PULSE SPIKESpulsespikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Lili-Reinhart...14 // PULSE SPIKES Wha Acting...

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L I L IR E I N H A R T

R E F L E C T I O N

As 2017 comes to an end and the new year approaches, I am reflecting on the incredible growth of our community. An enormous THANK YOU to our team who is dedicated to sharing beautiful stories.

This issue, we focused on introducing talents who were genuiene in their words and authentic in their actions. You’ll find conversations with Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart about her struggles and breakthroughs, YouTuber Lauren Riihimaki on using social media to promote individuality, Pitch Perfect 3’s Chrissie Fit discussing the need for diversity in the enterainment industry, and so many more. This is a time to speak up for what’s just, even if you’re standing alone.

reflection

FRONT & BACK COVER PHOTOS LILI REINHART BY ALLEGRA MESSINA

PUBLISHED BY WORLD PRESS GROUP, INC.

ISSN 2381-3636 (PRINT)

ISSN 2381-3644 (ONLINE)

Anna Zhangfounding editor-in-chief

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PHOTOS MAJA LINDBERG

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contents

editorials

features

golden day

why not

izabela vidovic

madison iseman

serayah

lauren riihimaki

lili reinhart

chrissie fit

froy

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68

12

18

24

38

48

64

82

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goldenday

PHOTOS AGATA MILOWSKA

MODEL ADRIANNA CZAJA

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izabelavidovic

This sixteen year old ‘Won-der’ actress is ready to take over the world with love, kindness, and compassion.

PHOTOS RAMONA ROSALESWORDS ANNA ZHANG

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What do you love most about acting?Acting is a form of self-expression, an outlet. What’s special about acting, for me, is that it gives you the ability to make other people feel something. You put your emotions on display to the public – which is very personal, yet incredibly liberating. How would you describe the movie Wonder?Wonder is a film about kindness and equality; it promotes that beauty lies within a person. Not only does Wonder spread awareness about craniofacial disorders, but the story itself cultivates multifaceted characters that everyone can relate to. What drew you to Wonder?I fell in love with the role of Via. The actress in me couldn’t wait to dive into her character. What really made Wonder stand out, however, was that it also spoke to me as a person. The script made me smile, laugh, cry… it was a beautiful and very emotional read for me. I was drawn to this project because it has heart. It is imperative for us, as a society, to be advocates of love and equality. To be a part of a film that does just that, is immensely inspiring. Tell us about your character, Via.Via is strong, vulnerable, smart, and selfless all at once – so, we have RJ Palacio to thank for writing three-dimensional female characters...Via is an out-sider; she has acquired independence at a young age, for her brother’s sake, which translates into her everyday life. She blends in at school, but eventually

discovers a need to grow into her own. Via has a strong arc throughout the film, and I think many will find themselves connecting to her.

What do you feel is the strength of Via? What’s her weakness?Via’s strength lies in her love for her brother. She exhibits this quality in the way she approaches her relationship with Auggie. Her strength also shines through in her actions – not wanting to im-pede Auggie’s needs, she takes it upon herself to be completely self-sufficient at such a young age. At the same time, however, Via’s weakness is her connection to her grandmother. We most see Via’s vulnerability when she misses her grandmother, in times that she needs attention from her mom – as it represents everything she lacks in her relationship with Isabel.

How do you think Auggie shaped Via to be the person she is?Auggie has a major impact on shaping Via into the person she is. Because of her brother, Via is selfless, independent, kind, and strong. Having Auggie in her life has taught her to be caring and nice towards others, and to also be individualistic by having to make certain sacrifices on his behalf. What was your favorite scene in the movie?I love the graduation scene at the end of the film! When Auggie is given his award… it’s such an emo-tional part and beautiful end to the story.

You also played Maddy Broker in Homefront. Your character was bullied in the film. What did that film teach you about empathy and compassion?Homefront taught me to stand up to the bully, but to also treat him/her with compassion. Even if some-one doesn’t seem to deserve it, treat them with kindness anyway. In the end, it’s all about setting an example for others – and treating people the way you would want to be treated.

“IT IS IMPERATIVE

FOR US, AS A SOCIETY,

TO BE ADVOCATES OF

LOVE AND EQUALITY.”

