Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. How do you know vampires are good at baseball? They carry their own bats everywhere.

DODGERS

So it turns out that when the Houston Astros defeated the Dodgers in the 2017, they were stealing signs. Well, we should say allegedly stealing signs, but the evidence was brought forth on Tuesday.

An article published on the Athletic website contends that the Astros stole signs electronically — an illegal practice — during the 2017 season. Two people told the Athletic that the Astros’ use of the system extended into the 2017 playoffs. Another person denied that, saying the system ended before the postseason.

The story describes how the Astros relayed catchers’ signs in real time at home games using a camera in the outfield and a monitor placed in a tunnel between their dugout and clubhouse. A noise from the dugout would then help the batter know what pitch was coming. Mike Fiers, a pitcher on the Astros that season, confirmed the system’s existence.

Hours after the story appeared online, the Astros issued a statement saying the organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball.

“Teams are competing with one another and everybody’s trying to find an edge, but we all have to follow the rules and the rules are set by Major League Baseball,” Astros president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow said. “We all follow them. We all agree to follow them. And obviously if you don’t, there’s ramifications to that, so we want to follow the rules. We want to compete and win. That’s what every other club does as well.”

That doesn’t sound like a strong denial.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman emphasized he did not want to elaborate on the allegations because he didn’t want to sound bitter, but he hinted that during Yu Darvish’s two starts in the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers believed the Astros were stealing signs in ways they hadn’t encountered. Darvish logged just 1 2/3 innings in both games and didn’t strike out a batter. He allowed four earned runs in both Game 3 in Houston and Game 7 in L.A., both Dodgers losses.

“We certainly did not know anything definitive at the time,” Friedman said. “But we had a player who was really good at picking up pitch-tipping-type things and he watched the Darvish outings and said, ‘You couldn’t sell out on something that Darvish was doing.’ ”

Friedman said the experience informed the organization on how to better combat sign-stealing. He explained it has since been discussed during spring training, with measures implemented during the regular season to make October “less panicked.” It’s a new normal clubs and MLB must combat.

We’ll have more on this on Friday in our Dodgers newsletter. Subscribe to it (it’s free) by clicking here.

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With free agency upon us, one option the Dodgers are considering is third baseman Josh Donaldson. MLB.com has reported that the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are also pursuing Donaldson, the 2015 American League most valuable player and three-time All-Star.

Donaldson, who turns 34 next month, is coming off a rebound campaign with the Braves after battling calf and shoulder injuries the previous two years. He hit 37 home runs with a .900 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 155 games as the Braves won their second consecutive National League East title before losing in a Division Series. He reestablished himself on a one-year, $23-million contract, effectively betting on a bounce-back season before reentering free agency.

Donaldson has until Thursday to decide on a one-year, $17.8-million qualifying offer from the Braves. He is expected to decline it. As a result, the Dodgers would surrender their second-highest pick in June’s draft and $500,000 of international bonus pool money to sign him.

Also Tuesday, utilityman Kristopher Negron announced his retirement Tuesday, three days after the Dodgers released him. The 33-year-old appeared in 30 games at six positions for the Dodgers after they acquired him from the Seattle Mariners in July.

ANGELS

General manager Billy Eppler hired reinforcements for his front office Tuesday, bringing aboard Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa as a special assistant of baseball operations. He’ll assist in all areas, including player evaluations and minor league development.

Above all, La Russa, 75, will serve as a sounding board for Eppler, who raved about the prospect of working closely with someone he met at dinner five years ago as an assistant general manager for the New York Yankees.

“Having somebody with that knowledge, that expertise, that experience, I found that very helpful when I was in New York,” Eppler said during the second day of baseball’s general managers meetings.

“My interactions with him have always been very positive. So I’m looking forward to using him as a resource. Tony is just looking to make a contribution and there’s no doubt he will.”

BASEBALL

Gabe Kapler has been hired as manager of the San Francisco Giants, a month after being fired from the same job by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kapler replaces Bruce Bochy, who retired at the end of the season after 13 years and three championships with San Francisco.

The Giants made the announcement late Tuesday and planned a formal introduction to follow. Kapler is the second big hire in a matter of days by Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who on Monday introduced new general manager Scott Harris, most recently an assistant GM for the Chicago Cubs.

The 44-year-old Kapler was fired Oct. 10 after going 161-163 over two seasons as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. With slugger Bryce Harper their blockbuster acquisition, the Phillies finished 81-81 this year for their first non-losing season since 2012.

