Arielle Kebbel – Ballers

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I’m on the full season of “Ballers.” We have a lot of good stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks. I think we just saw Tracy introduced and then you will start to see her relationship with Spencer (Dwayne Johnson). I have also been so thrilled to the reaction to being on “UnREAL.” It’s doing what I hoped it would do, which is raise questions about it being real. Is it real? How much is real? Is it healthy? Why are we doing this? I’m thrilled to see that “UnREAL” is getting such a positive reaction

Q) What is it like for you portraying a reality TV show contestant when you have hosted a reality TV show before?

A) It’s different in the sense that when I was a host it was for a game show and for “Vampire Diaries Rehash,” which recapped “The Vampire Diaries.” So, the platforms for what I was hosting was very different and with something like “UnREAL,” which is a relationship show and obviously such a grueling process for these women. Their personal lives are exposed. That has been very different from anything I have ever done. I have had a lot of people coming up to me and asking if that is really what it is like. I’m not allowed to say what shows people are comparing it to…I get to say, “Yes, that is what it is like. Isn’t that terrifying?” A lot of our producers and one of our show creators came from one of those show and knows first hand what they put these women through in the name of “good television.” Part of the reason I was so excited to sign on for this show was to hopefully open up the conversation of why are we doing this? Why are the women signing up for this and why does America continue to watch? So, hopefully, as the show goes on and people see what a train wreck it is that they will keep asking questions and I would love to see some of them change in the future.

Q) How was your character, Tracy Legette, on “Ballers” originally described and what will we get to see from her this season?

A) I play Tracy Legette and the guys call her “Legs” on the show. She is a woman living in a man’s world. She is very good at her job and takes it very seriously, but genuinely has a great shorthand with these guys. She has grown up in Florida and loves sports. She gets what it is all about. So, I think that is also why the football players gravitate towards her. It’s because she gets it!  She knows how to protect them when they need to be protected and how to tell the story when it needs to be told. Beyond that, she has a very strong connection between Tracy and Dwayne. I think the hope is that you guys will really enjoy what we bring you this season and also that you guys will be rooting for them because I think it is really hard when they both live these fast paced lives in a very fast paced world. Spencer is trying to launch a company and I am trying to grow who I am as a sports newscaster. Sometimes it is really hard to have a relationship when work is so demanding 24/7. As the season goes on, you guys will see how they care for one another and sometimes it is really scary and hard to be vulnerable when there is so much money on the line and so much drama happening. How do two people find their way through all of that?

Q) Have you looked at anyone in particular for inspiration or guidance with your portrayal of this character?

A) When I auditioned for the role and when I got the role, there was never any one specific woman named to base the character off of, but I definitely did my research. Being a host, myself, I pulled from my own resources and my own background. I also spent time researching a couple different female reporters in both how they report and their looks, their style and their wardrobe. I purposely didn’t spend too much time doing that because it was more like a check-in for certain moments to be sure that I was on par with them because my goal in creating the character was to make her original and make her who she is, not like anyone else. I definitely used some female sportscasters for my guidelines, but it was really important to not get too into my head about that. I wanted to be sure that I was creating an individual, one of a kind character.

Q) Have you found that it is hard to walk the line between needing to be strong, but also wanting to be vulnerable at the same time? You are a playing a woman in a male dominated industry.

A) Welcome to Tracy and Spencer’s relationship! You just nailed it on the head. It is one of the things I loved so much about working with Dwayne, but also working with the guys on the show is constantly walking that fine line. I think a lot of times in the scenes you’ll see in the coming episodes that there is a lot that is not said between Spencer and I. I hope the audience is left wondering if it is because they don’t need to be vulnerable, because they don’t need to say it, is it because they are too scared or because they know how they feel. I hope you guys go along for the ride because it is tough. it’s really tough. I hope that it shows because in the end that’s why we want you all rooting for us, to see how we make it through – or if we make it through for that matter!

Q) Was there an instant chemistry when you began working together with Dwayne Johnson?

A) Dwayne is so charismatic in life. I grew up in Florida and a lot of my best friends growing up were guys because I played a lot of sports. I just felt comfortable with these guys and we were friends from elementary school to middle school to high school together. So, I feel like when I came down to Miami and started working with Dwayne I kind of got who he was as a person. I’m from there. He’s from there. We both listen to country music. We both drive a black pickup truck. I was like, “I get you.” So, I feel like when we were filming we spent time talking and developing our relationship to what we wanted from Tracy and Spencer. I feel like that really helps showcase our chemistry on camera together.

Q) Who are you hoping to have more scenes with should there be another season?

A) To be honest, most of my scenes are with Dwayne and I have a few scenes with John David Washington when I am interviewing him. He was fantastic to work with. He take sit so seriously and I love working with him, as much as I did working with Dwayne. That was pretty much it for the season. Hopefully, fingers crossed, we’ll have a Season Two and I’ll have more scenes with Rob Corddry, Jazmyn Simon and some of the other gang. Right now, my storyline is very specific to either the football players or Dwayne.

Q) What kind of fan and family feedback have you been receiving from “Ballers?”

A) I was actually just back in South Florida for my baby brother’s wedding. So, I had the honor of watching him get married and I shared my intro to the show with my entire family and extended family and some of the guys I grew up with who have known me since like second grade. It was so memorable to look around the room and see my intro with Tracy on “Ballers” being shared with my family, especially since the show was shot in South Florida. So, I felt so grateful that the show has kind of connected me to my roots in that way. As far as the fans go, they have been completely supportive of Tracy and I think everyone loves seeing that not only is she a sportscaster, but I think you can tell right of the bat that she gets sports. She understands sports and enjoys that world. She is feisty and smart. From what I have heard, so far, people are excited to see what happens next for her and, for me, that’s the biggest compliment. To hear that you want of a character tells me that people are enjoying her and that’s all I could ever ask for.

Q) Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) For me, it’s a way to give back. Back in the day, people had to send fan letters and hope they would get to an agent, manager or publicist’s office. In today’s world, you can click a button and send a tweet. Not that I get to everyone all the time, but I do my best to tweet the fans back or to respond to their comments on Facebook or Instagram. Without them, I don’t have an audience. I feel like it is constantly important to show how grateful I am. Without you, I could keep doing it, but I’d just be doing it like in my backyard! To know that I have people who are willing to support me day after day and year after year for me is just important to give back in any way that I can to them.