IN CONVERSATION WITH TROIAN BELLISARIO

interview by JANA LETONJA

Troian Bellisario will next be starring in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘On Call’, premiering on 9th January. Most recently, Troian co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred in an original scripted, 9-episode socio-political thriller podcast ‘Ad Lucem’, for which she and her co-writer Joshua Close won The Ambies Award for Best Scriptwriting. Besides acting, she is also an advocate for the importance of mental health, human/civil rights and she works closely with Every Day Action, an organization that recycles items and food waste from Film & Television sets to re-distribute them to those in need.

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‘On Call’ marks a big leap for you with a lead role in a character-driven drama. Can you tell us more about your character, Traci Harmon, and what drew you to this role?

There was so much that drew me to Traci. Up until this point I had really only played roles younger than myself. Traci is a 12-year veteran on the force, and though she doesn’t have kids, she cares deeply about her trainees, so there is a maternal quality to her, which resonated deeply for me at this time in my life. I loved that her position in this world was not based on her looks or her sexuality. She leads with intelligence, with empathy. She also has a lot of armor on, she isn’t interested in being liked or likable for that matter, she is interested in being effective and making a difference. I could go on and on.

The series combines bodycam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage for a unique cinema verité effect. How did this innovative format influence your approach to the role and your performance?

There was just an additional layer of “realism” or “verite”, as you said, when we used a cell phone or a Go-Pro for a body cam. We were trying to make the world feel as real and quotidian as possible. So, using these different kinds of cameras was a constant reminder that any additional performance or acting I might want to do was going to look really out of place. I also loved being the camera. When they would strap a Go-Pro to my chest, I knew my face didn’t have to emote at all. It would relieve me of the pressure to perform or get it right, so I could move through the scene and participate in a totally new way, which always led me to noticing things I might not have seen before, maybe having a new insight into Traci for the next take or scene.

Traci is a complex character, balancing mentoring a new trainee while dealing with the aftershocks of a former trainee’s murder. How did you prepare for this nuanced, emotionally charged role?

I spoke to some really wonderful people, retired members of LBPD or LAPD who were kind enough to share their experiences and stories with me. I was invited into the LB community for a ride along where I got to see a wonderful officer as she worked her beat and how she serviced the neighborhood. I watched a lot of documentaries about the police. The series ‘Flint Town’ was great. I also listened to a lot of police scanner radio, to listen to how they communicated and spoke to one another. And frankly, there is so much body cam footage on Youtube. I watched as much of that as I could.

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The drama is thought-provoking and adrenaline-fueled. What do you hope audiences take away from the series, both in terms of entertainment and social relevance?

I think first and foremost our series is designed to entertain, to hook you in and give you a great ride, but policing in 2024 is a very complicated and controversial topic. I think what ‘On Call’ is trying to do is provide a very rounded view of the police and their role in society today. I know Traci has a philosophy about how she wants to serve her community, and Lasman, her superior, has a very different one. Yet they have to find a way to show up and go to work together every day. I also think we want to show that the people in this job are human beings, not heroes. They are fallible and they are in high-stress situations, that’s the job, and human beings are not perfect. It’s like we’re trying to set up a buffet and invite as many different people as possible to come to the table, and it’s not up to me to tell you what to take away. I think, I hope, it will spark lots of different conversations.

Your work on podcast ‘Ad Lucem’ was incredibly well-received, especially with your co-writing and producing efforts. How did the experience of working on a socio-political thriller in an audio format differ from your work in television?

It was an incredible experience to communicate a story through sound alone. Any and all visuals were stripped away obviously, so I had to learn how to not rely on things like an establishing shot, a cut away, and close up. What did those become in a podcast, how could I tell the audience we were in a new space with only a few changes to the background noise, how do I suggest a change in a character’s perspective if you couldn’t see their face, was there a sharp intake of breath, did they drop their teaspoon, or fumble with their papers? It was a great exercise of creativity through limitations.

Winning The Ambies Award for Best Scriptwriting must have been a very rewarding moment. How did it feel to be recognized for your work on this podcast together with your co-writer Joshua Close?

