Rosa Blasi
‘The Thundermans’ star on her rise from suburbanite to superhero
Lots of children dream of becoming superheroes, and Rosa Blasi was no different. But unlike most aspiring justice-seekers, the Chicago native is actually getting a shot at saving the world on Nickelodeon’s new live-action series, “The Thundermans,” which premiered this fall. “My super power is being electric, so electricity comes out of my hands,” Blasi explains of Barb Thunderman, the mother of four she plays on the familyfriendly show. “I can zap things; it looks like lightning.” In fact, each member of the Thunderman clan has their own special power — but they’re trying hard to keep them under wraps so they can lead a “normal” suburban life.
Blasi, 40, knows plenty about growing up in suburbia: The actress lived in the same house in Mount Prospect for nearly her entire childhood. But from 8 years old on, Blasi threw herself into the local theater scene, performing in more than 40 productions, including some at Second City. “I exhausted the Chicago market,” she jokes. Once she moved to Los Angeles, she gueststarred on several sitcoms, including “Frasier” and “Beverly Hills, 90210,” before landing her first starring role on the Lifetime series “Strong Medicine.” Now a mother herself, Blasi couldn’t be happier to be a part of “The Thundermans.” “It’s a lot of fun,” she says. “The writing is great.”
Child’s play: “The kids have better superpowers than us. Nora, the 8-yearold, can [shoot] laser beams from her eyeballs. Billy has super speed. [Max] is a super villain, and [Phoebe] dreams of being a superhero. Hank, my husband, goes ‘ Thunderman away!’ and he can fly anywhere. However, he’s a reluctant retiree. He misses the cape. We’re a wacky family.”
Hollywood magic: “I thought the special effects would be difficult, but they’re not. Our special effects team is amazing. Things are mostly done on computers. They do have wires when they’re levitating people, and they show us the stunts on a computer before we shoot it. I haven’t had a stunt double — some of the kids [do] for dangerous stunts. There are always mats in case someone falls.”
Chicago connection: “Before I moved to Los Angeles, I was Miss Chicago. I did the scholarship pageant — it was amazing. [ When I’m home] I’m always at my parents’ house in Mount Prospect. My brother lives there, too, with his wife and baby. We’ll venture out and do super touristy things. I took my 7-year-old to the Shedd Aquarium. We walked around Millennium Park, and we went inside some small churches.”