Tiera Skovbye – Secrets of My Stepdaughter

By starrymag | May 11, 2017

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) How was your character Polly Cooper on “Riverdale” originally described to you?

A) For me, it was interesting because I was kind of thrown into it head on with not a lot of context. I was kind of figuring it out as we go because when we meet her (and everything talk about prior to meeting her) is Polly is crazy. Maybe her parents aren’t just spinning it. We don’t know if it is her parents just spinning it saying she is crazy or if she is actually crazy. For me, I was wondering, “Is she crazy?” I didn’t really know in the beginning so I was just kind of trying to make it up as we go. After having some conversations with the creator and writers I came to the conclusion that she isn’t actually crazy. It was just kind of spun that way as she’s just heartbroken and pregnant.

Q) She’ll be having twins like Jason and Cheryl Blossom. What were your thoughts on this twist?

A) That was interesting because I didn’t find that out until the table read of that episode. I was like, “Wait. What?” I was like, “That’s going to be cool, but I’m going to be huge!” My belly is going to keep getting bigger and bigger. I was like, “How are we going to have twist on the show?” [laughs] So, we’ll see how that all unfolds.

Q) You work closely with Lili Reinhart as sisters. What is it like working with her?

A) We kind of got thrown into it. We met the morning where we did the scene where Betty tells Polly at the hospital that Jason is dead. We met that morning and got thrown into doing this not super easy scene. Lili is such a sweet, warm person. She was my first actor connection on the show. So, she immediately made me feel very welcome and very comfortable around her. We’re the same age and both actors who are just kind of getting going. So, we had a lot in common and that was very easy for us.

Q) What can you tease for is in store for the season finale of “Riverdale?”

A) Hmm. Well, it’s definitely not disappointing. There is a little moment with Polly that I think people won’t see coming. It’s very dark and very dramatic. Archie (K.J. Apa) is a hero and it’s wonderful!

Q) We’ll be seeing you in the film Secrets of my Stepdaughter. Please tell us the premise for the film and about your character Rachel Kent.

A) It’s one of those movies that starts off with you thinking, “Oh, this is super heartfelt. I can relate to this family. This family has it together and everything is great.” Then, somewhere along the way these little twists happen and you’re like, “What is happening?!” A lot of those twists that you don’t really expect to come about kind of get caused by my character that maybe isn’t quite as stable as she may first appear to be.

Q) What did you find challenging about the role?

A) There was a lot of things that I found challenging about the role. Rachel has a lot of issues that she needs to deal with. She deals with her emotions a lot differently than you or I do. She doesn’t quite have the self control to know when she can’t act on certain impulses and be explosive. For me, that’s far from myself so I had to figure out how to make it truthful in my own sense.

Q) What advice did director Jem Garrad give you during filming that you took to heart?

A) Jem was kind of great throughout the whole thing. Movies like this you don’t get a whole lot of time to prep and work with the other cast. Jem was just so helpful and so smart right off the bat that she made ever y transition and every scene very seamless. There would be questions I had and she always seemed to have an answer. It made me very confident going into everything else knowing she had it all figured out.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming the movie?

A) Filming a movie with my sister, who is like my best friend, that alone was ridiculous! It was just so much fun. I remember when we got the call that we both booked it. She had initially gotten the call that she booked it before I did. My mom, sister and I were wondering, “I wonder who got the part that I auditioned for. I wonder who Ali will be playing sisters with.” I was a little disappointed, but happy that Ali had gotten the job. Like an hour later my agent called and said, “You booked it!” I was like, “Wait! What?” For whatever reason I couldn’t remember the name of the project. My agent was like, “You booked it!” I said, “Wait, which one was that again?” She said, “The one with Ali!” I just kind of like squealed at my sister! My mom and sister were sitting right next to me so I said, “I’m the sister!” So, that was really fun.

Q) What was it like working with iconic actors Josie Davis and Cameron Bancroft?

A) It was awesome! They played my parents and they were great. They were so sweet and super great. We had so much fun.

Q) What makes the movie such a good fit for the Lifetime Movie Network?

A) I think it is because the movie starts off and it is very relatable and what kind of draws you in is that all the characters seems super relatable and warm. It draws you in and then all of a sudden these things start to shift and you are like, “What is happening?!” I think it is that this movie is really, really good about tucking people in and making them in. I think it is a perfect fit for Lifetime that they have such a great fanbase that they are looking for something that they can totally tune out to.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you will receive?

A) I hope so! It’s interesting because it airs the same night as the “Riverdale” finale so I’ll be doing lots of live tweeting.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure our readers know about the movie?

A) Well, other than the fact it is a really cool experience and really cool movie to watch because they are actually watching two sisters act together, which doesn’t happen very often. I think that is super, super cool!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of your work?

A) Thank you so much for the continued support and to the people who have been my fans before “Riverdale” thank you. This industry is hard and I couldn’t do it without any of you guys.

 

 

Secrets of my Stepdaugther premieres on LMN at 8pm May 11th

An additional airing of Secrets of my Stepdaugther will premiere May 20 on Lifetime at 8pm