By: Jamie Steinberg
Q) Hillary, how did you and Lauren [Davidi] come up with the concept for the web series “Chasing Cupid?” There are some incredible stars in it. How hands are were you when it came to casting?
Hillary: “Chasing Cupid” was solely based off of our own personal lives. We were sitting at a coffee shop one day brainstorming because we knew we wanted to create a project and we were like, “What if we made a web series that had to do with growing up in LA, navigating friendships, love life, and drama?” When it came to casting, we were pretty particular. We wanted to make sure that the cast we chose fit the characters as well as the cast having chemistry because that’s what really brings characters to life.
Q) Elina, what was it about the premise for “Chasing Cupid” or about your role that drew you to be a part of it? Were you familiar with any of your costars before joining the project?
Elina: Immediately when Hillary reached out to me and I hopped on the Zoom audition with her and Lauren I fell in love with the idea of the project. I think “Chasing Cupid” is super relatable and I love how the characters have such different personalities yet struggle in similar ways. Piper is a lot like me in many ways…She has questionable taste in men, yet high standards for relationships and won’t commit to someone just to be in a relationship. She’s sex positive and a diehard supporter of her friends even when she doesn’t agree with their romantic decisions. This is my first major acting role in a series and I think starting with a character that very much resembles my values and lifestyle is a great way to get started in acting!
Q) Hillary, dating in 2025 has become bananas! What were some scenarios or quirks of the current dating scene you wanted to make sure to highlight with the series?
Hillary: I agree! Dating in 2025 has become bananas. Not gonna lie, my dating life has been a real life “Chasing Cupid” episode. I’ve been on some funny dates that have left me questioning what I want in a relationship as well as what I want out of a person and myself. One scenario from my personal life is when I got asked out in a coffee shop. I had my hair in a messy bun and I was wearing my pjs – it was hilarious. We ended up going on a date to a spa and it was just pure comedy. When it comes to highlighting dating scenes within the series, we wanted to make sure to include lots of comedy but make it realistic at the same time. In episode two, you see Maisey bring her dog on a date which is so LA and, not gonna lie, totally something I would do.
Q) Hillary also allowed for quite a bit of improv. Elina, what were some of your more challenging moments to film in terms of not cracking up with laughter?
Elina: Honestly, whatever comes out of Annie’s [Jean Buckley] (Cece) mouth usually cracks me up. She’s so quick witted! Specifically, when we were filming the coffee shop scene, she suggested that one of the man’s dating profiles was photoshopped and the tone she delivered that made it hard not to laugh.
Q) Elina, Were you familiar with any of your costars before joining the project?
Q) I was not familiar with any of them! I had spoken to Hillary about two years ago about potentially being roommates when I moved to LA, but until she reached out to me and asked me to audition we hadn’t spoken. I met all the other girls through this project, and I am so grateful because this cast is truly special, and I think you’ll be seeing a lot of these girls in many more projects in the future. All of them are so uniquely talented and have this unshakable presence in front of the camera.
Q) Hillary, what were some of your favorite moments to see go from page to screen?
Hillary: One of my favorite moments is when we filmed a scene at the Hollywood Park. It was incredible because Lauren and I had the idea of filming with the Hollywood sign behind us, and we made it happen. Another scene that was amazing to film was all of the party scenes in episode one. This was super complex because we had so many background actors, so I didn’t know how it would turn out. It ended up being amazing though.
Q) What is next for the both of you? Have you been busy working on some new projects?
Hillary: For me, just a lot of work on “Chasing Cupid.” Lauren and I have some great ideas and plans for future episodes and seasons, and I’m so excited to see them come to life. I’m also starting to get back into acting, so I’m excited to see where that takes me as well as working more on building my social media platform.
Elina: I definitely want to start auditioning for more acting roles. I’ve been in LA for two years pursuing a career in social media and have definitely held myself back on the acting front. Right now, I am launching a bucket list series on all my platforms where I am aiming to encourage my audience to explore new hobbies and finally do the things they said they would do “in another life” or when the time was right. I am also creating a journal to help people document and explore themselves through their own bucket list journey. I am so excited to launch this project in August!