An Interview with MY best Friend, Michaela Rebecca Lieberman

“There are no small parts, except for Oracle # 2 in The Bacchae.”

Michaela is an actress living in New York City. She’s a one time recipient of Pyle Middle School’s Award in Moral Terpitude, a member emeritus of the Walt Whitman High School Student Government Association, an amateur legal scholar, a sailer, a coffee-drinker, and all around very well-liked person. And, most importantly, she’s my best friend.

1. Lani: Hi, Michaela! We’re best friends, right?
Michaela: Of course–well, I mean, Ben is kind of my best friend because he’s my boyfriend..

2. Lani: Okay, what about second-to-best friends?
Michaela: I guess Claire is sort of next in line.

3. Lani: Fine. Makes me more of an impartial interviewer.
Michaela: Exactly.

4. L: So, what do you like best about being twenty-three years, ten months and 12 days old? (Some best friends have a countdown clock to their best friends birthdays installed
on their desktop computer).
M: (Only 8 days, 39 minutes to yours, pal!)
L: That’s Claire’s birthday.
M: Oh right.

(Long pause, but it isn’t uncomfortable, because we’re best friends and we could sit in silence for a much longer time without either of us worrying that the other doesn’t like us that much anymore).

M: What was the question?
L: Why’s 23 the best or whatever?
M: Right, good one. Well, I like that I’m young enough to be an idealist, but old enough to pontificate to young people.

5. L: Do you consider yourself an actress? As in, would you say you were acting when you promised me that I could be maid of honor in your wedding?
M: That’s a little unfair, Lani.

6. L: When’s the moment you realized–this is what I want to do and I’d knock down a wall the length of Berlin to get it?
M: Probably when I was teaching acting classes to female inmates at Maine Correctional Center. I was like, wow–I’m doing so much good here. Imagine how much good I could do if I were really famous.

7. L: Have you ever thought you might be related to the great Carol Channing? Have you ever told people you are to get ahead?
M: No, but I do kind of look like Stockard Channing. In profile.

8. L: What other lies have you told people?
M: Look, I’m sorry about the bridesmaid thing. Could we talk about this later, like not in front of so many people?

9. L: What’s your favorite subway line? subway sandwich?
M: 1/2/3 or the N,Q,R. Subway sandwich: foot-long turkey on wheat, with provolone, lettuce, tomato, mustard (spicy), and hot peppers.

10. L: As my best friend, if you could give me any advice to heal a bruised and almost broken heart, what would it be?
M: Honestly? Bruised and broken hearts are some of the worst things we have to suffer. I try to remember that time heals everything.

11. L: What breaks your heart the most?
M: People eating alone under florescent lighting.

12. L: Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Starbucks?
M: Both! Please! I’ll take my Zuccotti with a side of biscotti!

13. L: Bundled mortgages or bundled babies?
M:

14. L: Do you think losing the polar bear will be the greatest tragedy of the 21st century?
M: Yeah, probably.

15a. L: Wait, wait, wait, wait–chicken or steak?
M: What?
L: I’m ordering a salad for coworkers and me or just me–should I get chicken or steak in my salad?
M: I don’t know, they’re both lean proteins.
L: What are you eating?
M: Gum. I’m an actress.

15b. L: Politics, am I right?
M: Don’t even get me started!
L: I won’t!

16. L: When you think of your future are you hopeful, discouraged, or hungry?
M: Hopeful, mostly. Of course I experience moments of self-doubt, but I feel relatively confident that I’ll wind up personally and professionally satisfied. I’m lucky to have supportive family members and friends who offer endless encouragement. Claire really has been such a rock for me.

17. L: Remember when we cut class to study for our AP Exams? We were overachievers, huh?
M: Totally! How embarrassing that that Alexandra Robbins woman wrote a salacious and best-selling book about us!

18. L: What do you think of using emoticons in conversation?
M: ;- <>, but I think that }:-) and that people shouldn’t be afraid of <(-’.'-)> and resort to -(:) and -(:)(0)=8.

19. L: What are you reading right now?
M: The Tin Drum by Günter Grass.
L: Are you really?
M: No.

20. L: I really want a dog.
M: Me too. And a baby.

Here we are in a candid taken on the beach, right after we pledged to be best friends for life, and sealed the deal with salt and vinegar chips.