LAKERS

They followed their second loss of the season by beating the Phoenix Suns, 123-115 on Tuesday night.

With a raucous crowd chanting for defense, LeBron James stepped back to hit a three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 114-113 lead with 3:12 left. One possession later, Kyle Kuzma hit another three to extend the lead to four. And as the Suns kept missing, the Lakers kept scoring, securing their best 10-game start since the 2010-11 season.

The Lakers are 8-2 and in first place in the Pacific Division.

Phoenix shot better than 50% from three-point range for 2½ quarters, and better than 50% overall through three. The Lakers, meanwhile, made an astounding 58.6% of their shots through three quarters, though they were less successful from three-point range.

Until the fourth quarter, the Lakers never held a lead larger than four.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while James added 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Kuzma scored a season-high 23 points.

Read more

Lakers get a high five from JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard

DUCKS

Dylan Larkin scored the tying goal during a 6-on-3 advantage with 37 seconds left in regulation, and Dennis Cholowski scored with 2:56 on the clock in overtime to send the Detroit Red Wings to their third straight victory, 4-3 over the Ducks.

After Ducks defensemen Brendan Guhle and Korbinian Holzer took penalties 21 seconds apart in the waning moments of regulation, Larkin scored from a sharp angle while the Red Wings had three extra skaters on the ice with their goalie pulled.

Cholowski then got his second goal of the season on a long shot past Ryan Miller, who made 32 saves for Anaheim.

USC BASKETBALL

Nick Rakocevic tied his career high with 27 points and 16 rebounds and USC twice rallied in the second half before pulling away to beat South Dakota State, 84-66.

Onyeka Okongwu, who had double-doubles in his first two college games, added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Trojans (3-0).

Rakocevic went over 1,000 points in his career as did fellow senior Jonah Mathews, who finished with 14 points.

The Jackrabbits (3-1) twice pulled within one point in the second half, both times on three-pointers by Noah Freidel and Brandon Key. The second time the Trojans responded with 11 unanswered points to go up 56-44. Grad transfer Quinton Adlesh hit two three-pointers and Okongwu had a three-point play.

NFL

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be featured in a private workout Saturday arranged by the NFL and to be held in Atlanta.

In a memo sent to all 32 teams Tuesday and obtained by The Times, the league alerted general managers, head coaches, and player personnel directors that there will be a workout and interview of Kaepernick at Atlanta Falcons headquarters. There will be a recording of the session made available to all clubs.

Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers, was at the center of protests about racial and social injustice, sparked when he knelt during the national anthem at games. In February, the league settled a grievance filed by Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid.

One NFL team executive, while not dismissing the value of a Kaepernick workout, said it comes at a particularly inconvenient time for teams.

“It just never happens during the season that I can recall,” said the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. “If they can check a box, so be it. Maybe it works out great and someone signs him. But if this is part of their settlement, they should have done this in June.”

RAMS

After the Rams’ 17-12 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, a game in which Todd Gurley inexplicably did not touch the ball in the fourth quarter, the star running back was asked if he wished he would see the ball more in the second half or get more carries.

“Not really,” he said. “I mean, kind of used to it.”

With the Rams having won two games in a row and returning from a week off, the stage appeared set for coach Sean McVay to finally turn loose one of the NFL’s most dynamic and well-compensated playmakers.

It did not happen.

Backup Malcolm Brown got fourth-quarter carries. Gurley did not.

As the Rams prepare for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears at the Coliseum, McVay has given no indication that he plans to stray from how he has deployed Gurley, a player who before the 2018 season received an extension that includes $45 million in guarantees.

McVay has insisted that there is no “pitch count” or workload management plan for Gurley and his much-scrutinized left knee. But the Steelers game was the latest example that told another story.

Brown, who sat out the previous two games because of ankle injury, played the first two series of the fourth quarter. The Steelers then masterfully took eight minutes off the clock during a drive that ended with a field goal.

“Not to take anything away from Malcolm — but if you knew that that was going to be the last possession you get until 2 1/2 [minutes] left, you probably would say, ‘I would’ve preferred to have Todd get into more of a rhythm and maybe get some touches there,’ ” McVay said Monday. “There’s nobody to blame there but me.”

The Rams got the ball twice with a chance to win the game. Gurley never touched it.

