Mandy Musgrave – South of Nowhere

Q.  What are the recent projects that you’ve been working on?

A.  Just “South of Nowhere,” I’ve been trying to focus on my family and trying to keep in touch with them.  I have been flying back home and I’ve been auditioning for other projects.  I want things that are going to be challenging like “South of Nowhere” is so I am going to be a little bit picky.

Q.  With the new season just beginning, what can viewers expect to see from your character Ashley?

A.  Well last season, the first season, she really got to know all of the characters and you saw that Ashley was not into labels.  This season you get to know her more in depth, why she’s not into labels and what her background is like.  You get to see a much more vulnerable side of Ashley.  The first and second episodes have already aired and her father died.  She gets a sister that comes in and she’s constantly breaking down from everything that’s been going on.  The loss of her father is really hard for her to deal with. 

Q.  What kind of changes in the show can viewers expect to see this season?

A.  A lot of twists and turns with every single character; you would not expect it.  Ashley was tough and now she’s breaking down. Aiden is a tough jock and he has some emotional scenes.  Glen is the funny, outgoing character and he spirals down and gets into some trouble.  Valery Ortiz, who plays Madison, Aiden told her it’s not meant to be and she breaks down.  They just showed the episode where people found out about her dad going bankrupt.  She was this rich female and thought she could get anyone she wanted.  Now everything that was so important to her, she is losing, and you see that she’s spiraling down and down.  You get to see what’s going on with the Carlin parents separating.  If they’re going to try and make it work and how things are going to get back together if it can work or not.  There is a lot going on.

Q.  What has been the most challenging part of your role as Ashley?

A.  A lot of people would think it would be making out with Gabrielle Christian.  But, it’s been the easiest part.  The most challenging part, this season in particular, is having to cry on cue every twenty seconds.  I can cry on cue, I learned that from doing soaps.  It’s hard because I constantly have to think of something in my life that was devastating and to bring that out in a person is kind of emotionally straining.  That’s kind of hard for me to do but I like the challenges; I like them a lot.

Q.  Do you feel that your friendship with Gabrielle off screen helps make the relationship between Spencer and Ashley so believable on screen?

A.  Completely, completely!  She’s actually my neighbor now, she and her fiancée were looking for a place and I was like, “Come look in my area, you were staying with me and loved my place.”  So, she did and she checked it out and now she’s right above me.  It’s just fun and whenever we got out it makes it that much easier to carpool together.  We’re constantly laughing; our laughs on screen are all real.  I love that so much; none of them are fake.  It’s great working with her!

Q.  How has your role as Ashley effected your outside life?

A.  Yeah, almost every single person I know has been supportive.  It’s tough in general, because you feel like people don’t know who you are anymore.  Acting hasn’t been my whole life, I’ve only been doing this for three years.  So, it’s really challenging when I try to go back home and re-bond with my friends that I grew up with in elementary and high school.  All they want to talk about is my show, I’m like, “That’s not who I am, it’s what I do.  I’m the same girl who pulled you around in the wagon when we were eight years old in the cul-de-sac.  I’m the same girl that was the captain on our volleyball team and track.”  I was that person, so it’s hard, I like that they’re all supportive.  I just had a friend call me up and say how proud she was of me that I’ve followed my dreams.  It’s great; it’s great to hear that and know they are proud. 

Q.  What do you think it is about the show that continues to draw in viewers?

A.  Matt Cohen!  No, I think it’s the fact that it’s real.  A lot of people can say that about their show, because no matter how dramatic a show is, there is someone out there going through it.  Our show contains so much of what’s going on in life, especially in LA, because there are a lot of gay people and lesbians.  I think more teens and hopefully parents will get more into it as well.  I want the adult crowd to get into it as well because it’s what is going on in real life.  What does it matter who they like or who they are going to date, they’re still the same person.  They just told you they don’t want to date Susan, they want to date Sam, why does it matter?  I don’t get it.  I think it helps teens learn how to open up and express themselves.  That it’s okay to experiment if that’s what they’re feeling inside.  A lot of people have been saying we’ve been turning viewers gay and I’m like, “No.  They’re just finally fed up and finally trying to be more open.”  I am proud of that.  It’s taken a lot to portray a bisexual or a lesbian; whatever you want to call Ashley.  Some of my closest friends now are lesbians and I can’t believe I am fortunate enough to have them in my life.  I do this role for them because I want other people to know that it’s okay.

Q.  So, with the show, do you think that people are more accepting of teenagers who are gay or lesbian?

A.  I don’t know if it’s been out long enough to make a huge impact but any impact is great.  Yeah, I’ve had a lot of response from people.  I had one from a guy the other day who said his sister was a lesbian.  He was so disgusted by it and they stopped their friendship and he called her up and she was living on the street.  She was living on the street and he told her she has a place to live with him and she can bring her girlfriend.  He said it was because he watched what Spencer and Ashley were going through and it’s so nice to know that I can portray a character like his sister so they can re-bond.  That they could realize what’s going on in her life is not worth losing any relationship over.

Q.  Have you learned anything about yourself from portraying Ashley?

A.  I try to not prejudge people but I did when I would see women and I’d be like, “She’s gay, she’s gay; you can tell.”  Then, from being around all of these women on set, I thought a lot of them were straight.  They are gorgeous women and they are lesbians or bisexuals.  I was like, “Shut up!  Are you serious?”  I had no idea; they were gorgeous.  And they said, “Why can’t a lesbian be gorgeous?”  I said, “I don’t know.”  I always thought it was so fake on TV when they had the lipstick lesbians; two hot girls making out for the guys.  But, there are some very beautiful lesbian women out there and some very, very masculine gay men that I thought were straight that I was hitting on.  But, they are not straight at all!  So, it’s opened up my eyes to be accepting.  Also, I used to be afraid to talk about it as well.  You know how some people will talk about black people and they’ll whisper the word black.  They know they’re black; it’s okay.  Just like they call us white people; it’s no big deal.  Speaking openly about it is what makes it more comfortable.  Being like, “You’re gay, when did you come out?  Why do you prefer men to women or women to men?”  Talking about it openly is no big deal, it’s like a straight person talking about being straight.  That’s really opened my eyes up to it and I really like that a lot.

Q.  How do you feel being a role model?

A.  I’m flabbergasted!  I am so flattered at the fact that I’m a role model.  I feel like I am so picky and I’m young, I just turned twenty.  I still have a lot to learn in life.  The fact that people are looking up at me and saying thank you so much for helping me through my situation and for being so outspoken and taking that challenging role.  If I ever get down I look at my Myspace or emails and people always cheer me up by letting me know I am what is helping them make it through.  Sometimes I get caught up in it and people will come to me and say, “I don’t know what to do, it’s really hard, I want to come out but I am scared.”  I try and give them advice as my character and also in the best therapeutic way possible.  My mom was a therapist and I grew up around the therapeutic approach.  I try to do that if I can, I am still young, but I do what I can. 

Q.  What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  Thank you, thank you so much!  A lot of the Christians were very disapproving of my role; I’ve taken a lot of slack for that.  For the people who can see inside of that, thank you for following and knowing it’s not about religion, it’s about love and about people in general.  One of Spencer’s greatest lines is “I think God’s a little too busy to be worried about which two people like each other.”  I want to thank everyone who actually can see that and look past it.  For me, outside of being Ashley, I hope you can like look outside of who my characters are and know that I am a real person.  I may play a bitch or something that you don’t agree with but don’t judge ever, ever!