, The Better Sister on Amazon Prime, and The Four Seasons on Netflix, among others. Beyond the screen, her advocacy adds an additional layer of depth to her story. She is a passionate supporter of women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights, and through her work as an actress, she reflects on life’s small but meaningful moments—the very experiences that define the human condition.

Astrid shared her perspective: “Life isn’t just made up of big, exciting moments, it’s full of small moments and split second decisions that can change everything. Television gets a chance to explore the everyday; we get to see characters make mistakes, learn from them, and make them again, and I think that really resonates with people. It also has the gift of reflecting cultural shifts and conversations in real time, in ways that feel immediate and relatable, which makes audiences feel truly seen.”

Her appreciation for life’s small moments began early. What began as a nerve-wracking audition soon became a defining moment. Astrid discovered her love for acting at age seven, performing in a local theater production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Kingsport Theatre Gold. She later reflected on that audition, a moment filled with nerves, embarrassment, and ultimately triumph.

She recalls, “I remember my audition specifically being a huge moment for me in that experience. It was my first actual audition for a play, and I was around 8 years old. I had gone in with the hopes of auditioning for the role of Gladys, and that’s what I had prepared. I ended up auditioning for a different role, and because I wasn’t expecting to read for her, I was completely thrown off and completely bombed the audition. I felt so humiliated, I cried and cried. As we were leaving, my dad asked the director if I could read for the role I had prepared, and thankfully she let me. I went back in, read for Gladys, and I remember the feeling of when I made the room laugh. I had never felt so powerful in my life. It was one of the first times I remember feeling truly proud of myself.”

She added, “That moment, making people laugh and feeling that connection, really stayed with me and was one of the earliest times I knew how much I loved performing.” Those early challenges solidified her passion for acting.

Her theater roots continue to shape her screen work. Astrid explains, “My theater training was really rooted in text and character work. A big part of that work is digging into the text and discovering what drives your character, what they want, what they fear, what they mean versus what they’re actually saying. What theater gave me was respect for the text and real curiosity about character psychology, and that foundation hasn’t changed. What has changed is the way I express that work. On stage, your reactions are larger than life. On screen, the camera picks up everything, you don’t have to externalize it. I’ve learned to trust in stillness, listening, and subtle shifts instead of projecting outwards. I think that blend has really shaped the way I work. I still carry over the character work I learned from theater but I let it live truthfully on screen.”

Astrid recently starred in The Four Seasons alongside Will Forte and Tina Fey, embracing the opportunity to learn about comedy from masters of the craft. She stated, “I love Tina Fey and Will Forte, and have admired their work as a comedy fan for years, and just observing how they approached their performances, their timing, tone, and pacing, was an invaluable experience. It really showed me how much thought and subtlety goes into great comedic performances.”

She shared exclusively, “I learned so much from my time on The Four Seasons. I actually auditioned for and filmed the role within less than 24 hours, so I got to see how quickly everything can come together on a television set.”

Complex characters are what keep her intrigued. She emphasized, “What really drew me to His & Hers was how complex the characters are. With Catherine, I really had to sit with her perspective without judging her in order to make her a fully fleshed out individual.”

On why she chose the role of Catherine, Astrid explained, “I’m especially drawn to stories that make you examine your own beliefs and moral compass as you watch them unfold. No one feels purely right or purely wrong, and that grey area is really interesting to explore as an actor. Catherine is a really complicated character, and bringing her to life reminded me of how important it is to approach each role with empathy and curiosity. It can be really tempting to label a character ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but that doesn’t make for an interesting performance.”

On His & Hers, Astrid also was honored to be a part of a project that had a wonderful representation of LGBTQ characters and women in the film industry. She passionately spoke about it: “My values play a major role in the projects I’m drawn to because I don’t think I can fully invest in something that goes against them. Representation matters, I’m especially interested in stories where women and LGBTQIA+ characters feel real, complicated, and central to the story. One of the things that excited me so much about His & Hers was how many women were involved in the process of bringing it to life. Knowing that the story came from a woman’s voice and was adapted for the screen by a woman made the whole experience very special, and I think you can really feel that in the storytelling on screen. I think that audiences can feel when a story is being told with care and intention, and those are the kinds of projects I want to be a part of.”

Astrid is also a passionate advocate for encouraging young children to pursue acting professionally. She elaborated, “I think acting is often presented to kids as a hobby or a creative outlet, but rarely as a legitimate career path. And it absolutely can be a wonderful outlet for self-expression, even for kids who don’t want to pursue it professionally. But I do think it’s unfair that we treat a career in the arts like a pipe dream from the very beginning, because that mindset discourages kids from allowing themselves to dream bigger.”

She also thanks her family for their support. She said, “I know for me, I didn’t always feel like this was something I was ‘allowed’ to pursue seriously. I spent a lot of time thinking it was unrealistic because that’s what I had been told. I was really lucky in that I had a family who supported me and encouraged me every day, but a lot of people don’t have that. That’s why mentorship is so important to me. I want young actors to feel like their dreams are valid and worth taking seriously. There’s so much power in believing in yourself, and that belief really starts in childhood.”

From early auditions to major productions, Astrid Rotenberry’s journey demonstrates that the power of storytelling—and the essence of the human experience—truly resides in life’s small moments.

Thank you to Astrid, for the wonderful opportunity to speak with you on behalf of Social Lifestyle Magazine! Follow her journey as she takes on exciting new roles on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

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