Brooke Wexler stars in the RICHIE RICH reboot premiering today on Netflix. The original series focuses on Richie (Jake Brennan) a young millionaire who picks up everything and moves his family into a mega mansion. Wexler stars as Richie’s robot maid, Irona. I chatted with the talented actress about her audition for the role, her favorite scenes from this season, and what we can look forward to in the pilot.
Were you a fan of the Richie Rich movie from the 90’s?
Brooke Wexler: Yes! I watched that movie many times and was always jealous of Richie Rich’s crazy adventures and gadgets.
What can you tell us about your character Irona? How was your audition for the role?
Irona is RICHIE RICH’s robot maid who ironically doesn’t like to clean. Instead of the robot you picture, my Irona is more human-like and has an attitude of her own. She is a friend of the kids, but at the same time, is the adult in the household, and yes, that includes Richie Rich’s father who is hilariously far from an adult. She gets dragged along on all the shenanigans that the kids get into and helps them when needed; whether she wants to or not.
My audition for the role was very fun. I got the audition sides after returning home from a trip and was blind-sided. I was excited that it was a “Richie Rich” project, but was also nervous as to how I was going to represent a young robot maid! Ultimately, I mixed a few accent/character ideas together and Irona came to fruition. The auditioning was a long process, but ultimately the rendition of the character that I had come up with suited what we thought a modern Irona should be.
Being your character is a robot who are some of your favorite TV/ Movie robots?
My favorite TV robot would have to be Rosie the Robot from THE JETSONS. I was such a fan of those cartoons when I was a kid and still am! I feel Rosie is similar to Irona because she is considered a part of the family, but also has an attitude at times with her obligations as the family maid.
My favorite Film robots will have to be C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars” and the current Iron Man. The “droids” from “Star Wars” are considered one of my favorites because of the relationship they have between themselves and others. C-3PO uses a lot of humor and although he has a more robotic exterior than Irona, the humanistic personality is similar. The modern “Iron Man” is one of my favorites as well because of the humor used. Although he is a superhero we feel this connection with him and laugh at his many jokes, which I hope happens with Irona as well!
What can you tell us about the Pilot episode?
The pilot episode is more of an introduction to everyone and their distinct personalities and roles within Richie Rich’s life; however, the kids still seem to get into trouble despite it being the very first episode! I think you develop more of a connection with the characters as the episodes progress, but I laughed off the bat in terms of the pilot. I think everyone will enjoy it very much.
What episode or scene are you most excited to see?
There is an episode where Richie Rich gets a replacement model for me since I am malfunctioning. My replacement is basically a younger version of the current Irona and, needless to say, I have a problem with her. Some series of events happen and I team up with Darcy and Murray to get her out of the house. The entire episode is entertaining to me because I get to see a younger version of my character, and it showcases some of Irona’s competitive spirit and humor.
You can watch Brooke in the Netflix original series, RICHIE RICH starting today on Netflix.