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Little Fires Everywhere star AnnaSophia Robb has the best analogy for dealing with rejection

On CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast, the actress discusses working on Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere, her childhood on screen, and upcoming work like Dr. Death on NBC Peacock.

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Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
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Patrick Holland
2 min read
AnnaSophia Robb

With a film and two series, AnnaSophia Robb has had a huge 2020.

Walter McBride/Getty Images

For most of us, 2020 has been a garbage year, but for actress AnnaSophia Robb it's been huge. She played a younger version of Reese Witherspoon in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere. She also starred in the film Words on Bathroom Walls and in the series The Expecting on the now-defunct video service Quibi. Many people grew up watching a younger Robb in films like Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Race to Witch Mountain and Bridge to Terabithia. It's impressive to see Robb, now 27, continue her success into adulthood with upcoming projects like Dr. Death on NBC Peacock .

On CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast, Robb explains how she learned to be resilient by auditioning for films and TV shows in her youth. Her mother taught her as a kid how to handle rejection by using a simple analogy to ice cream.

"If I didn't get a project, my mom would say, 'It's like ice cream. If they are wanting mint chocolate chip but you are strawberry, they're just going to want mint chocolate chip. It doesn't devalue strawberry,'" said Robb. "That was a really healthy way of looking at it as a child, because it didn't feel like a personal attack."

During our interview, Robb discusses how she approached playing a younger version of Reese Witherspoon. She also reflects on her childhood and working with directors like Tim Burton. Robb also opens up about playing a young Carrie Bradshaw on the CW series The Carrie Diaries while she was going through puberty.

Listen to my entire conversation with Robb on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can watch Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu and Words on Bathroom Walls on video on demand services like YouTube or Amazon Prime. Also, you can subscribe to I'm So Obsessed on your favorite podcast app. In each episode, Connie Guglielmo or I catch up with an artist, actor or creator to learn about work, career and current obsessions.