DETROIT — Anna Garcia makes her feature film debut in "Fly Me to the Moon," the new space race romance in which the Metro Detroiter plays the plucky assistant to Scarlett Johansson's character, and she and her friends recently celebrated her big screen bow by renting out a Los Angeles movie theater for a showing of the movie.

Well, most of the theater. "I bought out the back section, thinking that no one would purchase the first three rows, because I'm like, 'Who wants to sit that close?'" says Garcia.

Ultimately, ticket buyers did end up in those first three rows, "and I literally had to go up to them and be like, 'I'm so sorry, I'm in the movie and I'm here with a lot of my friends, so please don't get upset if you hear the whole theater cheer when the assistant comes on,'" she says. "I was so racked with anxiety. But instead they were like, 'Oh my God, how exciting, can we take a picture?' and I was like 'Of course!' So it really was the best-case scenario."

Lately, things have been going Garcia's way. "Fly Me to the Moon" is the biggest showcase yet for the actress and comedian who was born and raised in Beverly Hills — that's Beverly Hills 48025, not 90210 — and who started acting at Northville's Marquis Theatre when she was 6 years old.

She moved to L.A. after graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in screen arts and culture, and she appeared in commercials and in small roles on big sitcoms before landing opposite Johansson in this month's retro comedy, which takes place in 1969 and is set against America's quest to land on the moon.

The long wait for the movie to hit theaters had Garcia, 28, questioning if any of it really happened, she jokes.

"We finished the movie, gosh, over a year ago, and so in the last year I've sort of been like, 'Well, that's not real, that's not a real thing that happened,'" says Garcia, on the phone last week from her L.A. apartment, where she's still wrapping her head around her part in the reported $100 million movie, which opened in theaters July 12. "So it's been crazy to have people see the movie, and I'm like, 'Are you sure you saw it?' It's been very cool and fun, but also just like a totally surreal experience confirming that the movie actually exists."

It certainly exists, and now a lot more people are aware of Garcia's talent and charms.

A natural performer

Garcia is a born socializer and self-described "high energy kid" who as a child would walk up and introduce herself to strangers and try to make them laugh. Early on, her aunt enrolled her in summer theater courses at the Marquis, where she channeled her bustling energy into singing and dancing on stage, and she fell head over heels in love with the art of performing. It was a love that would be tested when she tried out for a school play while attending Berkshire Middle School.

"I had a chance in sixth grade for 'High School Musical Jr.' and I didn't get a big part, and I said, 'I quit,'" says Garcia. Instead of taking the small role offered to her, she went back to the Marquis where she auditioned for "Stuart Little" and got the lead role, as Stuart Little. "That was sort of a crowning achievement for me," she says.

Christina Zayti, former owner of the Marquis, remembers Garcia well, and remembers her run as Stuart Little, and said she was dialed in for every performance. "You know, some people get a little tired and they kind of lose it after 36 shows, but she never did. She was always on it," says Zayti.

She describes Garcia as a "spitfire."

"You could see it, she just loved the stage," says Zayti. "When she went out there, you could tell she wanted to be on stage. She sang her heart out, she took great direction from the directors, and she was really focused on what she wanted to do. And when she had a part, she played that part. She just was so dedicated."

Garcia grew up loving Disney, "Sesame Street" and animation, and she credits her appreciation of film to movie nights with her father, who worked in the auto industry and had cinephile tastes. Garcia's grandmother was in the advertising business, and she helped land her roles in local commercials for Hungry Howie's and Oakwood Hospital, and around seventh grade she started acting with the Birmingham Village Players.

She continued acting through high school at Groves, where her mom was an administrative assistant, and she once had fellow Groves graduate and "Cooler Than Me" singer Mike Posner's chemistry book. She auditioned for the acting program at UM and didn't get in but ended up in Ann Arbor anyway as part of Michigan's liberal arts school.

At Michigan she found her tribe, Garcia says. She honed her love for comedy with the improv troupe Midnight Book Club, she appeared in her friends' short films and pilots, and studied writing and directing. She made a 20-minute short film, "Anna Garcia Does a One Woman Play," as her senior thesis, and after graduation she moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning for commercials, landing national spots for Duracell and AT&T.

She made a YouTube series, "The Pembrook Brothers," which she stars in alongside Gabrielle DeCaro and lovingly describes as "a chaotic piece of media." (Episodes typically run less than five minutes.) While in L.A. she's also worked at a retail store, at a Pilates studio, as a dog walker and as a Universal Studios tour guide, as well as a performer with the Upright Citizens Brigade improv troupe.

Then came sitcom parts, and she appeared in small roles on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Party Down," "Superstore," "Hacks" and "The Goldbergs," roles which she also celebrated with screenings with friends. As things slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Garcia played around on TikTok, making quirky content and amassing more than 200,000 followers. (She doesn't post anymore, but is still an active user.)

All the while, she was still looking to land that One Big Role that would act as her breakthrough.

'Moon' shot

She got it in "Fly Me to the Moon," where she was handpicked from a pool of auditions by Johansson, who is a producer on the project.

She plays Ruby Martin, Johansson's character's idealistic young assistant, and on screen Garcia more than holds her own with her co-stars (including Channing Tatum and Woody Harrelson) and comes off like a screen veteran, not a newbie.

It's likely due to her years and years of practice.

"That's just always been me," says Garcia. "I don't know what it is, I've always just had this crazy fire burning within me, and this intense drive. I can't really place it. Maybe it's a result of getting applause from too early of an age and wanting that for the rest of my life. But I think I've always really known what I wanted to do, and I was going to do everything in my power to make it happen. Which is maybe the mentality of a crazy person, but ultimately that's my mentality."

Next up, Garcia is a part of a show that hasn't yet been announced — it will be released next year, she says — and she's auditioning for more work. Now that she's scored her breakthrough, the focus is on maintaining her momentum.

"I'm looking for the next job and it's scary, but also exciting," says Garcia. "Everyone's like, 'Oh my gosh, what do you hope happens with the movie?' And I'm like, 'I just want it to be easier to book another job.' I hope people are like, 'Ohhhh, now we know who she is. Great! Let's give her another chance.'"

'Fly Me to the Moon'

MPA rating: PG-13 (for some strong language, and smoking)

Running time: 2:11

How to watch: Now in theaters

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