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“IT IS S O S IM P LE TO CHO OS E KINDNESS IN OUR EVE R Y DAY LIVES , S O L ET ’S DO IT M OR E OF TEN .”

How would you define love?Love is unconditional affection, deeply caring for someone wholeheartedly. Today, with the technology that we have, why do you think it is important to spread kindness?Nowadays, there are so many ways to get a mes-sage across to a wide range of people. I feel that it is important to use your outreach on different plat-forms (i.e. social media) to communicate positivity. Technology gives us access to massive audiences, and we should utilize this opportunity to its full po-tential by spreading love and kindness. How can others choose kindness in their every-day lives?Smile at people, hold the door open for strangers, give compliments, donate your time and/or money to a good cause, stand up for someone who can’t stand up for themselves, use your voice to spread a positive message… and so much more. It is so simple to choose kindness in our everyday lives, so let’s do it more often. What have you learned as an actor while filming Wonder that you can apply to future projects?Our terrific director, Stephen Chbosky, set a warm and pleasant tone on set from day one. Above all, everyone treated one another with compassion. For this reason, coming to set everyday was an ab-solute joy! This was inspiring to me, because I un-derstood that if such a kind environment could be created at a workplace – which is oftentimes stress-ful – then there is no reason why everyone can’t treat each other with kindness in any other setting.

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PHOTOS TIA LIUINTERVIEW ANA SANDOVAL

WORDS LIAM CURTIS

madison iseman

As the star of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 20-year-old actress Madison Iseman is living out her childhood dreams. As a little girl in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Iseman was fascinated by the world of movies and dreamed of acting on the big screen. “Harry Potter was the movie that really lit a fire inside me. I wanted so badly to be Hermione Granger,” she admitted. Though her hometown lacked theatrical opportunities, Iseman seized any possibility of employing her talents and pursuing her passion: acting at a local theatre, singing with her church choir, and learning the violin. In middle school, Iseman kindled an interest in filmmaking that continued through high school; during her free time, she would create her own short films and horror movies. When she was 14, Iseman traveled to New York to meet with potential agents. She nearly signed with a manager but decided to wait until after high school to start her professional career. Driven and passionate, Iseman graduated high school early at age 16.

After her high school graduation, Iseman was ready to chase her childhood dreams and pursue her passion professionally. Soon after, Iseman and her mother packed up their belongings in a Mini Cooper and drove all the way to Los Angeles. “I love the West Coast, but I really miss sweet tea,” Iseman remarked. Leaving behind her life in Myrtle Beach and settling into a new city was initially difficult for Iseman, but her fanta-sies of acting in LA would soon materialize. After auditioning and auditioning, Iseman eventually booked her first gig: a PSA with Hannah Montana’s Mitchel Musso. Soon, Is-eman appeared in independent and short films and booked roles on television shows such as Modern Family, The Social Experiment, and Nickelodeon's Henry Danger. In addition to traditional film and television, Iseman has worked on projects with digital stars like Awesomeness TV’s Mahomie Madness with Teala Dunn and Laid in America with Caspar Lee and KSI.

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Most recently, Iseman co-starred in CMT’s comedy series Still The King with Billy Ray Cyrus. The TV show follows the adventures of Vernon (Cyrus), a washed-up Elvis impersonator. In Still The King, Iseman plays Charlotte—the spunky, long lost 15-year-old daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus. “I’m so blessed to have been able to work side-by-side with him,” Is-eman shared. Still The King was renewed for a second season, which premiered in July on CMT.

This December, Iseman’s new-est movie—Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle—will be released. A sequel to Robin William’s 1995 classic, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle chronicles the exploits of four teenagers who get sucked into the Jumanji video game world. Alongside Dwayne John-son, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart, Iseman plays the role of Bethany in the action film.

When Iseman is not working on a show or auditioning for her next project, you can find her ventur-ing on hikes, traveling the world, or buried in a novel. The young star also loves to express herself through painting and social me-dia; likewise, she uses these plat-forms to connect with her fans.

You can catch Iseman in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle which hits theatres December 20th and on CMT’s Still The King!

