Article contributed by David Allen
PHOTOGRAPHY: Emily Assiran / HAIR/MAKE-UP: Chelsea Gehr
The scene opens on a London “freak show” in 1927. A young girl sits in a contraption that is as much a cage as a cart. She is visible only in silhouette, but she is clearly crying. A sign nearby advertises her as the “cursed progeny of a witch and a mountain beast”. A close-up reveals her eyes, full of fear and pain. A voice in her head urges the young girl to make a wish. When she does, an imaginary friend comes to frightening life and slaughters the audience. Just like that, Doom Patrol introduced Dorothy Spinner, and her portrayer, Abigail Shapiro to television audiences.
It was Shapiro’s passion for dancing that ultimately led her to acting. At age six, she began taking dance lessons and joined the Entertainment Revue, a group that performed across the state of Florida. At age 12, during a theatre camp in New Jersey, a manager picked her up. Within months, she found herself at her first audition.
Shapiro began her acting career at age 12 when she joined the cast of How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical in the role of Cindy-Lou Who. The experience, which included performing at Madison Square Garden, changed the trajectory of her life.
“I had so much fun doing that show and I am so grateful for that experience” Shapiro said. “As I got older, I realized that what I loved about dancing and singing was the art of storytelling. Throughout high school, I studied acting and worked very hard. I believe you never stop learning as an actor, so I’m still studying to this day and will be for the rest of my life.”
Soon after her debut, Shapiro wrote and performed a cabaret show with her sister Milly, who was performing in “Matilda: The Musical” at the time. Together, they became the first minors to write and perform their own show at 54 Below in New York City.
“We decided to do our very own cabaret show because we wanted to tell our story of how we came to New York City, and we thought musical cabaret would be the best way to do that,” Shapiro said. “At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. We were so young, it went over our heads, but we had fun with it.”
At 14, Shapiro starred in “Liberty: A Monumental Musical” as a French immigrant to the United States. Her performance won over many critics, with the New York Times citing her as one of the strengths of the show.
For Shapiro, transitioning from stage to screen was a natural evolution.
“I have always wanted to work on camera,” she said. “I think it was just a matter of booking something. There’s so much rejection in this industry, so getting a role is not always easy. It’s really just being in the right place at the right time and putting in a lot of hard work.”
When the opportunity came along to submit an audition tape for Doom Patrol, Shapiro took a chance despite knowing little about the show or the comic book on which it was based.
“I just auditioned mostly for the experience and as a way to improve as an actor,” she said. “I definitely did not expect to actually book it, but I’m grateful I did.”
Once she was cast, Shapiro watched the first season of the HBO Max show multiple times, then read some of the comics the show was based on, including issues penned by Grant Morrison and Rachel Pollack.
“I was so impressed with the material,” Shapiro said. “Doom Patrol really explores the humanity of these characters. It follows the stories of incredibly imperfect humans, which makes it so relatable. It also has all of those hilarious, very, very strange moments, like in season one with the cockroach kissing the rat, but it also has those darker moments and those deeply sad, heartfelt moments.”
Preparing for the role also gave Shapiro a new appreciation for comic books.
“It’s so visual and also has that interactive nature of flipping through the pages like a novel,” she said. “The artwork and images themselves are amazing and beautiful. The dialogue and descriptions of moments brings you into the story even more.”
Doom Patrol follows a team of super-powered misfits whose abilities have caused them great trauma and feelings of alienation. The enigmatic Niles Caulder leads the team and, as was revealed in the show’s first season, caused the accidents that gave his team members their powers. His goal was to find a way to extend his own life for his daughter, Dorothy Spinner.
Shapiro, now cast as Dorothy, found herself joining a team of actors and crew members who had already produced a season of television together. She found, to her relief, that she fit right in.
“I definitely was a bit intimidated at first because everyone was much more experienced than me, but because everyone was so open and kind, that fearful feeling quickly went away,” she said. “I had such a fun time working with everyone. I learned so much from them as an actor and also as an individual because they’re such fantastic people.”
Taking on the role of Dorothy came with several challenges, including an adjustment from acting on stage to acting in front of a camera.
“Stage acting and screen acting are definitely different; I love them both, though,” Shapiro said. “Acting on screen has changed my process a bit. I tend to think even more about the character’s inner monologue and what I can convey solely through my eyes.”
