When Emily Fitzgerald gave birth to her first daughter, she was elated more than most. After having two boys over the course of six years, she was in little-man hell with sticks that broke windows and drawing all over the walls. Emily would joke that the boys were now her husband's responsibility; she finally had a daughter to spoil. Wendy Amelia Fitzgerald was put in pink from the day she was born, which gradually progressed into dresses and tutus, baby dolls and everything princess-themed. Unfortunately for Emily, Wendy would grow up idolizing her big brothers, and wanting to do everything that they did -- which included picking up a stick and whacking them with it. Wendy would have one more little sister a couple of years later, rounding out the family of six. Wendy might never quite be the "princess" type that her mother so craved, but she paved her own way anyway.
Wendy found performing at a very young age, when she was attempting to force her brothers (and more successfully: her little sister) into putting on plays or re-creating Disney movies in their living room -- complete with belting the songs verbatim. Her parents were big supporters of their kids and their interests, and always encouraged Wendy to do what made her heart happy. An open casting call for a new film called My Girl came onto their radar. Wendy auditioned, and auditioned -- and eventually landed the part. Being so young and starring in a film meant that her mom was on set with her every day, making sure that it was a healthy environment for her daughter. Emily loved that, but Wendy loved the whole process. She fell in love with the lights and the crew, the ability to play and get rewarded for it. The experience was an unbelievably positive one, but her parents wanted to be sure that she didn't fall into the trap of many child stars. Wendy was still a normal kid -- just with a couple of movies under her belt by the time she graduated high school.
When Wendy graduated from high school, she had the choice to hit her career head-on, or go to college. Her parents definitely were pushing for the college route, and she kept thinking that if she missed out on the real college experience she'd regret it. Wendy attended Juilliard with a major in the dramatic arts. By then, she had the Juilliard network at her disposal, and soon mande the move to Los Angeles. She studied improv and voice throughout her years at school, which made her feel completely ready to tackle anything that came her way.
Throughout her years in the industry, Wendy has always made a point to keep doing the things that she loved. It didn't matter if if was a (rare) big budget film or something tiny she barely got paid for -- she just wanted the work to be fulfilling and moreover: fun. She so naturally gravitated towards comedy, but always strived to pick projects with heart. The culmination of so many years in the business came in a meeting with her agents, when she off-handedly mentioned she wanted to write something. They were incredibly supportive and encouraging, and thus her foray into the writing world: Ruby Sparks happened. It was a terrifying experience, but one she wouldn't have changed for anything. That would remain one of the projects she was most proud of.
Coming right off of that experience, she was in the midst of recording audio for Frozen when she was brought in to read for a comedy series for HBO. The people involved alone would have been enough to excite her, but the material and the way they were letting the actors play was even better. She was lucky enough to be cast in the role of Amy on Veep, which in the next four years has made her grow as an actor and creator. Whatever comes next, she feels all the more prepared because of her experiences in this crazy business to date.