In Michelle Trachtenberg's 'Harriet,' Millennials Saw Themselves
As Harriet the Spy, 10-year-old Michelle Trachtenberg inspired a generation to become writers, journalists, and passionate observers of the world.
When the news hit of Michelle Trachtenberg's tragic death at age 39 on Wednesday, my social media feeds were filled with shock and sadness from those who grew up alongside her. Some knew her from their time working together as child actors in New York. Most only knew her through her on-screen characters that served as avatars for their own coming-of-age experiences.
For the fans, one of Michelle’s roles seemed to have left an especially indelible mark: Harriet the Spy.
In post after post, millennial writers and journalists sounded a steady refrain of gratitude for Michelle's early work in the 1996 film adaptation of Harriet the Spy. They posted images of their battered childhood notebooks and stories of attempts to emulate her Harriet that are eerily similar to my own.
"Harriet made me who I am today."
"Harriet inspired me to be a writer."
"I'm a journalist because of Harriet."
After seeing Harriet the Spy in theaters, I too begged my mom to take me to Home Depot so that I could procure a tool belt to stuff with "spy equipment" — a magnifying glass, pens, and, crucially, a composition notebook.
That summer, I walked the blistering sidewalks of our suburban Florida neighborhood, tool belt cinched tightly into place, notebook at the ready, waiting for something noteworthy to happen. In that moment, in my mind, I was the spitting image of Michelle. And I was doing Very. Important. Work.
Like many childhood obsessions, that tool belt spy phase quickly flamed out. I was too shy to properly snoop on our neighbors and terrified of being asked about the awkward apparatus clattering over my oversized Esprit shirt. But the seeds of "spydom" — in Harriet's world, essentially just a curiosity about other humans and their stories — had been planted in me and in a generation of budding young writers.
Perhaps the communal stirring was partly due to the fact that the 1996 adaptation of Harriet the Spy, based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name, displayed a rawness and darkness that is exceedingly rare in family entertainment. (Decades later, the visceral anxiety of watching Harriet squirm while getting drenched in blue paint as her classmates sought revenge is still burned in my brain.)
Yet, it would have been easy for Harriet the Spy to star a child actor who gave Harriet a saccharine cuteness. One who could deliver a tamped down, safe reading of a young girl's moral struggles that fit neatly into a Paramount production with a modest budget and a short shoot. After all, Harriet the Spy wasn't aiming for Oscars or even Golden Globes glory.
Instead, they cast Michelle Trachtenberg, and she made Harriet impossibly, gloriously real.
In her first feature film role, 10-year-old Michelle brimmed with anger, tears, and sarcasm. She was a tiny titan who could hold her own against Rosie O’Donnell, Eartha Kitt, and J. Smith-Cameron. As Harriet, she yelled at adults. She betrayed her friends. She scribbled mean things. She slapped(!) a classmate. She had a brutal downfall and comeuppance unbefitting of a PG heroine.
Kids shouldn't look up to this Harriet, a chorus of distressed parents argued as the film gained popularity with their broods and the orange Nickelodeon VHS release became a staple on their family TV stands.
"I think it was a little progressive, not sweet for the children, that's for sure," one '90s mom lamented. "All this revenge and vindictiveness, it's a lot going on in their heads."
Yet, kids do have a lot going on in their heads. And in Michelle's Harriet, many millennials saw themselves and their own struggles. She was quirky and nosy and imperfect. An outside observer quietly longing to be accepted. Michelle was brazenly unafraid of embodying that young girl's chaotic, messy emotions on screen.
She was one of us.
At the time of its release, Harriet the Spy wasn't a definitive commercial or critical success. Nickelodeon's first foray into theatrical films did only OK at the box office and received middling to negative reviews. Roger Ebert deemed it "more suited for the after-school slot on Nickelodeon than for theatrical release."
But because of Michelle, that orange VHS eventually elbowed its way to the forefront in a cluttered kids' home media landscape. Because of Michelle, a generation of girls felt emboldened to make mistakes and find their voices.
Because of Michelle, many of them are still scribbling away today.
“Just because you’re on your own doesn’t mean there are no more fascinating people to observe and fill your notebooks with. That’s your job, Harriet. That’s your job for life.”
So touching and well written, Ashley!