'Ready Player One' star Lena Waithe sees dream come true in working with Steven Spielberg

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- One of the co-stars of the new movie "Ready Player One" is writer, producer and actress Lena Waithe.

This is the biggest project she's done, by far. Waithe was able to work with director Steven Spielberg, and it's something she could never have imagined!

"I mean, my 8-year-old self would not believe me if I said that," Waithe said. "I'd be like what? You're going to work with the dude who made 'E.T.?'"

"Ready Player One" takes place in 2045, when life is so tough, people escape into a virtual universe where they can be anyone they want to be. But the man who created it all dies. Waithe's characters--yes, she plays three--are part of a team hoping to save this virtual world before it falls into the wrong hands.

Now that she's gotten to work with the legendary Mr. Spielberg, consider that one thing checked off her bucket list.

"I think this movie, you don't get more Spielbergian than 'Ready Player One' and I think it sort of has all the elements of Spielberg movies that we love," Waithe said. "Which is, there's a love story, there's a message, a big roller coaster ride, and there's a lot of bells and whistles, and it's the perfect escape."

"Ready Player One" comes at a great time in Waithe's career. Last year, she won an Emmy for her writing for the Aziz Ansari Netflix series, "Master of None." And now this. She hopes to be an inspiration to other young women.

"This was a dream that God dreamed up on my behalf, and I'm really grateful he did, because when I look back at the things that I wanted to do, I just wanted to write television, maybe one day have my own show," she said. "So to accomplish those things, and to be able to do all these other opportunities, have been fantastic. So the truth is, the world is so big."