OK, who else has already binged all of “A League of Their Own,” the incredible reboot of the 1992 movie from “Broad City” star Abbi Jacobson?!
If you haven’t, stop reading this right now and go do that. If you have, you’re probably familiar with Maybelle Fox, the Rockford Peaches’ resident blonde bombshell. But did you know that Maybelle is played by Jewish actress Molly Ephraim?
It’s true! Here are 18 things to know about Molly Ephraim.
1. Molly was born in Philadelphia in 1986 to a Jewish family.
2. She was “raised in a Jewish household, but not a very religious one” — though she did grow up celebrating all the holidays.
3. She was an adorable child!
Just look:
4. According to Molly, her brother Max was the “illest, chillest, coolest Bar Mitzvah boi ever.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEw_1pSutjV/
We simply have to agree.
5. She grew up acting at the Bucks County Playhouse, her local theater, and for her 10th birthday she asked for an agent!
“[My parents] were like, ‘Oh no, this is bad, this is very bad,’” she told the New York Post. “They were very supportive, but also, that’s terrifying.”
6. In 2002, Molly made her Broadway debut in the revival of “Into the Woods” as Little Red Riding Hood.
When legendary Jewish composer Stephen Sondheim passed away in 2021, Molly wrote about her incredible experience meeting him:
7. In 2008, Molly graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in religious studies!
“I became a Religious Studies major because I was interested in studying religions from kind of an outsider’s point of view and understanding my own religion from that standpoint,” Molly said in an interview.
8. Molly’s first main role on TV was as Mandy Baxter in Tim Allen’s sitcom “Last Man Standing.”
Here are her best moments from the show:
9. In 2010, she starred in “Paranormal Activity 2.”
Spooky!
10. Still, Molly once said “there is really nothing like doing live theater,” and interestingly, she’s played numerous Jewish roles in theater productions!
In the 2004 Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” she played Bielke; in 2010, she played Anne Frank in “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the Westport Country Playhouse; and in 2015, she played Daphna Feygenbaum in the play “Bad Jews.”
11. She has an adorable dog named Lunch! Here are all the best photos of him from Molly’s Instagram:
We love you, Lunch!!
12. But Lunch isn’t the only important guy in Molly’s life: In 2021 Molly married her now-husband Evan!
13. And a short while later, they introduced their daughter, Zia:
Mazel tov!
14. For “A League of Their Own,” Molly had the opportunity to interview 95-year-old Maybelle Blair, a former member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League!
15. In the same year, she also starred in “Angelyne,” featuring Jewish actress Emmy Rossum!
16. While filming “A League of Their Own,” Molly was extremely pregnant with Zia.
“Which is how I ended up with four bags in front of my stomach for most of the shooting!” Molly told the New York Post, adding, “They just kept giving me more and more bags, and more and more jackets and sweaters and knitting supplies.”
17. While working on “A League of Their Own,” fellow Jewish actress Kate Berlant drew some of her castmates, including Molly. Here’s the result:
18. Molly is hoping for another season of “League.”
“I don’t know when, where, how that would happen, but I think we’re all keeping our fingers crossed for that,” she said in an interview. “I think people will really like it. You know, you get all the fans that are sort of grandfathered in from the original movie, but it definitely speaks to a newer crowd.”
We’re hoping for that too, Molly!
