In Preschool, Gigi Burgdorf steps into a comedy that turns the battle for a place at an elite preschool into a sharp satire about rivalry, status, and adult behavior. In this interview, the actress reflects on building Roze, working in an improvisation-friendly environment, filming inside a historic London manor house, and embracing a new stage of creative expansion across comedy, drama, action, and directing.
Preschool turns the battle for a place at an elite preschool into a comedy about rivalry, status, and parenting. What amused you most about that premise when you first read the script?
I loved that the parents in the film – specifically the dads – are the ones behaving badly and having tantrums, while the kids are much more measured and well-balanced. It’s a fun reversal of the usual stories about children learning how to behave. I also love how the subplot that I’m involved in challenges the idea that grown-ups should be serious and not have fun!
Your character, Roze, watches the chaos created by the adults around her from close range. What was it like building someone who is central to the story while also trying to remain somewhat invisible within that dynamic?
It was really fun to play Roze, because as a nanny in a wealthy family, she’s exactly the kind of character that’s meant to fade into the background of the household, but once Roze gets noticed by someone outside the family (Joe, played by James Cosmo) she really gets to bloom and have fun. The costumes helped that progression, because I start the film in a non-descript nanny uniform and then wear progressively more fun and flamboyant outfits, thanks to our costume designer Leonie Hartard. My costume fittings for this film were hilarious!
You mentioned that Josh Duhamel created an atmosphere that allowed room for improvisation. How did that freedom shape the comedy of the scenes and your own performance?
We had a great script from Richard and Nicole D’Ovidio, so for a lot of the scenes we’d start with what was on the page and then riff around it. That kept everything feeling fresh and alive, which is so important with comedy. I love improvising but I was a bit more careful with it in this film because I was acting in an accent that’s not my own and didn’t want to stray too far from that. My hesitation to say too much fed nicely into Roze’s own reticence around the family she works for. In later scenes, when Roze is more relaxed, it was easier to add a comedy flourish – and it’s a nice feeling as an actor when some of your ad-libs make the final edit.
The film blends humor with observations about class, competition, and the pressure surrounding parenthood. Do you think that satire is saying something larger about adult behavior today?
There’s a strong message about the importance of having fun and not taking everything so seriously. It’s easy to get bogged down in what we feel we should be doing or achieving, and the film encourages us to let that go and find more fun in our experiences and the people around us, like Roze and Joe do by the end of the story.
The film was shot in an old manor house in London, with an atmosphere that sometimes felt almost mysterious. How did that setting influence the experience on set?
The manor house where we filmed the family scenes gave everything a sense of history and old money, which added to the sense of rivalry between the two dads (played by Josh Duhamel and Michael Socha). It also meant that as Roze I spent a lot of time lurking around corners or down long hallways, waiting to be summoned by the lady of the house (played by Charity Wakefield). So it was easy to get a sense of how tiring it can be to wait on a family in a house of that size. But rather than feeling cold or daunting, it was actually a really fun and happy place. Eadie Johnson (who plays the daughter of Josh and Charity’s characters) and I were usually stifling giggles while we waited to make an entrance. And everywhere you turned there was something old and interesting to look at, making the whole thing feel like a night in a museum.
Looking at your career so far, from The Rehearsal to The Perfect Couple and now Preschool, how do you feel these projects have helped shape your identity as an actress?
I’ve been lucky in getting roles that are all very different to each other. I enjoy the challenge of becoming someone else entirely rather than just showing off slightly different versions of myself. But I thnk there’s a theme running through the projects I’ve done – whether it’s a comic moment in a serious piece or a dramatic moment in a comedy. Looking back it seems like I’ve been attracted to roles that have a little of both, and it’s great to be able to walk that line.
You also mentioned being excited about One Second After, a post-apocalyptic action thriller, as well as your interest in period drama. What most excites you right now about exploring new genres and creative challenges?
One of the best things about acting is getting to do things you never imagined yourself doing. I love roles that stretch me beyond my comfort zone. One Second After had a lot of action, weaponry, and stunts, all of which were new to me and not something I thought I’d ever get to do. And Preschool has the kind of quintessential comedy scenes that are an absolute blast to film – like the dancing scene at the end of the film. I’m excited to experience more of those ‘pinch me’ moments where you can’t quite believe you’re getting to do something cool and are surprised by your own ability to keep up!
Between comedy, drama, action, and even directing, you seem to be in a moment of creative expansion. What is inspiring you most at this stage of your career, and what kind of story do you still dream of telling?
I’ve spent more than two decades trying to get to this point – where I’m working with amazing people in a wide variety of projects – so I’m just excited to finally be doing what I’ve been chasing for so long. I’m loving playing such different characters and I hope I’ll continue to stretch myself with new roles and new genres. At the top of my wish list is a film or series set in the 1800s, as I’ve always dreamed of wearing a gown in a carriage on my way to take tea in someone’s drawing room. That would be a nice contrast to the nanny role in Preschool!
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