Lilimar – Bella and the Bulldogs

By starrymag | June 25, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

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

A) I’m excited for it! It’s full of surprises and locations. It looks a bit longer than usual and there are a couple of things we usually never do. It’s really surprising and different so I’m excited how it will turn out.

Q) Are you going to be having a viewing party for the finale?

A) Probably with friends! I think the cast is trying to get together to watch it, but I know some of us aren’t here because we’re working. I’ll probably do something with my friends and family. Still planning!

Q) What are some moments you are most looking forward to fans seeing?

A) We’re excited because we did this all and even just standing there on set it looked really cool and the scenes were awesome. So, we’re excited to see how the scenes turned out. We’re just really excited for it!

Q) What has been your favorite episode of the season?

A) I definitely like the baby shower episode. It was so much fun to shoot! I had to faint like a thousand times. We did a scene with a little baby. I had to destroy five piñatas. It was really fun, after all! My character had a lot of fun in that episode. I feel like that one definitely stuck out.

Q) Does comedy come naturally to you?

A) Comedy is something very natural in the way I am. I spend all my time trying to make my mom, grandma and friends laugh. I make jokes for everyone to laugh at and I just like having a good time with everybody. I like to come with the jokes that everybody laughs at. I like laughing and smiling 24/7. That kind of has helped me be the person I am. If you know me, I’m never truly mad or sad. It takes a lot to get me there. I’m always smiling. I like drama so to play a character who is really, really evil would be cool. I think we got a little close to that with Sophie. She can be a little evil at times. I have a lot of fun with her and her sassy remarks. I kind of feel very at home and in my comfort zone with her.

Q) What do you like the most about playing Sophie?

A) I love her sass! I love that she is a strong lead female character. Sadly, we’re used to seeing a lot of weak female characters. I’m glad that we’re doing that now. Especially with people of color, we’re being strong individuals and we’re being strong women. So, I was very happy to play her and that she was so strong and sassy. She has no filter and is like, “I’m going to say my opinion and that’s how I role.” So, I have a lot of fun with that.

Q) It’s great to see such a positive message for women on “Bella and the Bulldogs!”

A) The whole thing is blown out of proportion and made to be bigger than it really is. Women should just have the right to act, dress, talk and be who they want. We don’t have the freedom as men. They get that freedom. It’s as simple as wanting to have that as well because we’re human beings and should have the same rights. It’s just women defending themselves and wanting to show they are strong without women pointing out some flaw with it. So, I’m glad that they are able to put that on a kid’s show. It’s just the surface of what that is and it gives you the message of “girl power.” Sophie can be as sassy as she wants. People ask if Sophie is going to get a boyfriend and I’m still not sure. If she doesn’t have a boyfriend though, that’s good, too. I feel like Sophie was made to be one of those characters, much like I am, where we don’t need or want a relationship right now. I kind of like that there is that and she has her own style. Bella, of course, is strong and confident enough to go for a boy’s football team.

Q) What aspects to Sophie do you see in yourself?

A) I feel like there is a lot of myself in Sophie. When I first read the character description, I saw she was so much like me. She was Latina, strong and not afraid to voice her thoughts. She’s extremely sassy. It was like, “This is me. Can we name the character Lilimar, too?” [laughs] It was fun. It was fun adding new stuff for her as well. It was kind of cool because it was kind of like making my own person because you’re saying, “She would do this or that.” At the same time, you are thinking, “What would Sophie do,” even though she already has her own personality. It’s a bit of a combination.

Q) What is the most rewarding part for you of being on the show?

A) It’s kind of nice to know that I was on a kids show. It was a kids show on Nickelodeon, but the storyline was something very different and not a recycled idea. It was something cool that could have a message not for kids, but for everyone. I liked that and that my character sparked something within people and inspired them to do things, be someone or do things they wanted to do. A lot of girls and guys wrote to me on social media and said my character or the show inspired them and I thought that was really rewarding.

Q) You are a part of social media. What is it like for you getting that connection with your fans and having that fan feedback?

A) It’s kind of insane! It grew pretty quickly, but still gave me time to react and get used to the growing numbers. We all start off with very low numbers. We don’t start off with thousands or millions of followers. I’ve always been very active on social media. I like to post pictures. I take pictures wherever I go. I’m always trying to make everything aesthetic and my style. It was really fun. Some people are forced to do things for their job, but I enjoy it. I like talking to everybody on social media. It’s like I have my own internet friends and it’s really cool. I feel like they make the whole social media experience even better. When I like a picture or comment or tweet them hi, they light up. They get up happy and start fangirling. I know that feeling and it is so cool to be recognized by someone you really like. It gets kind of exciting and I like that. It kind of feels surreal that I have that effect on some people.

Q) Who are some of your inspirations?

A) In life it’s my mom, dad and grandma. They kind of guide me through everything. They give me all the love and support and I feel that is really what has helped me get anywhere or be the person I am or even free to be the person I am. With them, all the time they have bene with me, they have created me as this strong confident girl. They have never let me fall into my insecurities. They have always bene on the lookout for me. That means a lot for me. And they’re still making sacrifices. Most of the things I do are to make them proud, myself proud and to have a future for them. They are definitely my inspirations. For acting, I look up to Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts and Audrey Hepburn – I adore her.

Q) What are your summer plans?

A) If I don’t have anything during the summer, hopefully I’ll be doing more publicity and more meet and greets with fans. There are a couple things that I’m hoping for, but I’ll leave them as a surprise. Something not related to work, I hope I get to spend more time with my family and friends. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to do that. I’ll finally be able to take a break from work and school. I want to just chill out because at home, I’m always on my computer doing school.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I definitely want to thank everyone who is supporting me. I appreciate every single bit of it and all the love is greatly appreciated and returned because I love them so much as well. I hope everyone gets to see a lot more of me and a lot more of everyone on social media. I’m always letting them know everything I do. I’m very appreciative of all their love and support. As for the finale, there are so many new things and surprises! It’s the finale, but we are playing against our biggest competitor. We’re ready and trying to figure it out. There may be some surprises from our competitors, but we’ll have to see how the Bulldogs do and if they win!