Stephanie Izsak on the Nostalgia of Netflix’s ‘Blockbuster’ and the Wildest Behind-the-Scenes Moment [Interview]

Part of the charm of the new Netflix comedy Blockbuster is the nostalgia, and that’s as true for the viewers as it was for the actors who got to be a part of it.

I recently had the chance to ask Stephanie Izsak — who plays Lena on Blockbuster — about her work on the series. She told me about the nostalgia, her own personal connection to the iconic video store, and the wildest behind-the-scenes moment that she was a part of.

Tell-Tale TV: What made you most excited to be a part of this series?

Stephanie Izsak: I was so excited to work in a comedy again! It’s been a minute.

Tell-Tale TV: I saw you have a personal connection to the story of Blockbuster, correct?

Izsak: I was hired at my local Blockbuster which was the part-time job I’d been waiting to get my entire youth. When I went to pick up my work shirt they told me ‘Oh yeah, this location is actually closing down. You don’t have a job anymore.’ To their credit, I do think they let me choose a poster off of the wall to take home.

Tell-Tale TV: What was it like being on this set? I imagine there must have been some nostalgia.

Izsak: Huge! It became a joke. Every time someone new would walk into the store their eyes would get huge. It was very special.

The hilarious thing though was that obviously, the show couldn’t get clearance for all of those DVD covers, so all of the film covers you see on the show are approximations of the original covers but just slightly off. Like the same font, same layout, but the photo is completely wrong.

Tell-Tale TV: What’s your favorite memory of being in a Blockbuster?  

Izsak: I think it’s similar for a lot of people who grew up aspiring to be in the industry. It was a place that felt connected to that dream and so it became a dreamy place. Like a tiny little thread connecting you to Hollywood. I remember that feeling of excitement and possibility. No clue what my last rental was but I spent a lot of time in the classic horror section.

Tell-Tale TV: What do you think makes this series unique?

Izsak: I don’t know about you, but I have trouble scrolling the news a lot right now. This show feels like just a nice warm hug. It’s so charming and funny and full of heart.

Tell-Tale TV: What are you most proud of when it comes to working on Blockbuster overall?

Izsak: That I made the crew laugh. I play one of the more straight, chill characters on the show, but I still got some zingers and when you get that pat on the back after they yell ‘cut’… that feels really nice.

Tell-Tale TV: What would you say was the most challenging thing about working on Blockbuster?

Izsak: There were often a lot of moving parts on set. Lots of background actors, the camera is moving, [and] the actors have a lot of choreography. It was like a dance sometimes, and that sort of thing always takes a minute to land. And then playing Lena… probably not laughing. That was tough. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there are very funny people on this show.

Tell-Tale TV: Are there any behind-the-scenes moments that stand out from working on the series?

Izsak: I have a crazy one. I was waiting to be called to set so I went for a walk and spotted a mother duck and her babies crossing the street to a stream, only I heard little quacks coming from — are you ready for this? — the sewer.

Some of them had fallen in! I went into Mama Duck mode immediately. I had security call the city to have someone come and remove the sewer grate. Meanwhile, I recruited three or four crew to come and try and haul the grate off ourselves, which we did! We scooped the babies out and sent them on their way. What a high.

Tell-Tale TV: How was working on Blockbuster different from other projects you’ve been a part of?

Izsak: Again, there isn’t a ton of comedy that gets shot up in Vancouver, and being a local actor I really missed it. It was so nice to just go to work and have fun and laugh. It was also so exciting being on set for the first season of a show. It’s special and everyone is excited about what it could become.

Tell-Tale TV: You also write and direct, and I see that you’re currently working on a feature film. What can you say about that, or any other upcoming projects?

Izsak: I love writing, it’s something I’ve done for a long time and over the pandemic, I finally had the time to develop a few projects which I was lucky enough to direct as well.

My film Consumer, a short horror film which looks at diet culture’s effect on young people, is currently on the festival circuit. We just played Raindance in London and are off to Blood In The Snow in Toronto! I’m also pitching another film at Whistler Film Festival in a few weeks, so wish me luck.

The feature you’re referring to is called White Meat and it explores societies’ comfortable relationship with violence through the story of a woman on the run who hides out on a hog farm. I’m interested in telling stories that examine who we’re becoming as a culture and as a society so dependent on technology and mass production. So a bit of a departure from Blockbuster! But I’m just so grateful to be a part of so many different projects. 

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Blockbuster is currently streaming on Netflix.

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