“Like anything else, when you want to be reflective as a coach, you say, ‘Could there have been some things that you wish you had done to maybe keep him in that rhythm?’ ” McVay said. “I wouldn’t argue with that. I would say, ‘You probably should have done that.’ ”

USC FOOTBALL

Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr, who’d been the Trojans’ top two running backs at the start of the season, returned to practice Tuesday. Neither is guaranteed to play against California on Saturday but appear to be trending in that direction.

“I thought it was really positive,” coach Clay Helton said of their return. “There were no setbacks. They looked explosive, but we have to see. Is there no flare-up after practice? How sore are they? We’ll go through the week. But it was positive today.”

TODAY’S LOCAL MAJOR SPORTS SCHEDULE

All times Pacific

Golden State at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Spectrum Sportsnet, 710 ESPN

Clippers at Houston, 4:30 p.m., ESPN, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570

BORN ON THIS DATE

1911: Baseball player Buck O’Neil (d. 2006)

1928: Baseball player Steve Bilko (d. 1998)

1932: Discus thrower Olga Connolly

1941: Baseball player Mel Stottlemyre (d. 2019)

1943: Golfer Jay Sigel

1950: Hockey player Gil Perreault

1963: Football player Vinny Testaverde

1966: Basketball player Rumeal Robinson

1979: Former Laker Metta World Peace

DIED ON THIS DATE

1998: Basketball coach Red Holzman, 78

2013: Former Raider Todd Christensen, 57

2014: Baseball player/manager Al Dark, 92

2017: Baseball player Bobby Doerr, 99

AND FINALLY

Buck O’Neil discusses Ty Cobb and prejudice. Watch it here.

That concludes the newsletter for today. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, please email me at [email protected]. If you want to subscribe, click here.

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If defense wins championships, then unbeaten Mission Viejo High is a far greater threat in Southern Section Division 1 than many people believe when you consider Santa Ana Mater Dei is 10-0 and heavily favored to win a third consecutive title.

To dream about the possibility of an upset, all you need to do is watch and listen to 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior defensive end Lance Keneley, who has a 4.7 grade-point average and 10 sacks this season for the 10-0 Diablos.

Asked about defensive success, Keneley said, “One of the most important is the role each individual player plays with the defense. If you try to be a playmaker for extra stuff that’s not in your job description, you can hurt a team. The important part is as long as everyone understands and plays to their role, we’ll be a fine defense.”

No opponent has scored more than 14 points in any game against the Diablos going into a Friday night showdown against visiting Anaheim Servite (7-3) in the opening round of the eight-team Division 1 playoffs.

A standout as a junior, Keneley received lots of attention this season from opponents trying to neutralize him, but the development of outstanding teammates around him has helped create opportunities for others — as long as they fulfill their roles.

“We have a great coaching staff that understands the ins and outs of football,” Keneley said. “As long as we trust our coaches and trust their knowledge, we’ll do fine.”

Coach Chad Johnson was a longtime assistant at Bellflower St. John Bosco running the Braves’ offensive attack until taking over at Mission Viejo last season. He knew the players up front are decisive in Division 1 football, and the Diablos’ defensive line has received universal praise all season. Former UCLA football player Chase Moline coaches the line.

“It was a blessing we have people around him,” Johnson said.

Defensive end Logan Schwenke, who is 6-3 and 240 pounds, has seven sacks. Defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, 6-4 and 270 pounds, has five sacks. Juniors Micah Carreron (6-1, 275) and Roee Lachmish (6-3, 230) are also part of the rotation.

Keneley, 17, comes from a family of football players. His father Matt and uncle Todd played on the defensive line at Mission Viejo and USC.

“Going into high school, I just wanted to be the kind of players they were,” Keneley said.

USC has yet to offer Keneley a scholarship, unlike UCLA and Stanford along with Washington, Boise State and Ivy League schools. He’s being patient and trying to show integrity in a recruiting process where players commit and decommit and coaches make dozens of offers that may or may not be serious.

“Through this whole thing, I’m just trying to be a genuine player and kid and try to be as upfront as I can be,” he said. “When you get into this and sort of scheme your way, ‘How can I get this offer?’ That’s not the kind of person I was raised to be. I am who I am and this is how I’m going to approach things and hopefully people can accept that.”

He certainly has come close to perfection in the classroom with mostly A’s.

“It’s something my parents have always stressed,” he said. “They’ve stressed striving for greatness in all aspects: sports, academics, religion. To be the best version of ourselves.”

It’s that kind of attitude that will be required to overcome the notion that Mater Dei and St. John Bosco are a lock meet in the championship game for a fourth consecutive season.

