Exclusive Interview: Joseph Baena Talks Bully High, Connecting with His Character and the Film’s Message, and More

For Joseph Baena, 2022 has been a year of firsts. The multifaceted storyteller thrilled us all with intricate routines as he competed for the mirror ball on Dancing with the Stars and enthralled audiences with his lovable character in the timely feature film, Bully High, laying the groundwork for what should be an exciting 2023.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Joseph to talk about his performance in Bully High, connecting with his character and the message of the project, and more.

PC: You’re one of the stars of Bully High, and this project hits close to home for you. Tell us about how you channeled your own personal experiences into shaping your character.
Joseph: When Bill McAdams Jr. came to me with this role, they had already filmed most of it. He had this other aspect that he wanted to add to the film, so he came to me with this character.

It wasn’t too outside of the box for me to get into this character because I’m playing the best friend and support system of our main character played by Cedric [Begley]. That’s something that I do on a regular basis. I love being a support system for people.

I was bullied when I was younger for being overweight. It made me insecure in middle and high school. Also, I wasn’t sure who I was and what I was doing. So I related a lot to the messages in the film.

But in terms of the actual character itself, it wasn’t too difficult for me to be that support system, best friend, brother, and teammate. That’s something that I love to do in my real life. That’s something I like to do with my training partners, my siblings, my other family members, and my friends. Whatever they need, I’m there for them.

PC: Bill wrote, directed, and starred in this film. What was it like getting to collaborate with him in all those different roles and bring this important story to life?
Joseph: It was an honor to work with Bill. I’ve seen a few of his other projects, and he always creates these thought-provoking films. As you said, this is such an important film, especially for the time that we’re living in now. It’s more and more prevalent. There are a lot of ears and eyes on racism, sexism, and all of those different themes. These are sensitive topics, so it was a little scary to get involved with something like that. But the way that Bill wrote and created this film, I thought the message was perfect. Everyone is included. Everyone is equal. There shouldn’t be any bullying. There shouldn’t be any racism or sexism. I hope this film shines a light and enlightens audiences.

PC: This is one of your biggest roles to date. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Joseph: This was one of my very first films. It was a huge stepping stone. It was definitely the first project where I had a lot of dialogue. I have a bigger role in films that I have coming out next year, but that scene with Cedric was such a good stepping stone for getting comfortable in front of the camera and building my confidence that I can do this and that I can act. Whether it’s scripted or improv, I can do it. The way that Bill curated that environment was also helpful. It was a great experience.

PC: When you’re working on a project that’s tackling such sensitive subject matter, how were you all able to decompress after a day of filming?
Joseph: Yeah, it is such a heavy message. Thankfully, my scenes were a bit more playful and fun, so I didn’t really have to do too much decompressing. But personally, I have a lot of exercises that I’ve gone through with my acting coach and in my acting classes that boost morale. Also, fitness is a huge passion of mine. That’s another way that I decompress and get out of my own head and back to ground zero.

PC: This is a deeply moving project. Has being a part of this cast changed the way that you look at future projects that you want to be involved in?
Joseph: Absolutely. As an actor starting out, you’re like, “How am I going to get to those big films? How am I going to get to those big blockbusters? How am I going to get to the award-winning films?” But this project really opened my eyes. It’s great to have those big goals, but I also want to make sure that I’m sending the right message and doing these films that provoke conversations.

PC: This has been a banner year for you with this film and Dancing with the Stars. As we look ahead to 2023, what’s on the horizon?
Joseph: A lot of things! It’s going to be a big, hardworking year. Like you said, 2022 was a big year for me. It was a lot of firsts. But in 2023, I want to go even harder. I have two films coming out soon. One is with Pressman Film, which is led by Ed Pressman, a big producer that I’ve always wanted to work with and who has worked with my father in the past. The other is a great comedy-horror film called Firecracker Jack. I also have another film that I can’t speak about yet, but I’m just going to continue working and getting better at my craft.

To keep up with Joseph, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Bully High wherever you stream movies.