Although she is most famous for her starring role in Blossom, Mayim Bialik is not a typical television star.
When she spoke in Von Canon Wednesday evening to a crowd of a few dozen, Bialik brought her husband and newborn instead of an entourage. Dressed in a conservative skirt, not in high fashion, she shared her unusual experiences on and off the screen.
"The poster [advertising the speech] says 'Having It All.' I don't really know how to do that," Bialik said.
She outlined the story of her life and then took questions on topics ranging from celebrity privacy to the intersection of feminism and Orthodox Judaism.
In the dozen years since her television show Blossom finished its five-year run, Bialik has graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, become a more observant Jew, begun a doctoral program in neuroscience, married and had a baby.
"I am a nervous speaker," Bialik said. "I'm just sharing my experience with you guys."
Bialik discussed her heritage, saying she was raised in Los Angeles by Reform Jewish parents. Three of her grandparents were Eastern European immigrants. Describing herself as a "nerdy child," Bialik said her acting career stemmed from an interest in drama, a music-filled environment and her parents' work on documentary films.
She started acting at age 11-late, for a child actor, she noted-and appeared in the movie Beaches with Bette Midler and on the Fox show Molloy with Jennifer Aniston.
On Blossom, which focused on a divorced father raising three children, Bialik worked full-time while finishing high school.
"It's kind of hard to sum up five years of working with people day-in and day-out," Bialik said.
She said she is no longer in touch with her co-stars, although they live very close to one another.
Bialik did not act for 10 years after the show finished, but she continued to do voice-over work. More recently, she appeared in an independent film, Kalamazoo?, which will premiere next month. She said she hopes to restart her acting career, this time as an adult.
During the question-and-answer session, Bialik addressed the contradictions she faces as a self-proclaimed feminist who practices holistic, attachment parenting. Although Bialik wants to continue her career as an actress or begin working with special-needs children, her chosen job will not be her priority upon finishing graduate school, she said.
"If I had to pick one thing, I would be the best parent that I could be, which is a full-time job for which you get no pay and no training," Bialik said.
Rebecca Levenson, assistant director of the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, introduced the actress, who, along with Levenson, was involved with UCLA's Hillel-a national organization that supports Jewish life on college campuses. The two women's first meeting occurred when Bialik took a break while leading services for a high Jewish holiday and Levenson offered her food.
"That's how I met Mayim," Levenson said. "Eating challah during services."
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