‘Overcompensating’ Star Wally Baram Says First On-Screen Role Gave Her the Gift of Self-Esteem
Wally Baram has spent the early part of her twenties in the writer’s room. After dropping out of college after a year, the 27-year-old has written on several streaming hits, including “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Shrinking,” but it was not until Benito Skinner’s college comedy that she got a chance to step on the other side of the camera.
“To be honest, before this, I wanted to act, and it was kind of why I got into this industry,” Baram tells TheWrap. “But I just could never imagine, in a million years, that anyone would want to see me or the way that I do things on screen.”
Baram started in the writers’ room on “Overcompensating,” building a relationship with Skinner and showrunner Scott King, but she did not have full belief in her abilities. She said that the social media personality turned creator-star of the Prime Video series took her under his wing and gave her the assurance that she could embody his confidante Carmen.
“It’s been, honestly, like a real gift of an experience in self-esteem – both watching myself do the work and be like, ‘Wow, I could do this,’ and having people respond positively to it,” she said. “That’s the gift that I’ll hopefully continue to keep bringing to other projects is some more self-belief.”
Carmen is a slightly awkward college freshman at Yates University, grappling with the death of her brother and the weight of fitting in. She befriends Benny (Skinner) and after a cringe-worthy first hookup they decide they are better off just friends.
For Baram’s first on-screen role, she said that in order to discover Carmen she had to be hyperaware of her Wally-isms and where she and the character diverge.
“I had to be very aware of who Wally was and that they’re very different people. Because Wally on screen, especially in this role, I think wouldn’t have been as entertaining to watch, because when I have deep feelings, I don’t emote a ton. I go very internal.”
The newcomer said she worked with an acting coach to hone her skills and find moments where she could sprinkle in her own tics.
“Overcompensating” has captivated fans online since its release, leading to many fan edits and viral moments. But Baram said she tends to stay offline. Most of her fan interactions have been from people IRL – “a lot of gay guys being like, ‘Diva!’, from across the street,” she joked.
Carmen’s kooky, clout-chasing roommate Hailee Marie Matthews, played by Holmes, has been a fan favorite online with some of her catchphrases gaining a life of their own. Baram said that working with the comedian was a constant flow state, and they fed each other’s “woo woo” artist sides.
“Our relationship off screen is very much like one of complete and total acceptance of the eccentricities of the other,” she said. “We have a deep contrast, but also maybe synergy in our personalities.”
Baram said after working on several first seasons of shows from the writing side she has learned to have “zero expectations” for the reception of a new series and to let the work speak for itself. Ahead of a second season renewal, Baram said the “Overcompensating” writers’ room has not returned, yet, but she has a few predictions for where the series could go after its cliffhanger ending, where her character Carmen outs her best friend after kissing his campus crush.
“Classic TV writing would beg that I make some sort of grand gesture, and then we’re back to normal,” she explained. “But at the same time, I also think we like to stay true to things and to relationships, so I’m sure there’ll be some caginess and some true experience of what it’s like to gain trust back. And I hope a moment where they feel like they’re back to where they were.”
“Overcompensating” is now streaming on Prime Video.
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