Exclusive Interview: Skyla I’Lece, Trevor Raine Bush, and Deja Monique Cruz Talk The Crossover

Skyla I’Lece, Trevor Raine Bush, and Deja Monique Cruz are three of the stars of Disney+’s must-see new series, The Crossover.

Based on the critically-acclaimed best-selling novel in-verse by Kwame Alexander, The Crossover introduces teen brothers Josh and Jordan Bell, widely considered basketball phenoms. Through his lyrical poetry, an adult version of Josh, aka Filthy McNasty, narrates the story of he and his brother’s coming of age, on and off the court, as their former professional basketball player father adjusts to life after basketball, and their mother finally pursues lifelong dreams of her own.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Skyla, Trevor, and Deja about their incredible performances in a href=”https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-crossover/1AuauMA9j46w” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>The Crossover, what they connected to with their characters, and their favorite behind-the-scenes moment.

PC: Skyla, you read the novel as part of your preparation. What’s one thing that you wanted to make sure was translated from page to screen? What’s one thing new that you brought to her?
Skyla: I was definitely excited that in the book and in the show that Alexis is a huge support system for JB. That was really evident in the show as well.

In the book, she plays basketball, but in the show, she’s musically inclined, so she sings and plays guitar. I was so glad to be able to bring that.

PC: Trevor, this project finds you combining two of your passions in life: basketball and acting. How helpful was it having your background in the sport as you made your debut as a series regular in The Crossover? Were you able to draw any parallels between your journeys?
Trevor: Playing basketball definitely made me very comfortable working on set. It was second nature for me, so that definitely helped. I relate a lot to Vondie and the way that he is with his friendships and basketball.

PC: Deja, you’ve worked in film and television. You’ve played so many powerful female characters, but this is the longest that you’ve lived with a character. What was it about Maya that you connected with? Did anything surprise you about this filming experience?
Deja: Definitely. What surprised me, in a good way, about this filming experience was the family and community that we were all working with. Everyone was so sweet. You hear all these scary stories like, “The industry is like this. The industry is like that,” but this set, working with Disney, and being a part of this cast, felt like family.

I connected my personal experiences with Maya’s. My parents have health issues as well, so I connected with trying to help somebody figure out what’s going on. I connected with the frustration of JB and Filthy and just wanting answers. But I had my friends there for me.

PC: Something that this series focuses on is that in the game of life, you need to know who’s on your team. Who have been the people in your own life who have shaped the storytellers and artists that you are today?
Trevor: Definitely my family. They raised me correctly. It really affected my life.

Deja: My coach, Valerie Ortiz. Shout out to Val. I love you. She’s my sister and best friend. She’s been with me since I started acting when I was eighteen. I got her when I got my manager. She’s always been there, whether we’re coaching in the car or late at night. She’s always there. My cousin, Miranda Mayo, too. She truly inspired me because she started acting at a very young age and she inspired me to act and put these messages out there that are hard to tell but need to be told.

Skyla: Definitely my mom. My mom really pushes me to be the best version of myself and not to give up. She reminds me to stay determined. If an audition is getting hard or if I can’t hit a high note in my singing, my mom is my number one fan. She’s always pushing me to be better. She’s always there for me.

PC: There’s such great chemistry that comes off the screen between all of you. Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes moment?
Deja: I would say the roller rink. We all connected. We weren’t even filming and working; we were just hanging out at the roller-skating rink. A lot of people fell. It was like you felt it when people fell. You don’t have to hide beyond anything. You got to be yourself. We were all able to be ourselves in Episode 4.

Skyla: I’ll tag along with that. There were a couple of shots where they had me and Amir [O’Neil], who plays JB, skating together. I blame Amir for making me fall because he dragged me down with him. We were both on the ground. In the show, we actually have a great shot of Deja laughing at us. It was so much fun.

Trevor: Now that you’ve both said that, it’s funny…I wasn’t in the midst of that. I was in the back chilling out, and then you hear, “Ooh.” I saw you guys go down out of frame, and it was hilarious.

Make sure to follow Skyla (Twitter/Instagram), Trevor (Instagram), and Deja (Instagram). Stream The Crossover on Disney+ today.