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TOP & TROUSERS TOPSHOP UNIQUESCARF PRADA

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S E R A Y A Hthe ‘Empire’ actress and singer on the power of self-reflection and self-love

PHOTOS DERRICK FRESKEHAIR TAI PHILLIPS

MAKEUP PAUL BLANCH at OPUS BEAUTY using HOURGLASS COSMETICSSTYLIST ANNA SCHILLING

CREATIVE DIRECTION ANNA ZHANGWORDS ELIZABETH STAFFORD

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TOP H&M

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DRESS MERRIMEKKOEARRINGS CATBIRD

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Lately, our country has been in a weird place with the cluster of heavy social media influence, bold opinions from those with power, and the strug-gling rise of young people working to make a dif-ference. One strong female successfully making her mark on this world is singer and actor Ser-ayah, mainly known for her role in Empire. I luck-ily had the chance to speak with her and asked her about her music career, acting roles, and how she’s using her platform as an influencer.

For those who don’t know, Empire is a musical TV show which first debuted on Fox in 2015. I as-sumed the role was quite demanding knowing it was not only acting, but also dancing and singing. When I asked her how it affected her body and voice on having to do so many things at once, she replied, “It really does take a toll. I didn’t re-alize it until other actors on the show said, ‘You guys do so much more than us.’ We are there and present for acting, but then we are also present for rehearsals the other half of the week for 10+ hours to rehearse to do a scene. It can get pretty crazy. I know I’m more chill than I have been for the past three seasons, but still, those dance mo-ments can get brutal.” I haven’t seen too much of the show myself but already stand impressed at the responsibilities and roles Serayah can juggle with such elegance.

Peering a bit more into her past, I asked how she got to be involved with acting and singing. As I could feel her reminiscing through the phone, she told me, “I guess I have always loved music, dancing, and performing. I know my mom told me I would always dance when I was young. I guess it’s always been a part of me. [My mom] put me in dance class, singing lessons, and things like that.” Anyone can tell that the hard work has paid off because she’s not afraid to showcase her skills, something I find admirable. In fact, she recently released her first hit single, “Driving Me” on Sep-tember 15th, featuring Jazze Pha. The song has an upbeat summer vibe to keep you feeling bub-bly and warm in the upcoming months of winter. It’s a beat of a teaser so of course I had to ask if there’s more in the works. Eagerly she replied, “I have a whole album I am putting together that I have been working on for the past year. I was with Columbia Records formally, but I got dropped from Columbia. I have been trying to put out mu-sic is my point. I have tons of music, and I am re-ally excited and fortunate enough to have a team to support me and believe in me. I’m just ready to go. I’ve been waiting so long, I’m about to burst.” But wait. There’s more. There’s so much more. I went on to ask about her future acting plans; she started filming a movie in November which she guessed will come out sometime in 2018.

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TOP H&M

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DRESS MERRIMEKKOEARRINGS CATBIRD

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DRESS CHRISTOPHER KANE

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TOP & TROUSERS TOPSHOP UNIQUEBOOTS CHRISTIAN SIRIANO

SCARF PRADA

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“TAKING TIME TO APPRE-CIATE REAL BODIES IS IM-PORTANT. IT’S NEEDED.”

One can clearly see being a woman with such an impressive resume results in a powerful platform. I asked her what it’s like being a woman of color right now. I could hear her mind grinding through the line. After a moment of thought, her confidence answered for her. She said, “More than ever, at my age, I feel like there’s a big responsibility to be true and honest to who I am and who I represent; and that is other young girls who look like me and girls in general. I feel like I am always going to be there for what’s right and have a voice for what’s right. If I don’t, I feel like I am just as sad as people creating negative connotations for this country. I feel like it’s important for me to have a platform and do some-thing with it.” Her poise shined through to me even just as I scrolled through her Instagram before the interview, and her self-assured tone while speaking affirmed my positive beliefs about her. One picture that stuck out to me on her In-stagram was her picture for Seventeen Magazine promoting body confidence and self-love. I asked her about her jour-ney with self-love. She said, “We all have our own images of ourselves and things we don’t like. I really liked [self-love day] because we took a day to acknowledge that no one looks perfect. It was cool to take a second and appreciate real bodies and that it’s all okay and that’s what women look like. Whether you’re really skinny or you’re thicker, that’s how God made you. It’s all acceptable. I loved how some girls posted wearing no makeup. Taking time to appreciate real bodies is important. It’s needed.”