“The most important thing is being the best player I can be for my team and putting my nose into the grindstone every time,” he said. “I want us to run deep into the playoffs.”

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Colin Kaepernick has waited the better part of three seasons for an NFL workout.

But when he finally received notice Tuesday that one had been set up for Saturday — just four days later — in Atlanta, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback tried to get the date pushed back twice to allow more team representatives to attend, according to multiple media reports.

Kaepernick found out about the scheduled workout at 10 a.m., according to ESPN, and multiple outlets have reported that no teams had prior knowledge of the plan as well.

NFL workouts typically take place on Tuesdays, when teams often have off days and head coaches and general managers have a better opportunity to attend. In an apparent effort to ensure those big bosses could make it, Kaepernick reportedly asked if the workout could be moved to Tuesday. The league insisted it take place on a Saturday, ESPN reported.

So Kaepernick reportedly tried getting the workout postponed until the following Saturday, to give teams a little more time to make arrangements. That request was also denied by the NFL, according to multiple media reports.

Kaepernick ultimately agreed to the schedule but asked to be alerted to which executives and coaches would be on hand, according to multiple media reports. The Ringer reports that the league agreed to provide such a list on a “rolling basis.”

The onetime Super Bowl quarterback sent out an enthusiastic tweet about the upcoming event but made it clear he was hoping to see “head coaches and GMs” in attendance.

Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 season, when he sparked controversy by refusing to stand during the national anthem as a protest against social injustice. In February, the league settled a grievance filed by Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid.

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A body was found Tuesday in an aqueduct near Highway 138 in Pearblossom, according to authorities.

The California Highway Patrol responded to the 34000 block of 116th Street East in the unincorporated area of the Antelope Valley after receiving a call at 1:51 p.m.

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The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed that one person was found dead, but no details about the person’s identity or cause of death has been released.

Officers were still at the scene as of 5:30 p.m. The CHP will handle the recovery of the body and ensuing investigation.

Two people were arrested Tuesday near an unincorporated area of Sonoma County after an officer found, among other things, a check stolen from a mailbox during the Kincade fire evacuation.

About 8 a.m., a deputy with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a “man down” call near Highway 1 and Annapolis Road.

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When he arrived, the deputy found a red Ford truck parked on the side of the road with the driver’s door open.

Latisha McCloud, 35, of Stewarts Point, was sitting in the driver’s seat as 47-year-old Jason Bean, of Gualala, laid on her lap, passed out from being intoxicated, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Bean told the deputy that he had a firearm in the truck. The deputy found a bolt-action rifle under the backseat with a “large silencer attached to the barrel,” the officer said. Bean said he used the rifle to hunt deer to feed his children and that the silencer was to keep it quiet.

Upon further search, the officer found a business check inside McCloud’s purse that didn’t belong to her. The deputy spoke to the owner of the check, who told him that it was stolen out of a mailbox in Geyserville during the Kincade fire evacuation. The blaze started Oct. 23, burning almost 78,000 acres and destroying 374 structures. It prompted the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people.

Bean was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and possession of a silencer. McCloud was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property.

Bean’s bail was set at $25,000, and he has since posted bond, according to the Sheriff’s Office. McCloud remains in custody in lieu of $5,000 bail.

The email arrived near midnight Saturday. USC President Carol Folt informed the campus community about a recent series of student deaths.

She said she wanted to keep the university informed but also clear up rumors and misinformation.

“People are searching for answers and information as we attempt to make sense of these terrible losses,” Folt said. “There is a great deal of speculation about the causes of these deaths and most are being attributed to suicide. This is not correct.”

Faced with the deaths of nine students since Aug. 24, USC administrators are engaged in a delicate balancing act as they notify students, attempt to quell rumors, offer mental health resources and also try to avoid triggering students who may be in the midst of a mental health crisis.

A campus of 47,500 students, USC experiences four to 15 student deaths in a typical school year, officials said. Last year, six were reported.

Officials have confirmed that three students this year died by suicide. In some cases, the cause of death is undetermined; in others, families did not want details disclosed, they said.

Universities don’t have rule books, nor is there any scientific research, about how to navigate addressing multiple student deaths and suicides, said Dr. Paul Nestadt, a Johns Hopkins University psychiatry professor. Officials are likely acting out of an abundance of caution so as not to prompt a suicide contagion, he said. The effect is defined by the federal Department of Health and Human Services as an increase in suicidal behavior following exposure to such a death within a family or peer group.

“They are in a bind for sure,” Nestadt said.

