Rachel Brosnahan has visited many fascinating places throughout her career—often without ever leaving a movie set. The actress most recently joined PEOPLE at the Pokémon Go Fest event on Randalls Island in New York City on Saturday, July 6.
She excitedly spoke about her lifelong passion for the game, which lets users interact with their favorite anime characters in actual settings, during the occasion. Her intense love for Pokémon Go demonstrates her great enthusiasm for fusing virtual entertainment with the outdoors.
Pokémon Go: A journey of adventure and recovery
The 33-year-old Superman actor told PEOPLE that he had suffered from a severe illness resembling the plague when the game was released on his birthday in 2016. He explained, “I spent nearly ten days confined to bed. I decided to download the game out of boredom after hearing a friend was playing. During those ten days, I managed to attract several Pokémon to my bedside, as you could lure them to your location.”
Brosnahan mentioned that once she felt better, it was a good excuse to go outside and make it to the next Pokéstop or gym. She continued to play, pointing out that at that point in the game, particularly at the start, one could travel quite far.
She explained that because of her frequent work-related travel, she had numerous opportunities to catch Pokémon in other countries that were not available elsewhere, which kept her interested in the game.
Regarding her gameplay history, Brosnahan acknowledged that she had played on and off over the years. However, she noted that her achievement of reaching level 42 as a trainer placed her among the top 15% of players globally. She attributed her ability to perform well to her challenging days on set.
Brosnahan mentioned that on set, there was a lot of hurrying and waiting. She noted, “We were moving about a lot, so there were plenty of opportunities to keep the game interesting and plenty of time to kill.”
She observed that she had encountered people still playing everywhere she went. She explained, “Therefore, even if I take a break, someone will still be playing when I decide to start it up again. There are a ton of new things to experience because the game has continued to evolve over time.”
Bonding and Adventure on Set
Reflecting on a moment from filming The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Brosnahan recalled sneaking offset to play. She mentioned, “I believe one of our security guys appeared in Maisel’s second season. So, while we were filming close to Times Square, he and I dressed up and carried out a raid together.”
Brosnahan mentioned that it had been difficult to overlook her playing Pokémon Go in Times Square while wearing a corset, helmet, and gloves. She acknowledged, “Even though we felt awkward, it was a great way for us to bond and have fun.”
Brosnahan shared that she is currently exploring and training alongside her friend Pokémon, Meltan. She said, “I’ve been trying to evolve this thing for what feels like my lifetime. It’s taking forever but we’re walking together,” she added with a giggle.
The devoted trainer recently revealed in an interview how much she loved a particular Pokémon in her collection. She declared that she enjoyed using her brilliant Mewtwo, calling it a difficult battle.
She said that because of its adorable development over time, Eevee was her favorite. Noting her preference for sticking with the original, she also reminisced about Charmander, the Pokémon she always started with as a child when the game was only available on the Game Boy.
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