With Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore due out in theaters on April 15th, Jessica Williams joined us for an episode of Collider Ladies Night to discuss how she went from Daily Show correspondent to picking up the wand and joining the Wizarding World franchise.
After making a brief cameo appearance in The Crimes of Grindelwald, Williams’ Professor Eulalie Hicks becomes a main player in the third film of the Fantastic Beasts series. She’s a charms professor at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who has a history with Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore. When Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) starts making new moves to assume control of the Wizarding World, Dumbledore knows he won’t be able to stop him alone so assembles a team of the best of the best in an effort to take him down. That team includes someone who’s especially skilled in defensive magic, Williams’ Lally.
Williams’ star soared when she became the youngest Daily Show correspondent in 2012. While her run on that show could lead some to believe that success as a comedian or host is the main career goal, acting is actually Williams’ top priority and has been ever since she was a kid courtesy of the support and encouragement she got from her family, especially from her grandmother. She explained:
“I remember TV and movies were a way for [my grandmother] to escape, and that was a way for she and I to connect. And so, to me, television was always a really valid medium. It was always really a respectable medium because it mattered so much to her. And I had really great parents who also saw it as a valid medium. They were never like, ‘You can’t perform. You have to be a doctor,’ which is totally fine if that’s what you want to do. But they were always like, ‘Yeah, if you wanna be an actor, you can always be an actor.’ They let me believe that I can do anything.”
That family support is key, but it can’t necessarily obliterate the nerves that pop up when you’re auditioning for a huge gig. However, pair that family enthusiasm with raw talent and the right words of encouragement from Jon Stewart, and you’re in a prime position to nail your Daily Show audition.
“They had me go on The Daily Show set. It looked amazing, They were like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna have you practice and then Jon Stewart’s gonna come down and you’re gonna run it with him,' and I said, ‘Okay.’ I remember running my lines, my hands were shaking and I just read it twice and they were like, ‘Okay, Jon’s ready to come down!’ I heard people on their walkies and they’re like, ‘Jon’s coming down, Jon’s coming down,’ and I remember my heart beating really fast, and then all of a sudden I hear someone who’s singing and I turn around and it’s Jon Stewart! He just walks up to me, he’s like, ‘Hi, I’m Jon,’ and I go, ‘I’m Jessica.’ He’s like, ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ and he’s like, ‘I’ve already seen your tape. I already think you’re amazing. All you have to do is just do that with me and focus on being present.’”
Even after Williams booked the gig, Stewart's positive influence didn’t stop. She continued:
“What I love about Jon and one of his great qualities that he has is he was able to see my raw talent. Even when I look at a lot of my earlier stuff on the show, I go, ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe I did that! I can’t believe I was reading like that!’ A lot of things have changed and developed now that I’m 32-years-old. But what I appreciate and love is that he was willing and able to hire someone that was really new and allowed me to learn a lot of lessons on set. Also that was another situation where I was allowed to learn and watch a kind boss that was a really good and smart boss. The Daily Show, especially around that time that I was there, had a really firm no-asshole policy, and it was really cool to watch someone working at the highest level creating a new show four times a week still just be a lovely boss.”
Williams did take on some acting opportunities while working on The Daily Show, but when her run as a correspondent wrapped up, those acting gigs started pouring in and haven’t stopped. Not only did she headline The Incredible Jessica James and appear in Booksmart, Love Life, and more, but now she's also part of one of the biggest film franchises in history, the Wizarding World.
Things started small with a Crimes of Grindelwald cameo, but Williams did tease that things are only getting bigger from there for Lally:
“I’d always known that my character was supposed to be throughout the rest of the Fantastic Beasts films … I play this character named Eulalie Hicks. She is a charms professor at Ilvermorny, which is the North American wizarding school. And I knew that in Crimes of Grindelwald she makes a brief appearance, but then in 3, 4 and 5, she’s quite formidable and becomes a huge part of the story.”
Looking for even more from Williams? You’re in luck! We’ve got the uncut version of the interview in podcast form below. Check it out to learn even more about Lally and to hear about an important lesson learned in an acting class, Williams' very first TV show on Nickelodeon, how she deals with unpleasant on-set behavior and loads more.