On Thursday evening, the Penn State SPA (Student Programming Association) hosted actress and best selling author Jennette McCurdy for a Q&A session at the Schwab Auditorium. She is best known for her role as Sam Puckett on “iCarly”.
McCurdy began the session by reading an excerpt from her newly published memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” which had secured a no. 1 spot on the New York Times best-seller list for eight weeks after its release. Her memoir focuses on her cycles of abuse at the hands of her mother and the psychological trauma that resulted from becoming a child actress.
Moderator Emily McGlynn thanked McCurdy for being so transparent and vulnerable when she opened up about her traumatic experiences. McCurdy explained that since being in therapy for her experiences prior to writing the novel, she has been able to open up freely about her past and her struggles with disordered eating and addiction.
When addressing the controversy surrounding her book title, McCurdy explained that the title was important to her because it was “something she wanted to say.”
Following the conclusion of the interview, audience members were encouraged to ask questions.
One question that was posed to McCurdy was about her experience playing the role of Sam Puckett on “iCarly,” as it was only briefly mentioned in her memoir. In response, she explained, “I feel like there are more important things to talk about.” She added on that she would rather share about things that are “valuable” and “compelling to her mind.”
“Doing childhood TV was traumatic for me, but that does not take away from the joy that it brought other people, ” she said.
Jennette McCurdy’s biggest piece of advice for audience members was, “If it’s not a ‘hell yes,’ it’s a ‘no.'” The main takeaway from her discussion was that no matter how much you lose yourself, you can always come back to yourself.
Next time you watch “iCarly” or any other childhood tv show, make sure to tweet us and let us know @VALLEYmag!
