By Alexandra Bonnet
“I was just a little girl from Wisconsin who didn’t know anything about L.A,” shares Paris Berelc. After booking her first role on the Disney series “Mighty Med, ” the young actress suddenly found herself relocating her life and family in the blink of an eye. Not knowing what to expect, she was ready to take on anything.
As most kids do when thinking of growing up, Berelc dreamt of pursuing a variety of careers from becoming a veterinarian to an FBI agent. It was during middle school-in the sixth grade to be exact-that the young dreamer realized she wanted to become an actress. Having modeled for some time, the aspiring actress knew she did not want to just smile in front of a camera for the rest of her life. Berelc spent her childhood watching Disney among other movies, she loved to see Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus and of course Angelina Jolie on the big screen: “I would watch them and think wow that looks so fun I want to do that.” She told her mom she would be on a show within the next two years and that is exactly what she did.
After beginning her acting career with her role on “Mighty Med,” Berelc found herself on other shows and being the star of “Alexa and Katie.” She discussed with us a bit more about her experience on set as she played the character of a young teen battling cancer. As she shares, “Before season 1, we did a lot of research; our creator Heather Wordham would send me links. We went to a children’s hospital and met a girl named Katie and she told us her story and its kind of similar to Alexa’s.” The show was well-received by families who could relate to the story as they explained how it was pretty true to how it is and how they felt.
A humbling experience for Berelc who realized that she was part of a much greater project: one that was having a positive impact on its audience from families going through the same experience to people who want to watch a fun and inspiring story. On-screen and off-screen, the cast of “Alexa and Katie” was truly a family in itself and as she happily expresses: “I had close relationships with everybody from people in props to hair and makeup, and the writers and cast. We all just really supported each other and care about each other and our show. We worked so hard to make sure that it was the best it could possibly be.”
As we all know, the entertainment industry in Los Angeles can bring out the best-and worst-in people. With her positive energy and kind heart, the young actress found her place in the world of Hollywood. Her most recent project, an original Netflix film TALL GIRL, was definitely a game changer as she had never played in a film before. During the filming of a TV series, actors get multiple days to rehearse but with a film, you get your script the day of and shoot it then and there. However, her experience was also a great one: “I had a lot of fun on TALL GIRL. It was one of the best experiences cast wise, all the memories we made, fun things we did. We did crazy stuff together and I made a lot of really great friends from that film.” However, it’s not all fun and games and Berelc’s hardest critic is, well, herself.
In order to better her acting skills and grow in the right direction, Berelc has a system she uses: to watch herself on TV and observe the “weird little habits” she has developed. As she shares laughingly, “ I would sway back and forth just standing there and I would ask myself why am I swaying like that in every scene? Or then i would press my lips together after every line and I was like why am i doing that? It looks so weird!” A smart and efficient way to break her habits. Hard-working , talented, and curious, Berelc also delves into some behind the camera action.
“I write scripts, my own screenplays ad pilots. I am trying to finish them and create my own show/movie,” shares Berelc. Aiming to create stories in the drama/comedy genres, the aspiring writer envisions her audience to be young adults, same as Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars. Writing and creating are a way for the inspired actress to showcase stories that come from within her and how her heart is feeling: she hopes to figure things out through the story lines. Expressing who she is and what she believes in, this “rocker/chic” girl has got it going! Her fashion speaks for itself as she shares with us: “I like being edgy but I like making my outfits look effortless, like I didn’t try hard to put it together.”
As Paris Berelc continues to figure out who she is in this restless city called Los Angeles, she is reminded of the wise words expressed by one of her friends: “You have to be a really strong person to live in L.A. and it takes a really strong person to deal with it.” I think we can all agree on this statement, nothing scares the motivated and passionate actress! She overcomes the obstacles and remains strong in face of them as she holds on to who she is: “It definitely taught me how to be a strong person and how to make sure I don;t lose myself.”
Watch out for more to come with Berelc as she continues to expand her horizons in both her acting and writing career. Moving out of the kid genre and stepping into more adult roles, we at BELLO are eager to see what kind of adventures the beautiful conqueror will take on!
Photographer: ARIYA AKHAVAN @ariyastudios
Creative Direction: ALEKSANDAR TOMOVIC @alekandsteph
Styling: ERIC OWES @ericowes
Hair: ALEX THAO @alexthaohair
Makeup: DANNI KATZ @dannidoesit
Production: @BELLOmediaGroup x @MaisonPriveePR_LA
BEAUTY CREDITS
Hair
Amika Perfect Body Mousse | Amika Glass Action | H2O | Hot Tools | Salano
Makeup
Makeup Forever
Featured in BELLO October 2019 issue #191. Order your print copy HERE.
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