Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson is heading to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter writes that she’ll star in Hulu’s “The Way I Am,” a semi-autobiographical series she co-created with “Casual” showrunner Liz Tigelaar. The half-hour single-camera comedy shares its name with one of Michaelson’s highest-charting singles.
Michaelson has previous acting experience. She studied theater at Binghamton University, where she was a member of “a theater repertory company and the Pappy Parker Players, an improv comedy group,” THR writes. She started playing piano when she was just four years old, and released her debut album in 2005.
The project has secured a script commitment following “a competitive situation with multiple outlets bidding,” THR reports. Tigelaar will pen the script. She’ll also serve as executive producer alongside Michaelson and Lynn Grossman.
“I believe in myself and I’m very supportive of my female friends and artists, Michaelson has said. “When I first started, there were definitely people who said I shouldn’t wear my glasses. But I hate contacts. I’m not getting Lasik and I’m pretty blind, so I’m wear my glasses. My mother wore her glasses never did her nails or made up her hair. I’ve never called myself a feminist; I just was one since birth,” she observed. She added, “If you love yourself and respect yourself and you’re proud of yourself and you’re a woman, you’re a feminist. There’s a sliding scale of feminism whether you’re extremely vocal about it or not. I think you can be quietly feminist and have your own core strength. To each her own.”
Tigelaar created the CW family drama “Life Unexpected.” She’s written for series such as “Once Upon a Time,” “Revenge,” and “Brothers & Sisters.” Tiglaar has a TV adaptation of Jami Attenberg’s 2012 novel “The Middlesteins” in the works at Showtime.