Josh and I had been working on that story for about 8 years. It started with us kicking around an idea for a film on an apartment floor in Toronto. Then the film became a television series, then a podcast. We changed so much, and worked so hard and for so long. Additionally, every single person in that podcast was a dear friend of ours. They were so generous to lend their talents and support in helping us realize the story. So, to stand up on that stage and receive an award was an incredibly moving moment for us as collaborators and as friends. It felt good to know that this thing we shared a passion for and our friends had built with us had reached an audience. 

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Given your expanding career behind the camera, how do you balance your acting and directing roles? How do you view the relationship between these two aspects of your career, especially as you continue to evolve as a storyteller?

That’s a great question. I think I worry that when I act, I’m taking time and energy away from my writing and directing, and vice versa. But I know that’s just a result of me being impatient. The truth is that writing fuels my acting, fuels my directing, etc. When I’m engaged in any of the three, I’m learning more about how to be a storyteller, how to more effectively create a character or a world. I think it also helps me be more collaborative and not fixate wholly on just my role in the production. 

From your early days on ‘Pretty Little Liars’ to now leading a project like ‘On Call’, how do you think your acting and creative choices have evolved over the years?

Truthfully, now that I am a mother and a wife, I just have less time to devote to other things. I have to be more judicious with how I approach the choices in my career. I didn’t want to move our girls around and be away from them for long stretches of time, so I didn’t look at jobs that would take me away from our home base. ‘On Call’ was amazing because we shot entirely in Long Beach, so I could sometimes be home for their bath and bedtime, I had the weekends with them. Then when I got to work, I was able to be 100 % present with my cast and crew.

You’re a strong advocate for mental health and human/civil rights. How do these passions inform your choice of projects, both in front of and behind the camera?

Really it just informs which characters I connect to and which stories I want to tell. It takes a long time to get a story from the page to production. So you have to be very passionate about what you are saying, because you’re likely going to be working on it for years. Stories about mental health and human and civil rights are something I think many people are passionate about, so the timeline doesn’t really affect your desire to tell them.

Mental health is something you’ve spoken about passionately. Do you think there are shifts happening in the entertainment industry when it comes to mental health representation, and what role do you see yourself playing in that shift?

There are some incredible shifts happening. I definitely see many more stories about mental health, women’s stories, stories of people who have been historically marginalized. My hope is that I can write stories that continue to center those experiences. If I am right for a role in front of the camera, hopefully my work can support that as well. Behind the camera I feel there is a sea change about the way sets are run. I’ve be fortunate enough to never work with a tyrant, or any really big egos. The sets I’ve been lucky enough to work on have always been very collaborative and celebratory of everyone involved. A set is an ecosystem. If someone feels unappreciated or is being abused, the ecosystem is toxic. It doesn’t matter what the job is, everyone there is a necessity. I hope that any set I work on sees the value of everyone who is there. That’s my job as an actor as well, I can’t do my job if someone who is in charge of my props or my costume isn’t feeling safe. So making sure people feel safe, are taken care of and feel appreciated, to me, is everything.

What does the future hold for you as both an artist and advocate? Are there any specific projects or causes you’re particularly excited about exploring in the coming year?

I’m incredibly excited for ‘On Call’ to come out. I am also writing a show that has been in my heart and on my mind for many years, so hopefully that becomes a reality as well. And as always, I’m very grateful to be on the board of an incredible Non-profit called Every Day Action, which at the moment focuses on reallocating food and resources from sets to shelters or unhoused communities. I hope I can continue to be there for them, to help them grow and continue to support folks in need in Los Angeles.

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shorts ERMANNO SCERVINO
shoes MALONE SOULIERS

TEAM CREDITS:
talent TROIAN BELISSARIO
photography ASHLEY CHAPPELL
styling ANNABELLE HARRON at FORWARD ARTISTS
makeup CAROLINE HERNANDEZ at CLOUTIER REMIX AGENCY
hair MATILDE CAMPOS at TMG LA
photography assistant JON
styling assistant MICHELLE SMITH
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial direction and interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN