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SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Disclosure Day,” now playing in theaters.
While Steven Spielberg’s latest sci-fi film is headlined by performances from Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor — both of whom have
received their fair share of praise from critics — it’s newcomer and former journalist Courtney Grace who has generated some of the most buzz online.
After whistleblower Daniel (O’Connor) and news anchor Margaret (Blunt) have successfully broken into the Kansas City newsroom with the footage exposing the government’s decades-spanning cover-up of extraterrestrial activity, the film cuts to an NBC news anchor (Grace) as she picks up the story live.
It’s not unusual for journalists to play versions of themselves on screen; Grace worked as a news anchor for seven years, most recently out of a station in Tampa, Florida. She’s used to delivering news live while keeping her professionalism and composure. What made her scene in “Disclosure Day” unique, which was filmed over the course of two days, was the rare opportunity to play a journalist sharing in pure shock with the rest of the world.
It’s as her character crucially says: “You are not alone.”
“It was to the individual, but it was to the collective as well. We all have our interpretations of that moment, and I love that,” Grace tells Variety. “But for me as I was reading it, it made me think of just the vastness of creation itself, the sense of not knowing, then all of a sudden how having something revealed to you can shock your whole system. And yet it’s OK. It can shock your whole belief system and that might actually be quite beautiful.”
After the film’s opening weekend, Variety spoke with Grace, who’s also appeared in “Sweet Magnolias” and “Stranger Things,” about her breakout moment in “Disclosure Day,” quitting her anchor job and why she’d like to believe that aliens are, in fact, somewhere out there.
There’s been such an outpouring of people online, from film critics to awards pundits, shouting out your performance. How are you feeling?
Oh man, oh man! I am overwhelmed with so much gratitude and surprise and shock. My heart is ten sizes larger now. I am deeply touched that this moment in the movie resonated with people so deeply. It certainly resonated with me as I was working on the material. I don’t know, man, I’m at a loss for words. Bear with me as I try to venture into explaining what this is even doing to my system right now.
Before we dive into the film, you used to be an anchor for seven years. Could you talk about how your journalism experience prepared you for this role and acting in general?
David Koepp and Steven Spielberg gave me such a unique opportunity with this journalist role. A lot of times as a journalist, your job is to give information to people and try not to show how you would be reacting as a person. When I read the script, I was so deeply touched getting to experience this moment alongside the world.
My experience as an anchor, in combination with the past three years training as an actor, you understand how to read scripts — both of those sets were absolutely necessary for me to be able to present the work in the way I did. The training ground that I had on sets before helped me feel anchored in that moment. And then when I sat behind that news desk with that prompter in front of me, it felt like home.
Has acting always been an aspiration for you?
Acting was something I wanted to do from a very young age. I remember auditioning for a play when I was in elementary school and they gave me maybe three sentences to read. I had it right in front of me, and I just couldn’t get through it, stumbling over the words. Needless to say I didn’t get the job, I didn’t book the role. From that moment on, at such a young age, I had this narrative in my mind of, “I guess I’m not cut out for it. I’m not actress.” Even though I did some high school musicals, I held onto that belief for a long time until three years ago. I wanted to do it for all my life, but I really just let that little piece of me go quiet.
Some of my proudest moments were as a journalist, and yet the desire to act just never went away. It was just this pulse in my soul that kept getting louder and louder and louder until I couldn’t hear anymore. I had to look myself in the mirror and get really honest with myself — it’s either now or never. I had some wonderful people in my life who said, “Now, go! Do it.” I got into acting classes, booked my first $500 industrial, and the moment I walked onto that first set was when everything clicked.
Talking more about the final broadcast, which is what the entire film has been building toward, your character is experiencing this otherworldly event alongside everybody else. As a performer, how did you approach going through the motions of processing the news live?
Fortunately, David Koepp gave me such a gift with that script. I only had my scene, I didn’t have the entirety of the script, but what he put in there was exactly what I needed. I loved it because when I was reading that, I was like, “Oh, they really see journalists.” If you’re breaking news that alters the reality of all humans, that’s gonna affect you no matter if you’re a journalist, or whatever your occupation. They wanted to see that — a human who was working through this in real time.
There’s a moment in there where it’s like, “I can’t explain this, man! I have no idea, this is incredible.” They give me the opportunity to really appreciate this in all the facets of working through what’s going on. And then you just sit there and wonder in such amazement that it moves you. There’s no way to hide that at the end of the journey. I think that’s what’s really beautiful because that’s what being human is all about — being moved by things and allowing that to be seen.
My colleague asked Colman Domingo if he believes in aliens. Do you?
What did he say? I would like to think there are other extraterrestrial lives out there. I would really love to believe that. To think that we’re not alone is really cool. I was telling somebody at the premiere, “Maybe the aliens are having their own red carpet right now and they’re like, they did a movie on us!” You never know, how cool would that be? And if so, I really do hope that Steven Spielberg can be our ambassador and spokesperson. I feel like that’s a collective agreement!
Having now seen the full film and how everything builds up to your final scene, what do you think of the way Spielberg tells this sci-fi story with so much empathy?
It’s brilliant. Oh my goodness, there are multiple times where I just cried in this movie. He is extraordinary at being able to take these really big themes and concepts and ground them in the human experience. It’s magical so yeah, I was quite moved. I don’t know how he did it. It’s Steven Spielberg, so period, right? It was beautiful to see how he infused so many important messages and themes in this and then everyone walks away with a very different interpretation. That’s storytelling right there.
What do you think is the key to making such a lasting impression with just one scene, or one monologue?
Being so present in the moment. You’re not looking behind you, you’re not looking in front of you. You are there to be honest and put everything that you’ve got into that moment. After that it is out of your hands.
What are your hopes for where you go next in your acting career and what kinds of opportunities this exposure will bring?
This experience taught me that I wasn’t dreaming big enough. I think I need to go back to the drawing board and start to really ask myself that question through the lens of believing that nothing is impossible. Only time will tell. I am always story first rather than role first. I love a good story so if I’m afforded the opportunity to be part of one, man, I will sink into that so deeply. I’m very much open — I’m gonna dream a little bit, sit in it a little bit and be open to whatever comes my way next.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
