Exclusive: 'The Fabelmans' Inspiration Leah Adler on Being Steven Spielberg's Mom
He's 'either going to become a dangerous man or an award-winning director'
The upcoming Universal pic, The Fabelmans, is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Steven Spielberg's childhood and first years as a director, with a specific focus on his beloved mother, the late Leah Adler.
Spielberg has said his mother encouraged him to tell his personal coming-of-age story and called the film a glorious tribute to Adler, who died in 2017, as well as the rest of his family that inspired his brilliant career.
At the heart of the movie, similar to Spielberg's own family, is Mitzi (Michelle Williams), the mother of budding filmmaker Sammy Fabelman. Mitzi is a fictionalized version of the spritely Adler, with a similar haircut and favorite denim clothing.
Spielberg says he had wanted to work with Williams ever since he saw her performance in the 2010 drama Blue Valentine, and that she was always top of mind while brainstorming the character of Mitzi.
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“There was something about Michelle that seemed very familiar, and not just because she likes to wear her hair in a short Peter Pan cut the way my mom always wore her hair,” Spielberg says in production notes for the movie. “She had a feeling that was familiar to me...I just went with a complete gut feeling and thought, ‘I hope she likes the script.’” And she did.
Williams also had a personal connection with Mitzi’s real-life inspiration. “My mother gave her seal of approval to Michelle in so many ways and loved her from heart to heart,” adds Spielberg.
Universal Studios
In the upcoming movie, Williams said she felt tremendous freedom to imbue Mitzi with a full, original life of her own, and gushed that working with Spielberg was a dream collaboration. “It felt like we were a couple of kids on the playground,” Williams said in a release. “It felt like anything was possible. Steven would say, ‘Go over here!’ and I would run over there, and then I would say, ’Look what I found!’ Every day was a joy. I've never been so early to get to work."
Like Adler, Mitzi is an accomplished musician with a passion for art who gave up a chance at being a concert pianist to raise a family. She is full of love for her four children, as well as for her husband, Burt (Paul Dano).
“My mom always wanted more; she was ‘the more mom,’ ” Spielberg recently explained to CBS Sunday Morning. “Enough wasn’t enough for mom. That’s a wonderful thing for a kid because she inspired me to be ambitious, and [always] wanting more, more and more.”
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In one vivid, intense scene from The Fabelmans, Mitzi piles her kids into the car and chases a twister ripping through their New Jersey town. That scene, Spielberg says, is a particular tribute to his mother and her worldview.
“My mom gave me a ton of permission to chase tornadoes, metaphorically, for my entire life,” Spielberg told Sunday Morning. “We often called her Peter Pan. She evoked a lot of joy and truly lived a lot of childhoods in her 97 years.”
Always the heart and soul of her family, the real-life Adler was front and center during the 1994 Oscars when Spielberg’s Schindler’s List won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and best director.
Harry Forman
Most of America and the world first heard Adler's name when her son kissed her and described her as “my lucky charm” while accepting the best director award. He frequently credits her love and encouragement for having the confidence to pursue his biggest dreams.
In 1996, Adler held court with stars like Kirk Douglas at her Kosher dairy restaurant, The Milky Way, and reflected to Parade on being the mother to one of the most brilliant creative minds ever.
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When asked in 1996 about her favorite movie of his, she replied, "I love Schindler's List, it is a work of art. But I am still a kid at heart, so my favorite movie of my son's is ET."
Harry Forman
Being "Steven Spielberg's mom" didn't necessarily occur to Adler, who simply viewed the Jaws director as her son—though she did share some minor perks.
“One year for Mother’s Day, much to my amazement, my son arranged for an exclusive shopping trip at my favorite store, Neiman Marcus. I had all the furs and jewels available to me," she said simply. "So, what did I buy? A denim shirt and a vest. I was good with that.”
Another time, Spielberg surprised her with a new car, a Z3-BMW two-seat roadster like the one that James Bond drove in Goldeneye.
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“My handbag fits in the front seat and I can’t take bags of groceries to the restaurant, but it is a lot of fun to tool around L.A. and Beverly Hills in. They made it for me in light blue,” she said, “to match my eyes.”
Universal Studios
Adler spoke at length about Spielberg’s childhood and she readily admitted that she found her son to be “eccentric” at times, always staging science fiction scenes around their neighborhood for his various movie projects. But she happily went along for the ride, even making lunch for the cast and crew and supplying a surplus Army Jeep, along with loads of encouragement.
When Spielberg was young, Adler well remembers his devotion to making his 8-mm movies and his taking over their house to make war movies.
Universal Pictures
“One day, the young Steven took several cans of cherry pie filling and exploded them all over my kitchen. I looked around as red goop dripped from every surface, which I would wipe off in my kitchen for years to come,” Adler recalled. "But before I could say a word, my mother [Steven’s grandmother] looked me in the eyes and said with a twinkle: ‘Our Steven is either going to become a dangerous man or an award-winning director. Don’t kill him until we find out,' and I quickly burst out laughing!’ ”
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Though Spielberg is obviously Adler's best-known child, she beamed when speaking about her three daughters as well.
“I know that Steven is the most famous, but I am equally proud of all four of my children [Steven, Nancy, Susan, and Anne], and they are all talented in their own right,” she said. Adler pointed out that right alongside posters of several of Spielberg’s famed movies was the framed poster for the Penny Marshall classic Big, starring Tom Hanks, which was co-written by Anne.
Universal Studios
As a director and producer, Spielberg’s movies have earned more than $26 billion worldwide, yet his mother proudly reminded me that he had remained her same lovable son—a true mensch.
“His films, especially Schindler’s List, have pretty much changed the world, yet the bottom line is Steven remains unaffected, unassuming, and plain as he always was; none of this has gone to his head,” Adler said. “Steven makes me beam with pride every single day, and he always has.”
The Fabelmans promises to do the same.
From Universal Studios, The Fabelmans will be released on Nov. 23.