Olivia Holt On Finding and Using Her Voice, Doing What Makes Her Feel Alive, Making Music and Her New Series ‘Cruel Summer’
Olivia was virtually interviewed and photographed by Alison Engstrom in Los Angeles. She was styled by
Chloe Harstein at The Wall Group; Makeup by Tonya Brewer and Hair by Marissa Marino at A Frame Agency
Congratulations on all of your success and projects so far! I’d love to start back at the beginning growing up, how did you carve out your career in performing and music?
From a very young age, I was just obsessed with performing whether it was singing or acting. I loved the idea of creating characters and using my voice; it was a passion without me knowing it. I was in love with the creative outlet. I never thought it would be a career or a part of my professional life but I am so grateful it turned out that way because I get to do what I love every single day.
Were you more into singing or acting or was it more of the profusion of theater where you realized it was just your happy place?
It was theater, I did it in my hometown. I loved being on stage performing, it didn’t matter if I was singing or acting, it was just the combination of the two that made me feel alive. Like I said, I don’t know if I knew what that meant, I just knew that feeling was so strong.
To be able to have that feeling in your back pocket at such a young age is a gift. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town just outside of Memphis in Mississippi.
Olivia is wearing Oscar de la Renta
Did growing up in that area influence your Love of music?
Oh of course; I grew up near a city that has so much music in it, my parents were very musically involved. My dad was in an 80s hair band and my mom was totally into that—it was a house full of music. My sister was obsessed with musical theater while my brother is the oldest soul—he had a record player by age eight. It was a house of music-loving people, it was in my bones.
Was there an opportunity or project that propelled your career?
When I was about ten-years-old, my singing voice coach introduced this ‘find your agent’ sort of opportunity being held in Los Angeles—where agencies go to find new talent. My parents told me that it was bogus and I wasn’t doing it. I remember begging them saying we could make a family vacation out of it. My voice coach was very adamant about it and said it was legit. We ended up making a vacation out of it and I ended up signing with a great agency at age ten. They wanted my family and I to move to LA, but my parents didn’t want me to. I did a back and forth thing for about two years for auditions or pilot season, but I was still living in my hometown. My parents believed in me and wanted me to be happy with whatever I was doing, but I don’t think we ever thought it would be what it is now. When I was 12, I ended up booking a series that filmed in LA for nine months out of the year. I had to sign a four-year contract so that was what prompted the move out here and was the start of my legitimate career.
What have you been surprised to learn about yourself over the years working in the industry?
I feel like I have evolved and grown so much with the knowledge that I have learned in this industry. I haven’t only grown as an actor but also as a professional person in. I’ve also learned how to use my voice. I think because I started so young, there were so many people making executive decisions around me. I didn’t know how to form my own opinion or use my voice for myself or for good. I have definitely learned and have a better grasp on how to do that now. I feel so empowered and grateful for the people and mentors I have surrounded myself with and the people who have grown up in the industry alongside me. I am very grateful for them, they helped me get to this place in my life.
Now to talk about Cruel Summer. From a pure nostalgia note, I love how it takes place in the 90s! Can you explain more about the plot and how your character, Kate Wallis comes into the fray?
Cruel Summer is a show that takes place over three summers in the 90s. My character goes missing and another girl mysteriously takes over my character’s life. Super creepy! There are lots of twisted things that happen, I would categorize this as a psychological thriller; there are a lot of theories people can come up with. It is a really entertaining show.
You mentioned you filmed it in Texas during the pandemic. How did you find that?
I’ll be totally transparent, it was very tricky and one of the most challenging things I have done as far. It was not the creative side of this project but putting it together and what goes into doing a project that is already so heavily creatively driven. On top of that, shooting in the pandemic where we had to be careful and concerned about everyone's health and safety and making sure that when people came to work, they felt comfortable. It was hard but we were all so adamant about wanting to have a healthy and safe workplace—everyone was so great at participating in that. We got into a really good groove and at the end of it, it didn’t push us apart, but it made for a better working experience and a better show.
What can viewers expect from the first season?
It’s a, can I say, mind fuck (laughs)? It draws you in—there are a lot of themes in the show including what it’s like growing up in the 90s as a teenage girl or boy. I think there are going to be a lot of people in my generation, and after me, who are really going to relate with these characters. Another massive theme in the show is talking about manipulation, gaslighting, and going through trauma. It explores what that experience is like and about moving forward in your life and how to not let it control and take over. It’s a mystery, but there is so much more than those average themes, it’s entertaining but it has a realness to it that makes the audience more invested in it.
I think about the 90s and how we didn’t have social media when I was in high school. I wonder if the plot took place in the age of social media! Speaking of, how do you navigate that space?
There are more days than not where I wish social media didn’t exist. It drives anxiety and insecurity; it’s a scary place, but it can also be something so cool where people across the world can communicate with one another. I am such a visual learner and I love how people can share their creative ideas visually in such an instant way. It’s tricky—a part of me is glad that it came later on into my life and I had a proper childhood where it wasn’t the norm to constantly have a phone attached to my hand at all times.
I agree with that for sure. It was so great that you were able to have a premiere and celebrate the show. How did that feel?
It was so wonderful, I was nervous that we weren’t going to be able to have any celebration for the premiere. Freeform and everyone in the marketing department just blew me away with it. They did it so safely and made it such an experience for everyone. Each room at the Beverly Hilton was decked out in 90s themes and attire. There was a massive projector outside where everyone could sit and have dinner on their balconies. It was really special and spectacular.
When it comes to your singing career, how do you balance the two and where do you feel more in the flow or do you try to be present wherever you are?
Wherever I am, I am there. I, of course, want to do both and I can because I have found a great balance, but it’s taken me a while to figure out where everything fits. It makes more sense to prioritize one at a time that way. I can feel like I am giving 110% into both. I find a time and I make the time. Both acting and singing are such collaborative processes, but with writing, I can come up with an idea for a song and then jot down some lyrics or hear a melody in my head that I can bring to a producer or a co-songwriter. For an acting project, it takes a village.
How have you fared creatively over the past year or so?
It’s been challenging. In the beginning I was grateful for the break but then I started itching and wanted to do something creative. I was just in a funk; doing it virtually didn’t feel the same because you don’t feel the energy between human connection when you are on set or in a studio. I think a lot of people just want to create and they found creative ways to make it work, which has been the saving grace of this whole thing.
What’s coming up that people should know about?
Music! I have a lot of music coming out; my next single is coming out this summer. I’m very excited about the next era of music in my life. I spent the last couple of years in writing sessions almost every day just exploring my sound and getting to know myself more as an artist. I am looking forward for people to hear it. I am making pop records but it has an element of soul and rhythm to it that feels very very much my own. I am embracing my voice.