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These days, Analise Scarpaci is doing it all. In a world of multi-hyphenates, the musical theater performer also wears many hats; whether she’s singing showtunes on Broadway, writing original pop songs, or coaching the next generation of performers, her many talents—and love of the game—shine through. But this was not her original vision for a career in the arts.
“When I was younger, I said three things: I’m never singing a pop song, I’m never playing guitar, and I’m never writing my own songs,” she recalls, thinking at the time, “‘I’m a musical theater performer and musical theater performers do not do this.’ But the truth is, that’s so incredibly false.”
In her new movie, Not My Dog, Scarpaci has happily broken her own rules. In a key scene late in the family flick, Scarpaci performs “Unlikely Friends,” an original song she wrote for the project, in which she is joined by the film’s young heroine, Bridget. In an ironic turn, Scarpaci also accompanies their dual vocals on guitar.
A self-described “lyrics nerd,” Scarpaci has been writing songs since she was 16 years old, but Not My Dog marks the first time she has penned one for the screen. Last seen on Broadway as Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, Scarpaci has spent the last few years honing her abilities as a songwriter, with music releases like her 2021 EP Pathetic Little Dreamer and 2024 single, Flashbacks.
“When I started writing, I just kind of wrote what was in my brain,” she remembers. “During COVID was when I really bunkered down and started writing. I was writing every day because there was quite literally nothing else to do.” For Not My Dog, Scarpaci was given a prompt from the film’s director, Danny LeGare, who wanted a song that would musically represent the film’s themes. For Scarpaci, this kind of work is a different challenge than singing on a Broadway stage.
“[Recording pop music] is you and the mic,” she explains. “It’s not about your face, it’s about what’s actually coming out of you… I actually took a lot of what I learned from recording my EP and pulled it into how I perform now in musicals because musical theater’s changing.”
Scarpaci first appeared on Broadway from a young age, making her debut in A Christmas Story: The Musical in 2012, before going on to appear in Matilda the Musical. Therefore, she has firsthand experience as a child actor, navigating the difficult swings of the entertainment industry. Now, she uses this background to coach up-and-coming performers, including her co-star Rylie Pennington, who leads the film as Bridget.
“I always make jokes and say that I’m the mother of 20 because I’ve had 20 kids play my siblings, whether it be on stage, on set, or in a reading or a concert version of a show,” she says. “Even when I was in Matilda, I was the oldest out of all of those kids, so they used to joke and say I was the fifth guardian because I would always make sure that everyone had their ducks in a row… It wasn’t in a bossy type of way. It was just to make sure everybody was good and to check in on everybody. And I’m still doing that.”
Scarpaci speaks highly of her co-star, whom she has coached since they first met on the film in 2025. “Working with Rylie is just so special because I come from a very different perspective [than] other actors… It’s not an easy thing to be a child actor. It’s so fun, don’t get me wrong, but it comes with a lot of unnecessary pressures that you don’t even realize that you have on your back. And so I always make sure that I’m clocking when they don’t even know.”
Fortunately, Scarpaci wasn’t alone in this endeavor on Not My Dog. The production itself aimed to prioritize the needs of young actors. The movie hails from Trash Panda Pictures, a new independent studio from LeGare who is working to fill a gap in the market for tween audiences. In line with their philosophy, the movie was filmed using a six-hour production day model designed specifically for children and animals. Coming from a background in theater, Scarpaci appreciated this approach.
“You arrive, you block it, you do your thing. There was no sitting and waiting for a million hours,” she explains. “I thought that the way Danny had designed his set was so unique and so incredible. And for me as a theater actor who’s getting her start [in] acting for the camera, it was extremely comforting to know.”
Not My Dog also allowed for a special reunion for Scarpaci from her days as a child actor. Dan Lauria, with whom she starred in A Christmas Story, appears in the film as a store owner named Mr. Tucker. Though the pair don’t share any scenes, Scarpaci came to the set during his filming day to see him for the first time since their Tony Awards performance in 2013.
“It was so full circle for me because I always admired him as a human and as an actor. He had names for all of us because A Christmas Story has that Wild West scene. He used to call me Annie Oakley… and it was because I had the loudest voice,” she remembers. “To him, the last time he saw me, I was little Annie Oakley.”
With Broadway, pop music recordings, and onscreen work under her belt, Scarpaci cites Sara Bareilles and the late Gavin Creel as artistic inspirations. “I’ve said this a lot, but my goal is to have a career like Sara Bareilles… Gavin was such a light and I didn’t even know him well.” In addition to their professional work, they also helped create a very special memory for the actress: “When they announced Mrs. Doubtfire was closing for the third time, Sara and Gavin made a video wishing me well and saying that everything was going to be okay… Both of them truly are just unbelievable artists.”
At this moment in her life and career, Scarpaci embraces the opportunity to do many things, viewing the seemingly disparate aspects of her work as interconnecting parts. “If I didn’t write songs, my acting through the song would not be the opinion that I have on it today. If I didn’t act, my songwriting would not be as evolved because I listen to and read a lot of Sondheim. They’re in conversation with each other.”
Two elements of her artistry—Scarpaci as actress and Scarpaci as singer/songwriter—can be seen on full display when Not My Dog hits digital platforms on September 11, 2026.
Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas
