Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Stargirl’s Joy Osmanski

Joy Osmanski has done it all in her career. From her performances on the stage to her on-screen work, Joy has proven to be one of the industry’s most versatile talents. This spring, she’s starring in the action-packed CW series Stargirl as the infamous villainess Paula Brooks a.k.a. Tigress. Pop Culturalist caught up with Joy to chat about the project, joining the DC family, and the duality of her character.

Career

PC: You’re an actress and dancer. How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Joy: I was really fortunate—my parents were really supportive of the arts and, while not artists themselves, they always appreciated theater and dance. I remember my mom listened to a lot of opera and I remember Beverly Sills and Luciano Pavarotti—those are some of her favorite opera singers.

My dad grew up all over the world in the military, so he has a deep appreciation for different cultures. We had artifacts in our home that were stimulating to a kid in a way that I’m realizing now was unique, like Buddhas from Vietnam and elephants from Thailand. There were different representations of art from all over the world in our home. I was lucky to be around that.

PC: How has your background in dance made you a stronger actress?
Joy: Dance has been the single most influential part of my life, even though I haven’t done it now for years and years. There are two factors that stand out to me about ballet in particular. One is the discipline required, which is immense. It sets you up nicely for any situation where you need to be very keen, very focused, and attentive to detail. That could be anything. That could be in electrical engineering. For me, it happened to parlay into acting.

Then, it also helps you understand your body and space. I’m not saying I’m graceful. [laughs] I fall, trip, and hit myself constantly. But I mean when you’re building a character, it gives you an awareness that can be really, really helpful. I’m grateful to dance for giving me that.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Joy: My professors at UCSD when I was in graduate school were hugely influential for me. That’s such a concentrated time; any program like that is really intense. Kyle Donnelly was the head of the program at the time, and she had assembled our class. There were nine people and she had a huge influence on me, as were my voice and movement teachers.

These were people who were working professionally, so they didn’t just theorize; they were walking the walk, and that always meant a lot to me because it was practical knowledge. It wasn’t just an idea about what might work in the real world.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Joy: My first commercial ever! I was non-union and it was a commercial for some health company. I remember I had a really good time on it. It was fun. I played a nurse. When we finished, they sent everyone copies on VHS…I’m dating myself. [laughs]

I was so excited, and I remember popping it into the VCR. It’s thirty seconds and I remember sitting there for thirty seconds, realizing that I had been cut, and laughing my ass off. It was my first job and I was like, “Oh, I’m going to be in this thing and I can show it to people.” Then, I wasn’t in it at all. [laughs]

It was a really healthy thing to have happened really early on in my career because it goes to show you that you have no control. Other than my own body and voice, I have zero control over what the final project is going to be.

Stargirl

PC: Stargirl is airing now. What can fans expect?
Joy: The show is going to blow people away. I’ve done enough that I don’t say that casually. The production values on Stargirl were insane; I’ve never been a part of a show that had that much budget and that much creativity all in one place. This show pushes the limits of what TV is. I’ve never been part of anything with these kinds of special effects and stunt work. Every episode feels like a film. It’s really cool and exciting.

PC: Did you feel any press heading into this project given the fact that it’s one of the most highly-anticipated new shows and you’re now part of the DC family?
Joy: I like to say ignorance is bliss. When I auditioned, I didn’t even know who it was for or that it was a dual role. Everything is often very secretive and cloaked in disguise, so nothing gets out. But it wasn’t until after Geoff Johns [creator] told me that I had the role that I found out it was for Tigress. I had no idea.

So, when I saw the rendering of the Tigress super suit that Laura Jean Shannon had done, I literally felt a chill shoot up my spine. It might have been fear. [laughs] I was like, “Oh my God. I need to start working out right now.” When I saw it, I realized the extreme nature of what we were doing with this established world, but I said to myself, “I need to trust Geoff. He hired me for a reason. I can do this and have fun with it and enjoy it.”

PC: What can you tease about your character’s arc in the first season? Is there more freedom in playing a “villain”?
Joy: Every time I have the chance to play the “bad guy” or the “villain”, it’s so satisfying because it gives you permission to do things that you normally would never get permission to do. In the first season, pretty early on, you see how aggressive Paula/Tigress is. Paula is hyper competitive—she’s the worst version of a dance mom when it comes to her kids and what she wants for any of the teams that she coaches.

As Tigress, she’s ruthless. What I really appreciate about Geoff’s vision for this character is that he made it very clear that she’s not two dimensional. She isn’t a black and white character. She’s not evil for no reason; her motivation is very relatable. She’s passionate and cares about her family and the stage of her country. I’m the same way about my family. Even though our motivations might be a little different, fundamentally, the reason behind what she does, I can get behind.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Joy: Right now, Tiger King

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Joy: Guilty pleasure always implies that it’s terrible, but you love it anyway. But for me, I think My Cousin Vinny is genius. I can’t stop watching it. I’ve seen it at least fifty times.

PC: Favorite book?
Joy: The Overstory by Richard Powers

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Joy: The play that really lit the fire under me to become an actor is Uncle Vanya. I’ve seen it about five times now. I saw a lot of theater before I wanted to become an actor, but this one made me lean forward in a different way.

As for musicals, The Last Five Years and Sweeney Todd are amazing.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Joy: Priscilla Ahn, Rachael Yamagata, or Fitz and The Tantrums. My musical taste is all over the place.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Joy: That’s a really good question. I have no idea, but I’m going to say—because there are more and more of us now—I’m going to say hopefully the next up and coming brilliant Asian American actor, because there’s more, and there didn’t use to be at any of us.

To keep up with Joy, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of Stargirl every Tuesday at 8/7c on the CW.

Photo Credit: Sarah Ford