Greater Phoenix has had its share of residents who made it big on the silver screen: the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter; comedian and Saturday Night Live star Aidy Bryant; actresses Busy Phillips and Haley Lu Richardson; and, of course, Hollywood’s current sweetheart, Emma Stone. Now, Scottsdale native Hailey Glicksman is one step closer to seeing her name in lights, as well.
The Desert Mountain High School graduate and current Arizona State University student is making her cinematic debut in the film Wish Watch, which premieres this summer on Amazon Prime.
According to director and writer David Van Wie, Wish Watch is “an old-school fun family film.”
The movie follows Henry, an awkward high school freshman on a quest for popularity and romance, and Charlie, his larger-than-life best friend, who has Down syndrome. The duo becomes trapped, Groundhog Day-style, in the same day after Henry makes a slew of birthday wishes on a strange smartwatch and soon discovers that they can't get out of the time loop until they make all of Henry's wishes come true. This includes winning the heart of popular mean girl Samantha.
Glicksman plays Kate, Samantha’s best friend and a fellow mean girl.
“This is the first movie that I’m in, and I'm playing one of the leads,” she says. “I'm really excited for it to come out. I feel like this was a big step in my acting journey.”
Because the movie was filmed in the Valley, Van Wie held a local casting call for background characters and extras.
“I’m sure Hailey was hoping to get picked for one of the small extra roles in the film,” he recalls, “but when she walked out of that audition, my wife and I both looked at each other and said, ‘That’s Kate!’
“We had gone through an exhaustive casting call and had about 2,500 people apply for the role of Kate,” Van Wie continues. “We had offered the role to an actor in Los Angeles, but we had not signed the contract. Hailey had an intangible quality that you can’t put your finger on. It’s something in your gut that tells you this is the right person for the role.”
Glicksman has been preparing for her star turn for as long as she can remember. She began taking dance classes when she was only 3 years old. When she was 10, she made the leap to musical theater, performing with such local theater groups as Greasepaint, Desert Stages, Desert Foothills, and more.
“I’ve always loved the stage,” she says.
When Glicksman was about 12, she added voice lessons to her repertoire and has been working with private vocal instructor Tina Khahil.
“We focused on musical theater and pop music,” Khahil says. “Hailey has an amazing work ethic. She is one of those people who is always wanting to learn and continue working on her craft, whether it be acting, singing, dancing, or even public speaking.”
Over the years, Glicksman has held a variety of lead roles in local theater productions. She’s played Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Morticia Addams in The Addams Family, and both Savannah and Danielle in Freaky Friday: The Musical, among others. She’s also starred in numerous local and national commercials, and even in a music video for a top artist.
“Musical theater has definitely helped me in my auditions for film and TV and with acting in general. It taught me what I want to do with my facials and how I want to say certain lines,” Glicksman says. “I’m able to take a lot of risks on stage or in front of the camera, which is really important. You can’t be embarrassed or worry about what other people are thinking of you when it comes to acting. And taking risks is what directors look for.”
Van Wie agrees. “Some of the main things I look for in auditions are high energy as soon as I call action, the ability to make the performance real, and the ability to follow directions the first time,” he says. “Hailey entered the [audition] room full of enthusiasm and was very attentive as we gave her a side [scene] to read. I gave some direction, and I told her to eat a sandwich—no prop was there for her—while we were reading. Hailey didn't go through the motions like a parent who pretends to eat while playing with their 3-year-old; she looked like she was eating a sandwich with no prop while she ran through the audition.”
When not in the spotlight, Glicksman is a freshman at ASU where she’s studying political science.
“I wanted to study something that I’m interested in while also continuing to act,” she explains. “It’s the perfect balance.
“Acting is always going to be a creative outlet for the rest of my life,” she adds. “I love it so much, and I feel as though there's never going to be a time when I'm going to say, ‘I don't want to do this anymore.’ And if I’m able to rely solely on it, that’s literally a dream for me.”
Glicksman continues to audition, and while she was already repped by the Arizona-based Leighton Agency and managed by L.A.-based Brilliant Talent Management, she also recently signed with L.A.-based DDO Artists Agency.
“I’m just seeing where it will take me. I’d love to do a comedic role in the future, and maybe a voiceover because I love doing impressions,” she remarks.
If Van Wie has any say, Glicksman’s name will soon be said in the same breath with Carter, Bryant, Phillips, and Stone.
“I have no doubt that Hailey will be a huge success in her acting career,” he says. “She has all the traits and skills needed and the ones you can't put your finger on.”