‘A Friend of the Family’: McKenna Grace Reveals Jan Broberg Was Her Most Difficult Role Ever
McKenna Grace is not a new face to Hollywood in A Friend of the Family; however, portraying Jan Broberg in the true crime miniseries is her most challenging role. From A Handmaid’s Tale to The Haunting of Hill House, Grace has acted in her fair share of disturbing TV shows. But playing a dramatized version of the real-life Jan Broberg, Grace admitted to Showbiz Cheat Sheet was “pretty difficult.” A very close family friend, Robert “B” Berchtold (portrayed by Jake Lacy), kidnapped and sexually assaulted the adolescent multiple times. Grace discusses what it was like acting as Jan Broberg and what she hopes viewers take away from the new miniseries.
How old is McKenna Grace when she plays Jan Broberg in ‘A Friend of the Family’?
McKenna Grace is 16 years old when she portrays older Jan Broberg in A Friend of the Family on Peacock. At the time of Berchtold’s second kidnapping of Jan, she was only 14 years old.
McKenna Grace has numerous TV and film credits
Although McKenna Grace is only 16, she has an extensive filmography from Young Sheldon to Designated Survivor and even Fuller House. Her acting career began at age six and hasn’t stopped since. She portrayed Faith Newman in The Young and the Restless as a recurring character for 50 episodes. Grace also appeared in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Cyber. She entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2019, playing young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. But, her most complex role to date is now Jan Broberg in Friend of the Family.
How did McKenna Grace prepare for her role as Jan Broberg in ‘A Friend of the Family?’
“I watched that documentary [Netflix’s Abducted in Plain Sight] a lot,” Grace explained. “And I read all of the court documents and the interview transcripts that they didn’t use for Abducted in Plain Sight. I would talk to Jan often, and I wanted to make sure that I was doing her story right and that I wasn’t doing anything that she would not have wanted. She was always so open and honest with me. I would talk to her often and message her and ask her questions. And that meant the world to me. How open she was — It was amazing.”
What was the most challenging thing about your role in ‘A Friend of the Family?’
“Probably playing a real person,” Grace admitted, was the most difficult thing about becoming Jan Broberg. “That was definitely scary. But luckily Jan was always there and available if I wanted to ask her questions or talk. She gave us all so much freedom as actors to play these characters. But it also meant so much to me that she would always speak with me. She would always give me so much more than I would ask. And she’s just such a lovely human being.”
McKenna Grace reveals that playing Jan Broberg in ‘A Friend of the Family’ is her most difficult role to date
“I would say that this was pretty difficult, but I am not only honored to have told their story, but to be a part of this production,” Grace began. “Also, because I learned so much about myself, acting, filmmaking, and the process. I learned so much about my emotions doing this show — emotional scenes and how to get myself to places that I had never gone before. I learned so much on this production, and this is one of my favorite things that I’ve ever done. And I’m so proud of this show and I’m so excited for it to come out and to be able to be a part of telling her story.”
McKenna Grace’s hope for viewers after they watch ‘A Friend of the Family’
“I think that after watching the documentary [Abducted in Plain Sight], a lot of people could have jumped to being judgmental,” Grace pointed out. They might say, ‘[The Broberg family] made all these mistakes. That would have never happened if this was me. I would have never done that or let this happen.'”
However, after playing Jan, Grace hopes that A Friend of the Family puts the situation into perspective for viewers.
“The family was entirely manipulated and taken advantage of,” Grace continued. “And every single person in that family is a victim. Jan was the one who was abducted, but each of them were groomed and manipulated. And that could happen to you. That could happen to anyone.”
Grace hopes viewers learn from Jan Broberg’s experience in A Friend of the Family.
“I hope that this show gives everyone a deeper understanding of how the world works and of the Broberg story and why they made the decisions that they made. And I hope that people can learn from this show and see that they didn’t make these decisions willingly. The family was also tortured by this man. And I hope that people can really understand them and see what this was like.”
A Friend of the Family will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, October 6, with four episodes. The remaining five episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays through November 10.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
