Why Young Tully From Firefly Lane Looks So Familiar
Netflix's "Firefly Lane" is all about the commitment to the friendship shared by two women who have known each other since they were kids. The bulk of the show follows these women as they're in their 40s. Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke) are in very different places in their lives, with Tully hosting a popular TV show while Kate struggles with a divorce while attempting to re-enter the workforce. They're there for each other through their various ups and downs, but viewers also gain additional context into their friendship with flashbacks of when they were teenagers.
Such scenes add greater significance to those set in the present because it's clear they've always had to support one another, even when they were teens. And the younger actresses portraying the versions of Tully and Kate in the 1970s are more than up for the task. But for anyone wondering who plays Young Tully in "Firefly Lane," it's an experienced actress by the name of Ali Skovbye. She may still be young, but she already has an impressive resume that may make her recognizable to some.
Her first role ever was in the feature film Personal Effects
According to Ali Skovbye's IMDb bio, she got her start in acting when she was only four years old, and her earliest role ever was a supporting part in the 2009 film "Personal Effects." The film stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Ashton Kutcher as two people from different walks of life but have each experienced tragedy in their own way. The two bond over their trauma and form a romantic relationship.
Ali Skovbye plays Beth in the movie, although she's credited as Alissa Skovbye for the project (as would be the case for many of her earlier roles). She got to act alongside Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, who plays Gloria, the mother of Ashton Kutcher's character. "Personal Effects" didn't make much of a splash when it was first released. In Collider's review of the DVD release of the movie, the reaction was pretty mixed, with the reviewer ultimately saying, "This is a well made film but I can't help but wondering who the target audience is. It's not 'enjoyable' and didn't have a high enough profile to flirt with Oscars, or even Oscar noms. Perhaps, strangely enough, it is just a group of working professionals trying to make an honest piece of contemplative film."
However, the movie did introduce the world to a young Ali Skovbye, who would go on to plenty of other roles to show off her talent.
A string of television appearances followed
Ali Skovbye didn't slow down after her big screen debut. She mostly acted in television projects in the years that followed, mostly in one-off appearances, but she could be seen in some pretty major series. She played Haley in a 2010 episode of "Smallville," and she would pop up on The CW again in 2012 on an episode of "Supernatural." She was Kelly Harper in the episode "Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie," which follows a group of children as their fears turn into reality.
She had plenty of other minor roles materialize over the years on shows like "Fringe," "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour," and "Falling Skies." She'd gradually get larger roles, including popping up in three episodes of Amazon's "The Man in the High Castle." She spoke highly of her experience shooting that show to My Devotional Thoughts, "It was super cool being on that show. My grandma grew up during the war in Holland so it really was strange for her to see me in that costume and watch that scene in the classroom. I think originally they intended to have a bigger story line between Quinn {Lord} and I, but the writers must have taken a different direction. I was just grateful to be a part of it and work with Quinn. He's a great actor."
All that TV work inevitably helped her when she got a much meatier part on "Firefly Lane."
Ali Skovbye scored the lead role in The Corruption of Divine Providence
Around the time Ali Skovbye landed the role of Young Tully in "Firefly Lane," she also starred in the lead role in the independent horror film, "The Corruption of Divine Providence." Skovbye plays Jeanne Séraphin, a young girl who's the subject of what's perceived as a miracle. Various religious factions try to vie for control over her.
It sounds as though it was a great experience for the young actress. In an interview with Popternative, she admitted that there was a fairly significant gap between actually filming the movie and its release, and she grew a lot as a performer during that time. She explained, "It's hard to remember a lot of the things that we did three years ago, and even watching the film from so long ago, it's hard to watch when making different choices that you wouldn't have necessarily made now. But it's great that everything's coming out and finally able to talk about it."
Now, Skovbye's role as Young Tully is ending with Netflix canceling "Firefly Lane." But it certainly won't be the last time audiences see the talented actress.