Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Entertainment

Brooke Lewis Bellas talks about new projects, and plans for 2021 (Includes interview)

Regarding her experience in The Mourning, she said, “It was truly one of my most memorable indie film experiences. We filmed for a month in Holland, Michigan, the hometown of our writer and star, Michael Rene Walton. The town welcomed us like rock stars and this cast and crew formed such an incredible bond on location. I absolutely loved my supporting role of loud-mouth Lisa ‘Assface’, and getting to work opposite seasoned, talented actors.”

On playing Jules in the TV streaming series Stripped, she said, “Jules has easily become one of my new favorite characters I have been fortunate enough to play. There is an exceptional opportunity when writers create a role for you, specifically, and they write for your strengths as an actor. We spent most of the month of December 2019 in Reno, Nevada filming the TV pilot Stripped. It is a Comedy/Drama. It is a TV pilot that was written and directed by Marc Clebanoff, who also directed The Mourning.”

Stripped was a passion project,” she admitted. “I was one of the Executive Producers and producers, alongside Marc and Frank Krueger (who also stars in it). I played Jules, the sassy publicist to the star, Chris Cameron, played by the amazing Casper Van Dien. It was originally created by Mark Clebanoff and late actor, Kristoff St. John. They had created the concept before he passed on, which is so heart-breaking, but Marc wanted to carry on his legacy, and he did, and we did. We have such an incredible cast, and series, we are all proud of. It will release in 2021.”

She opened up about The Day of The Living Dead, where she returns to her horror roots. “I cannot tell you how excited I am to return to some zombie indie horror, and to be able to do so with badass director, Thomas J. Churchill. The Day of the Living Dead was shot a few years back, but never received the streaming home it deserves, so we are all thrilled that it will be releasing in a bigger way very soon. I know my horror fans have been waiting very patiently for me to appear in another horror film, so I am grateful to have this releasing,” she said.

“Thomas Churchill and I have been friends for many years, and we share a love for mysteries and Hitchcock. This is a period piece set in the ’50s in Hollywood, and I know the sophisticated zombie fans will be entertained. I play supporting role, Ms. Daniels, who brings important information to George A. Lazarus investigating the case, and what a stellar indie horror star-studded cast we have,” she said.

“For fans who love The Walking Dead, The Day of the Living Dead is another great zombie origin story,” she said. “Set in Hollywood 1957, a time of glitz and glamour, a time of brains and blood. This movie is full of action, suspense, gore, and graphic violence. George A. Lazarus is an insurance investigator who disappears during a routine claim. His heartsick fiancée, Bethany, retraces George’s steps and discovers that the employees George was investigating also all mysteriously disappeared. Now, as Beverly finds herself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, this simple insurance fraud case may actually be the beginning of the end of the human race.”

On life during the quarantine, she said, “I want to acknowledge that this has truly been the most unbelievable and challenging time for us all. For someone like me who is overtly social and has such deep, soulful attachments to my family, friends, and associates, and who thrives with in-person interaction and energy, there is truly a part of me missing. That said, surprisingly, and gratefully, I have been as busy as ever.”

“As an actress, producer, and philanthropist, so much of my ‘normal’ life has been spent working from my home office, so I am still able to work and do all my media and press interviews, as I did prior to the pandemic. I am currently in post-production on film and streaming TV projects with various teams for Red Rooms, Stripped, and The Second Age of Aquarius. A lot has been halted with COVID-19, but we have managed to forge ahead slowly. I have been watching and voting on content as a Judge for The New York Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NY NATAS) and for the horrific Shriekfest Film Festival 20th year,” she said.

“I also worked behind the scenes to raise money for The Actors Fund and Frontline Responders Fund during this pandemic crisis,” she said. “On a personal and spiritual note, the quarantine has offered me time to do some serious soul-searching, and I have learned a lot about myself. I have been compelled to reflect on life, work, and choices, and it has affected me both personally and professionally. I have been assessing the choices and mistakes I have made in my career, and how I plan to step back into my career space when this pandemic is contained.”

When asked if she sees a silver lining in the pandemic, she said, “I do see a silver lining in this pandemic in quite a few ways. We each can if we are willing to open our hearts. Although unbearably challenging for us all, I always believe that opportunities come through these challenging experiences to inspire us to be better in some way… that may be better personally, professionally, and, throughout humanity.”

