PARENTING, CHICAGO STYLE
Savage’s L. A. kids filled with ‘ spirit’ of his hometown
NEW YORK— While Fred Savage has lived in Los Angeles since he was a kid, the actor still considers the Chicago area his true home base— at least when it comes to sports loyalties and Midwestern values.
“Remember, both my wife and I are from Chicago, and we do really miss it,” says the former “Wonder Years” star, whose new series “Friends From College” premieres Friday on Netflix. “We go back as often as we can to see family and friends — mostly on the North Shore, where we’re from, around Glencoe. ...
“It’s very important to us to instill in our children a sense of that Chicago spirit — and we keep it alive in our house all the time. What an emotional moment that whole World Series thing was last year! We were actually watching the Series while we were shooting ‘ Friends From College.’
“Not only was I from Chicago, our cinematographer and his wife were from Chicago! [ Series creator] Nick [ Stoller] was so very patient. … We had a dinner table scene, and we all were on our phones, under the table— even the actors who had no Chicago connection! We were really trying to pay attention to the scene we were shooting but also following that final game. It was so nerve- wracking!”
On “Friends From College,” Savage co- stars with Keegan- MichaelKey, Cobie Smulders and Annie Parisse as friends nearing their 40s with a Harvard past in common. He relates to the show’s themes.
“Every time you’re with those friends, it’s like a little time capsule. For me, when I’m back in Glencoe or Chicago and see some friends from when I was a kid— obviously much younger than college— I get kind of silly and we reminisce about our childhood. Of course, I also have a bunch of friends in L. A. who are from Chicago, so that also provides a certain kind of bond, which usually involves Chicago sports teams— especially the Cubs!”
Alice’s Chinese secret
North Shore native Alice Lee laughed when asked about her proficiency in Chinese— as showcased by her character Gina in the new horror adventure film “Wish Upon” ( opening Friday).
“My Chinese is not very good, but for a good reason — since I’mKorean,” said the young actress. “But that’s OK. It happens a lot in Hollywood. The point is, I got cast, and I’mable to project myself as Chinese. For this film, I was taught the phrases I needed and learned how to say them phonetically.”
In the film, she plays the cousin of Ki Hong Lee’s character, Ryan. He is the good friend of the film’s main star, Joey King, who is gifted with a mysterious music box inscribed with a Chinese phrase promising to grant the owner’s wishes. The twist: For every wish granted, someone close to King’s Clare character has to die a horrible death.
When Lee returns to the Chicago area, she “usually just spends time hanging with my family or going shopping at the mall with my mom. But this last time, a couple of weeks ago, I really got lucky. I got to both see my family— and got to work!”
Lee was a guest star on “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams,” the sci- fi anthology series being filmed in Chicago. “It’s about a futuristic society that’s all about conforming. I play not exactly a rebel, but definitely one of the outsiders.”
The actress has “awesome, great memories” of growing up in Glenview. “I was in the a capella group and sang in the choir and did a bunch of musicals in high school,” she said. “I was lucky, because Glenbrook had such a wonderful, really strong arts program. It gave me a great foundation.”