Another challenge for Shapiro was the complex nature of Dorothy’s character. She is incredibly old, but has been kept artificially at age 11. She is innocent and naive, but carries within her a great and dangerous power.
“Because she has been locked away for so long, she hasn’t had a chance to grow,” Shapiro said. “Throughout season 2, she has to face the fact that growing up is inevitable, and that she needs to face her inner demons in order to move on.”
The longer she portrayed Dorothy, the more layers Shapiro found in the character.
“She has the realization, as you see in episode 4, that she has missed out on so, so much,” she said. “Because of that, there is a sort of sadness and loss, as well, because all of that time has been essentially robbed from her. Dorothy is definitely a unique character and I am so happy I was able to help tell her story.”
Then there was the matter of the extensive face make-up required to bring Dorothy to life. Since she is Niles Caulder’s daughter with a “primitive” woman, Dorothy’s face has an ape-like appearance. Travis Pates and Bill Johnson designed the make-up and prosthetics.
“I really got to transform myself completely for a role, which is what I’ve always wanted to do,” Shapiro said. “I also want to give a shout-out to Derek and Eric Garcia, who did the prosthetic make-up every day. I felt honored to be wearing their artwork on my face every day, and I had so much fun working with them.”
Shapiro had to make some adjustments to her performance to work around the face make-up and prosthetics.
“I tend to focus more on my eyes because that’s basically the only thing on my face that doesn’t have prosthetics,” she said. “The biggest challenge was working with the fake teeth. I had to overcome the diction issues that came with wearing the fake teeth while also doing a British accent. But I love challenges, so it was all good.”
Although Doom Patrol is not a big budget, silver screen production, it nevertheless features a lot of special effects. In the season 2 premier, for example, most of the team has been shrunken and lives in miniatures on a table. These special effects are usually added in post-production, so actors are left to perform with “nothing”.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to work with special effects now,” Shapiro said. “Sometimes, I’ll be talking to nothing, just imagining something there, while other times there are certain characters played by actual actors in CGI costumes.”
An actor on stilts, for example, performed as Manny the Manticore. Vanessa Cater performed as Darling-Come-Home in full costume; only her face was digitally altered in post-production.
“It’s definitely a good way to exercise your imagination,” Shapiro said. “I honestly loved it so much.”
The critical reaction to Shapiro’s performance as Dorothy has been overwhelmingly positive, and fans of Doom Patrol have welcomed her with open arms. She did not expect the level of enthusiasm her performance inspired.
“I am so grateful for the positive response,” she said. “I was relieved when I discovered my portrayal was a hit. I worked very hard on this role and I’m so happy I didn’t let the fans down.”
Shapiro hopes to use some of her new-found fame to bring attention to rare disorders. She herself was diagnosed with cleidocranial dysplasia, a one in a million disorder that affects the development of bones and teeth.
“I’ve decided to begin speaking up about my experience growing up with a bone disorder because it would’ve been very helpful for me as a young girl to see someone talking about their own experience,” she said. “The beauty standard for females is impossible to adhere to, so it would’ve been amazing to see someone I could look up to who doesn’t fit the beauty standard but is still beautiful in their own way. It would’ve given me more hope.”
She also hopes to bring awareness to the “Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act”, a bill before Congress that would require private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment services for congenital anomalies and birth defects, including reconstructive services and prosthetics.
“There are rare disorders that are far worse than mine, so I can’t even imagine the financial and emotional burden those people have to face in their lifetime,” Shapiro said. “I’m so grateful I was able to get most of the treatment I needed. I’ve had around 13 surgeries and I only need one more, so my treatment is almost finished. I want to bring awareness to ELSA to make a much-needed change that will help so many people. I want to encourage everyone to call their local representatives and take action.”
As Shapiro looks to the future, she hopes to continue her acting career both on stage and in front of the camera. She also hopes to connect with her fans, who can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @abigail_shapiro.
As for the future of Dorothy Spinner? “Maybe Dorothy would be in season 3,” she said. “I really hope so; and I really hope we get a season 3, too.”
Her leap from stage to screen has brought much joy to fans of Doom Patrol, as well as Shapiro herself.
“This role has changed my life completely,” she said. “I’m finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do and I am immensely thankful for that.”
If you want to support the “Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act”, click here to download a form letter to send to your congressional representative.