“I think if the world would unite as a whole and look out for one another by practicing safe pandemic behavior and thinking of others, outside of ourselves, the world will eventually heal. I think this is an opportunity for each of us to be still, be quiet, go within, and really discover who we are, who we want to be, who we want to be with work with when the pandemic ends, and get reinspired with whatever our choices are as we step out of this,” she elaborated.

Regarding her future plans, she shared, “I love this question, because I feel the pandemic has forced us all to be in the present more. When I think about the future, and my future specifically, I used to only have tunnel vision about my career, for the most part.”

“Now, I am working on being more present and spending time with the people I love, and on projects that inspire me,” she said. “I realized that I have so much going on outside of the acting and producing part of my life, and that includes being an active philanthropist and being a Celebrity Ambassador for the Breaking the Chains Foundation for eating disorders and body image issues and cultivating our self-esteem and strength through the arts.”

The actress continued, “I am currently becoming more active with other foundations and organizations that I have wanted to work with for quite some time, but have never had the time to do so, because I was so busy with my career, events, and social life, so I am really excited to be doing some work with my college sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi.”

“I am doing a bunch of virtual speaking engagements on film and film festival panels, so that has been fulfilling for me, as well. I am also actively promoting both of my books that I have been blessed to author, Coaching From A Professed Hot Mess for adults and Ms. Vampy’s Teen Tawk: There’s A Lotta Power In Ya Choices for teen girls which can be found at Amazon and Barnes & Noble,” she elaborated.

“Last, but not least, I am so looking forward to spending quality time and drinking great wine, tequila, and bourbon with my hubby and our dearest of friends. Oh, how I cannot wait to be able to hit our favorite fine dining restaurants again… from Hollywood to Beverly Hills to Vegas, baby! Rao’s, Mastro’s, Sinatra, please hold our table and lookout 2021,” she added.

On her upcoming projects, she remarked, “At a time when the world is upside down and we do not really know where our next job will come from, I feel very blessed that I had acted in, and produced, a few projects that wrapped prior to COVID-19. My Psycho Therapy (Amazon Prime) film director, Staci Layne Wilson, wrote a film with Darren Gordon Smith (Repo! The Genetic Opera). Those two are so crazy talented. It is a fun indie gem. I do not want to give any spoilers, but it is titled The Second Age of Aquarius. It is a comedy, with a little bit of a Sci-Fi twist and a lot of music. It is really sweet and clever. I am an Executive Producer and I act in it. I play Tawny Stevens. She is a young mom, stuck in the eighties, as a New Jersey, rocker mom. Wait until you see my hair, my make-up, and my leopard pants. I did the Jersey accent. I cannot wait for the film to come out.”

“Lastly, at the start of COVID-19, my creative instinct kicked in and I knew I had to create to stay somewhat ‘sane,’ so I spent most of the quarantine producing and filming a virtual streaming series,” she said. “Red Rooms was conceived and completed out of ‘isolation inspiration.’ Joshua Butler and I had been in development on a project and had been reminiscing about our favorite industry days of yesteryear when we met on the horror film circuit. I had already been a superfan of Joshua’s work for years. In 2019, we shot a proof of concept for our project, which paid homage to his hugely successful film VLOG (2008) from the producers of SAW, which went on to become a hit TV series.”

“When COVID-19 hit Hollywood and we were all in isolation, I called for a production meeting, then suggested we use the footage we shot and attempt to experiment by filming each character virtually from their homes. Red Rooms stars horror film and TV veterans Brooke Lewis Bellas (iMurders), David Alpay (The Vampire Diaries), Suze Lanier-Bramlett (The Hills Have Eyes), Ricky Dean Logan (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare), and Noah Blake (Teen Witch). We are currently working on post-production and cannot wait to see where we end up in 2021,” she said.

To learn more about Brooke Lewis Bellas, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and her website.

Brooke Lewis Bellas

Brooke Lewis Bellas
Birdie Thompson @birds_eye_photo

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

You may also like:

Tech & Science

Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives last week, TikTok could be banned in the United States.

Social Media

Wanna buy some ignorance? You’re in luck.

Life

Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest often suggest travel destinations based on your likes and viewing habits.

Business

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier was reviewing recent incidents and would redouble safety initiatives as needed - Copyright AFP Logan CyrusUnited...