Student Body President Trenton Stone, a junior originally from Salt Lake City, said all eight members of his executive board, including himself, knew at least one of the people who had died over the last three months. The first death, of an 18-year-old freshman, was reported in late August, two days before classes began.

“It’s definitely been a really tough semester for us,” Stone said. “There’s a lot going on, and everyone’s asking the same question: What can we be doing?”

University officials have sent at least five emails to students about the deaths. Emails shared with The Times showed the entire student body received notices on Sept. 4 and Nov. 9. Three were also sent to students in the same school as the deceased.

Winston Crisp, the university’s vice president for student affairs, said he and other administrators decided to move quickly, with as much transparency as possible, to quell rumors about the deaths, as well as to remind students that resources are available if they need help. But the lack of specifics about the deaths has prompted speculation among parents and students alike.

Crisp said that some students who had not known about the deaths said recent information and uncertainty on details have been emotionally triggering. Some families have expressed gratitude after receiving the emails. Others think that the details provided have made matters worse.

“Each time something happens, I get an email from the office of the president offering empty condolences,” said Morgan Spencer, a USC junior. “I would like to see more response from the new president’s office, figuring out why there have been at least three student suicides.”

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The suicide rate among this age group increased 56% between 2007 and 2017, according to a CDC study published in October.

“We as a nation are in the midst of a suicide problem,” said Hopkins’ Nestadt, who said the number of suicides at USC this semester is in line with national statistics.

On Tuesday afternoon, 13 students were in the waiting area at the university’s counseling and mental health center. Approximately 30 counselors and two psychiatrists were on hand. The center works by appointment unless a student has an urgent need. Non-urgent appointments take place within 48 hours, a staff member said.

The staff member at the center said there are 45 counselors and four psychiatrists on staff. He said there’s been an increase in students seeking services since USC’s email addressing the recent deaths.

Jonathan Singer, an associate professor at Loyola University Chicago and the president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Assn. of Suicidology, said that when officials notify students of deaths, they must ensure that there are enough resources on campus to meet the demand for mental health services.

Unlike high schoolers, who may be covered under their parents’ health insurance, college students often receive health services through the university itself. Even a small fraction of USC students seeking mental health care would likely overwhelm the counselors and other resources available, he said.

“You have to have the infrastructure in place, and they probably don’t,” Singer said. “What campus would?”

Sunday Smith, a student in the School of Cinematic Arts, said she and others have had trouble sleeping and focusing, unable to catch a break with school work and other demands. In the last two weeks, students have been notified of two deaths in the cinema school, she said.

At the end of a class last week, one teacher allowed students to talk about how they were coping with the deaths. Smith said sharing her feelings was a welcome release.

“Obviously you can’t move on if you can’t take the time to grieve,” Smith said. “There’s been a lot of death around me.”

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255. A caller is connected to a certified crisis center near where the call is placed. The call is free and confidential.

Cabaret was once considered somewhat seedy. In Germany between the world wars, it was, in the words of Betty Buckley, “a gathering place for fantasy and escape, with a sense of the subversive.”

Today, it’s still a place to escape the world for a few hours, but otherwise it has little in common with the aesthetic of the musical “Cabaret.” It’s more likely to take you to a place of domestic bliss — or at least a facsimile thereof.

“Ultimately, we want to make it feel like you’ve stumbled into our living room,” said Megan Hilty, who will perform this week at Segerstrom Center for the Arts with a band that includes her husband, Brian Gallagher.

Laura Benanti, who brings her act to California twice in early 2020 — Walnut Creek in January and Costa Mesa in April — echoed Hilty’s sentiment: “I want people to feel like they’re in my living room, and I’m singing them songs and telling them stories.”

So put down the knitting and find yourself a spot on the sofa.

For the performers, the real question is how do you make a 300-seat theater feel like home? Five world-class cabaret singers produced a consensus answer: authenticity.

“I don’t see the point of doing cabaret if you’re not willing to make yourself vulnerable and share a part of yourself,” said Cheyenne Jackson, who will costar with Hilty at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Arts in February.

Veteran vocalist Lillias White agreed. “If I’m moved by a lyric or a melody, the audience will be as well.”

That said, a personal connection is the first of many considerations when choosing songs for a cabaret act. Working closely with their music directors, some singers constantly tweak their set lists, while others start from scratch on a regular basis.

“It takes months for me to put a show together,” said Buckley, who has been singing cabaret since 1982 and puts together a new show every year. “I’m a kind of portrait painter. I think of each as my new gallery show.

