Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with A Girl Named Jo’s Bella Shepard

Actress Bella Shepard loves nothing more than being on set. It’s where she discovered her passion for the craft and made the decision to trade flips and dismounts for scripts. Since then, she’s been scoring perfect tens on the small and silver screens in projects including A Girl Named Jo, Orange Is the New Black, and Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Bella to chat about A Girl Named Jo, making the transition from gymnastics to acting, and an exciting new role.

PC: Tell us about A Girl Named Jo.
Bella: A Girl Named Jo takes place in the 1960s and follows a group of high school students as they navigate many of the same situations that students find themselves dealing with today. There is a lot of romance drama, family life drama, school drama, etc. It’s fun to reimagine all of those issues with a 1960s twist. The clothes are authentic and we learned a lot about social standing, civil rights, and many other things along the journey that I hope viewers will enjoy.

PC: Is there more freedom when you’re playing a “mean girl”?
Bella: My character, Alice, starts out as your typical mean girl in season one. I think that there is less freedom because mean girls are often being mean to cover their own insecurities, leaving them very guarded. Alice comes a long way in season two. She is less mean and more introspective, which gave me a lot more freedom to play her with multiple layers. I also think it gives the viewers more to wonder about Alice. Is she or isn’t she the backstabber we got to know in season one?

PC: How did you prepare to jump back into the 1960s?
Bella: When I got the script, I read the whole thing from beginning to the end, which helped me start to dig into where I was going to be able to take Alice from a character perspective. Once we all got together to do the table read, we were really able to get in the spirit of the 1960s. We were all saying things like, “Scram!”, “Blowhard”, and all sorts of 1960s slang, and that really helped get us in the 1960s’ mindset. The final aspect—and most helpful of all—was the wardrobe. Our wardrobe department scouts for authentic, vintage clothing and putting it all on makes me feel very Alice! They are amazing.

PC: You got your big break in Oz: The Great and Powerful. What was the biggest lesson you learned from that experience?
Bella: The best thing I learned was that I really loved being on set and acting. I had never done a play or anything in school; I grew up as a gymnast. We gymnasts are notoriously composed and intense! [laughs] I never thought I would like acting, but being on that set was magical. It resonated with me as a gymnast because serious actors are also quite intense and focused, so it felt very natural to me. I loved it.

PC: Of all the characters you’ve played, which has been your favorite? Which has been the most challenging?
Bella: My favorite and the most challenging was a character that I just finished for Orange Is the New Black. I play the younger version of a well-developed and highly respected character. The actress who portrays her is incredible. I studied her performance for hours before submitting my audition. When I got the part, my main goal was to make her glad they picked me. I hope I do the character justice when the final season comes out in July!

PC: As we look ahead to 2019, what does the year hold for you?
Bella: Besides Orange Is the New Black coming out, I have a feature called School Spirit, and I just wrapped another show called On the Ropes, airing now!

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Bella: Being on the set of Oz was the start. It was solidified when I booked my first real audition, which was for a show called My Haunted House. It’s easy to love being on the set of a huge budget film like Oz, but when I was on a smaller budget show and loved it just as much, if not more, I knew this was for me.

PC: What’s been the biggest lesson you learned being a part of this industry?
Bella: What goes up, must come down. Everyone experiences times when you work, and times you don’t. You have to realize there are highs and lows in this industry and that it is a business first and foremost. Being a gymnast with a focused mind really helped me prepare for that side of it. If you choose to be part of it, embrace it all. It really is fun, fulfilling, and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Bella: Vampire Diaries

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Bella: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl! It brings back all my childhood memories. I’ve watched it so many times that my mom can still recite lines from it: “Who turned off the lights?” [laughs]

PC: Favorite book?
Bella: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Bella: Singin’ in the Rain! My grandmother and I would watch it all the time together.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Bella: Matchbox Twenty

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Bella: That ’70s Show

PC: Hidden talent?
Bella: I can wiggle my nose.

To keep up with Bella, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and catch A Girl Named Jo out now!

Photo Credit: @santaanasocial