Blog: ‘Roma,’ ‘Eighth Grade’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ actors break down their small — but key — roles

“Eighth Grade” stars Elsie Fisher as Kayla, a middle-schooler possessed of a level of social anxiety matched only by her hope for connection. Mercifully, she finds occasional moments of relief, none sweeter than from young Gabe, played by Jake Ryan. Gabe might be just as awkward as Kayla, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. “I felt like he was more comfortable with who he was, and in himself, than Kayla,” says Ryan, who at 15 has been acting for 10 years.