“I’m not really into nostalgia,” she added. “I’m not interested in constantly presenting songs that I’m particularly known for. What I enjoy is seeking out new material — or at least new to me. Songs that resonate in the time period in which we’re living.”

Hilty said she’s changing constantly, so her show changes constantly too. She agreed that new material is essential, arguing that “otherwise, it’s like, ‘I can see all this on YouTube.’”

Benanti sees cabaret as a way to express her eclectic taste in music.

“I think people know they’re going to hear musical theater songs, but I hope they’re pleasantly surprised when they also hear Joni Mitchell and Harry Chapin or Tori Amos,” she said.

Benanti chats with the audience between every song; she calls her approach “very conversational.” In contrast, Buckley and White have cut back on their banter over the years.

“I’m always looking for the most succinct way to talk to an audience, so I don’t waste their time with my long-windedness,” Buckley said with a laugh. “That is always a challenge for me.”

“I actually have several different stories to introduce most of my songs,” Hilty said. “I’ll choose one over another depending on how I’m feeling in the moment and how it connects to what we just said. If I feel I’m losing an audience, I’ll cut the banter altogether.

“I want everybody to be on kind of an energy ride. There are certain spots in the set that need a certain type of song. With attention spans being what they are, I feel ballads need to be earned. If you do too many, people won’t listen to the lyrics. They’ll just tune out. I want people to really hear them. So I’m very selective about what ballads I do, where they’re placed, and when I think the audience is ready to hear them.”

Buckley, who is similarly careful about sequencing, sees her mission in spiritual terms.

“It’s about bringing people into that remembrance of their spirit, their soul,” she said. “To the degree I’m capable of doing it, that’s my mission: to remind people we’re all in this together, and to move the stress of the moment off their hearts. You pick stuff that will allow people to have some kind of catharsis, whether it’s a release of sadness or joy.”

Much of that “stress of the moment” can be traced to our nation’s intense polarization, but all the performers tread lightly when it comes to making political statements. Both Buckley and Jackson sing the song “Hope,” which Jason Robert Brown (“The Last Five Years,” “Parade”) wrote just after the 2016 election in a poignant attempt not to give in to despair.

For her part, Hilty performs “a couple of songs that aren’t overtly political but you can hear them that way, such as Don Henley’s ‘The Heart of the Matter.’ Although they were written 30 years ago, those lyrics resonate today in a subtle but powerful way.”

White, who admitted that television news sometimes brings her to tears, went in a different direction: Her current show “Get Happy” is designed to lift spirits during depressing times. In a similar spirit, Benanti places her emphasis on comedy and warmth.

“Cabaret can be thought of as stuffy or archaic, but it doesn’t have to be,” she argued. “There are opportunities for humor and heart, improvisation and connection. I feel the highest compliment I have been given is when people say to me, ‘I want to be your best friend.’”

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The lead of “Jojo Rabbit” looks like a tiny rock star, cool blue eyes and blond shock of asymmetrical mad-artist — or electrical-socket-toucher — hair … though he admits his mother chose his “Yellow Submarine” T-shirt. And it’s his first professional acting gig.

“Well, I played an extra in a school play. I played a tree,” says Roman Griffin Davis, with a deadpan delivery beyond his 12 years. “I took a lot of acting experience from that.”

The Londoner was 11 when he stepped into the demanding role of Johannes “Jojo” Betzler. Jojo is a wide-eyed Hitler Youth whose wacky imaginary friend is … Adolf Hitler (played by director Taika Waititi). The part requires unusual emotional availability for a child actor, and he’s in almost every scene.

Davis had to research the Hitler-Jugend for the film: “I thought it was interesting how these kids were manipulated and their life was drained.”

Waititi said, “The thing about Roman is he cares so deeply about other people. He’s extremely sensitive and extremely kind. The character wasn’t born a Nazi. The things that make you fall in love with Roman exist in Jojo; they’ve just been covered over by this other thing for a while. So that’s what you’re aiming for; getting back to the kid you fell in love with.”

After he was cast, Davis binged all of Waititi’s movies.

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“I liked how he had a specific style,” says the young actor. “It’s an interesting and funny and personal style that has a lot of good energy and life in it. I like him because it’s very personal, his work.”

Davis has always been around the industry – his father, Ben Davis, is a cinematographer and his mother, Camille Griffin, is a writer-director.

“When I went on sets I was always like, ‘Yes, I want to eat all this chicken … and gravy.’ But yes, I was influenced by my parents.”

When not acting, Davis likes to “paint a lot. I’m a big fan of an artist called Cézanne. And Lucian Freud. My mum’s also an artist.”

“Jojo” won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, besting such heavyweight contenders as “Marriage Story” and “Parasite.” Davis notes of the vote announcement, “I was with my mom [mimes her on her phone]: ‘You can stop refreshing it. “Joker’s” won, Joaquin deserves it. I can’t take that away.’ I remember my aunt refreshes it and goes, ‘Whoa!’

“I kind of understood [the film’s win] because at the Toronto premiere, everyone’s laughing at the same bits and everyone’s crying at the same bits. That shows you they’re understanding the message and such.”

Sitting at a table near the snack bar at the Alamo Draft House for an interview, Julia Butters waits patiently, but not for any chaperone help. As the 10-year-old Butters, who’s been a working actress since the age of 4, explains, “[My mother] doesn’t sit in.”

It’s this same air of self-possession she brings to her performance in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”: As Trudi Fraser, a child actor on a TV western, Butters commands her brief time onscreen, much of it buoying her dejected has-been co-star Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio).

Recently, on a break from her ABC sit-com, “American Housewife,” Butters talks of loving stunt-work, Tarantino’s showbiz advice, and what she learned from Trudi. “I’m not super Method — I don’t have people call me by my character’s name,” she says. “But Trudi taught me to be more focused.”

What sort of preparation goes into holding your own in a scene with Leonardo DiCaprio?
I learned lines with my parents and went to my acting coach. Then [Leo] invited me over to his house to run lines. We read it a couple of times. Sometimes he’d give me direction. For example, [the scene] when I’m comforting him when he’s crying? Before I was like [glibly] “It’s OK, it’s OK.” And Leo said, “I feel like you should treat me like a baby.” So then it was like, [low, soothing voice] ‘It’s OK, it’s OK.’”

In a saloon scene, Leo hurls you to the floor. That was his idea, right?
Yes. He said, “I feel like my motivation in this scene would be to just chuck the little girl.” I was thinking, “Oh, yeah!” I love doing stunts. Zoe Bell, the stunt coordinator, really took care of me. She had hip pads, knee pads, even wrist pads and after we’d cut she’d come over with ice packs for my hands so they wouldn’t ache in the morning from taking a fall.

You write short films.
Yes. I actually wrote a script for [Quentin] and Zoe. After I printed it out, they took the script home and actually memorized the scene. And they showed up to work and performed it. That was great. I was blown away. It was called “An Old Town Deep in the West.” It’s a Western.

Did Quentin give you any pointers on filmmaking?
He’d say, “Julia, Lorelei” – that’s my mom – “Come here, I want to show you something.” He’d pick me up and say, “What do you think about this? Do I get a fellow director’s approval?” And I’d always say “Oh, yes you do.” [laughs]

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Back to acting. Did you give Trudi a backstory?
Yes! A couple of years before, Trudi was on a family sit-com with a bunch of kids. One day the kids were like, “Hey, do you want to damage the set?” Trudi didn’t want to be excluded so she tagged along. They wrecked the set. Then they heard people coming back from lunch and they all scattered. Trudi was the only one left, just standing there like a deer in the headlights. She was instantly fired. Her mom was a very nice person but she got so upset. She convinced Trudi that it’s always [best] to be professional, focused. Trudi thought, “OK, this is what I gotta do if I don’t want to get fired again.” She used to be a super normal, playful girl then she turned into this low-profile, very professional girl. That’s her side of the story.

When you went back to “American Housewife” did you get grilled for info?
One of the writers came to me and grabbed me and was like, “How hot was Brad Pitt?” And I was thinking, “I’m 10! I don’t have the mind to think, ‘Oh, wow. Now that’s a fine man.’”

Did Quentin ever tell you how you caught his eye?
Yes. He likes to have the TV on when he’s writing and he looked up and saw [me]. I was in a school restroom telling a story to all these kids. And he thought, “Wow, I should audition her.” Recently, I came into that restroom on the [“American Housewife”] set, the same one where [that scene was shot]. But I sat there just looking around thinking, “This is where my life changed.” I even have a picture of me just sitting there. Nobody else gets it except for me. They’re all probably like, “Why is she sitting there all nostalgic about a bathroom, the one that smells like a dead gopher?”

London — 

“The thing that scares me in my life is that I will never have enough time to be all the different versions of myself and do all the different things in the world,” says Noah Jupe, an up-and-coming actor far wiser than his 14 years. “This job really gives me insight into all the aspects of all the different people in the world.”

Today Jupe is in London for the BFI London Film Festival, which is showcasing his latest films, “Honey Boy” and “Ford v Ferrari.” The actor, who has built up a strong resume over the past five years, including films like “A Quiet Place” and “Wonder,” shot both projects in California last year. They were made so close together that Jupe says the movies feel “almost like one experience” despite the remarkable contrast between the two.

In “Honey Boy” Jupe plays 12-year-old Otis, a fictionalized version of Shia LaBeouf, who wrote the screenplay based on his experiences as a young actor. Although Lucas Hedges stars as Otis at an older age, Jupe is responsible for much of the story’s emotional heft.

“I was nervous and excited,” Jupe says of being cast. “I’ve been playing a lot of children and kids before this. This was the first time, really, that I got the weight of a part of the movie on my shoulders. Which was scary, but also what I do this for. It was definitely a perfect project for that point in my career.”

To prepare, the actors rehearsed for three months with director Alma Har’el. The actual filming took place in only two weeks, with lots of improvisation, particularly from LaBeouf, who plays Otis’ father. Jupe found it intense, but describes the set as one of the calmest he’s ever been on, which gave him space to try new things and play around. Not everything was easy, especially a tense scene where Otis confronts his father in their hotel room and gets slapped in response.

“It all got built up to this day where there’s this scene you’ve been practicing for like three months and now you’ve got to pull it off in an hour at the end of the day,” Jupe remembers. “It was the last shot of the day and I think it was one of the last shots of the shoot. It was scary, but we got there. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I hadn’t had my mum there. And Alma was really helpful.”

To decompress at the end of the long shooting days Jupe would go home and watch “Even Stevens,” LaBeouf’s Disney Channel series that aired from 2000 to 2003 (Jupe wasn’t familiar with any of LaBeouf’s work before filming “Honey Boy”). Har’el suggested he watch one episode as research, but Jupe ended up watching the entire series – plus the TV movie. Becoming Otis made Jupe consider the positives and negatives of being a young actor, an experience he has so far enjoyed.

“I think me and Otis are very different in terms of where we are in stages of our career and the team that surrounds us,” Jupe says. “Obviously, I have a really supportive family and I feel really safe on set. I really respect my normality and my reality, and I love going home and chilling out afterward and having a place to go back and be myself after all this craziness of Hollywood. I feel like he doesn’t have that place to go back to. He feels that he’s more safe on set with these fake people.”

He adds, “That’s probably the one thing I learned from this movie, to keep that reality and keep those people who you trust and care about as close as possible. It gets tricky when you’re all alone in this world.”

Jupe found another kindred spirit on “Ford v Ferrari,” in which he portrays Peter, the son of racing driver Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale. The two spent a lot of time together, just hanging out and talking, to help make their close father-son relationship feel real onscreen, and Jupe found Bale’s experiences growing up in Hollywood relatable.

“How I feel about creating a relationship with someone to make it seem like you’ve known each other for years is that it’s about time spent,” Jupe notes. “We just spent so much time together. It developed that trust on set. It let me feel safe around the other actors. It’s about listening, too. Listening to him and what he has to say, and him listening to me. I think that’s really what creates that kind of chemistry onscreen.”

Jupe has since moved from Manchester to Chiswick, an area of London, and shot two more notable projects, recently wrapping production on the sequel to “A Quiet Place,” which will arrive in theaters next March, as well as “The Undoing,” an HBO series from David E. Kelley that also stars Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman.

He’s particularly excited for people to see “A Quiet Place: Part II.”

“I think, honestly, it’s quite needed, the story they’re going to tell,” he says. “It’s weird to think of the first movie as being a stand-alone movie anymore because of shooting this second one. They work so well together. I think that’s going to be cool to see the two of them side by side as a collection. I just loved the whole thing. And going back to a character I already know and have spent time with was great.”

Going forward, Jupe hopes to make his own films (he’s dabbled in the process with friends) and to continue to pick projects that open his eyes to all those different aspects of the world he’s so afraid of missing. He’s also very clear on why he wants to be an actor at all.

“Someone asked me earlier how I choose which movie to do and I will always only choose jobs that excite me,” Jupe says. “If they didn’t, what would be the point of doing them? I’m not in it for the money, or whatever. I want to do what I’m passionate about and keep doing it for the rest of my life.”

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