Between obvious talent and just being a killer lady, Serayah is someone to look out for. Her flawless style and positive spirit is refreshing among the current madness of the world. I’m proud as a woman to know there are other women pro-moting self-reflection and love.

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TOP & TROUSERS TOPSHOP UNIQUEBOOTS CHRISTIAN SIRIANO

SCARF PRADA

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“WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO HAS LOTS OF OPINIONS SO I FEELLIKE EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THE FREEDOM TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS.”

DRESS CHRISTOPHER KANE

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L A U R E N R I I H I M A K I

PHOTOS TIA LIUHAIR AND MAKEUP ALISON CHRISTIAN

STYLIST BRANDON NICHOLASCREATIVE DIRECTION ANNA ZHANG

WORDS ANA SANDOVAL

Also known as LaurDIY, this You-Tuber has built an empire online and offline that continues to grow.

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YouTube has become one of the leading platforms in video. YouTubers have grown from being simple internet personalities to creating mega brands that have taken over the world. Lauren Riihimaki (also known on the internet as LaurDIY) has been no exception to this as she has created a DIY empire which continues to grow today.

Riihimaki is originally from Canada. She was a year into her university pro-gram when she decided to find a way to express her true passion: do it yourself crafts. “DIY has always been my thing, even before the internet. Growing up I was always pretty crafty. While I was in university, I started a DIY blog as a creative outlet to distract myself from how boring my pro-gram was. Eventually, that transferred over to YouTube and by the time I graduated, I started doing YouTube full-time.” This distraction grew from a fun hobby into her career. Riihimaki did not even intend on being a YouTu-ber originally, explaining that it was “by accident.” “I realized that it would be easier to show what I was doing in a DIY tutorial in a video than on a blog. Eventually the videos I was uploading got views and I was gaining a lot of subscribers so I transitioned my focus onto YouTube.” Now, Riihimaki has nearly 7 million subscribers on her channel, with a large fan base that loves her tutorials. Her nifty and clever ideas have turned her into one of the most successful YouTubers today. Riihimaki intends on keeping her channel focused on DIY projects because she knows that that is what she’s most excited about. “DIY will always be my passion; it’s what I’m good at! I would never try to be a makeup guru because that really doesn’t come naturally to me. Even though it has become kind of a job now, it’s still what I love and what I’m really passionate about. I’m so lucky because I still enjoy doing my work! And my fans have been really great in allowing me to try out different things. Recently I did a couple of parody rap videos which were so fun! And they loved them. But DIY will always be something I enjoy doing!”

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Her videos don’t all center around DIY; Riihi-maki also vlogs once a week. It has become a way for Riihimaki to bring her audience more into her life but also a great way for her to doc-ument her life. “I started vlogging three years ago, and stopped doing it for a little because I wanted to focus more on DIY. But then I started watching Casey Neistat and became kind of ob-sessed with the idea of documenting my life. It’s honestly so amazing to get to look back on all the cool things that I’ve gotten to do in my life.” Vlogging can mean giving her audience a lot of her personal life, so Riihimaki has had to learn how to draw the line between personal and pri-vate; “The biggest thing I’ve had to learn how to draw boundaries with has been my relation-ship. My boyfriend is also a YouTuber, and over the years we’ve learned the things that we need to keep private and the things we should share. And it’s so nice to document all of it because I get to look back at it! A lot of the times we vlog just for us to look back on, but we definite-ly have had times where we had to really think about the boundaries.”

Riihimaki has grown to be much more than just her videos. Many YouTubers have been able to translate their success online to the real world by working with brands or creating their own

brands. Riihimaki has not been left out of this movement. “I’ve gotten to do so much because of YouTube! Besides working with some of my favorite brands, travelling has been the coolest part. I just went to the Philippines! And I get to do huge meet and greets around the world and meet so many amazing people. I can’t even think of one stand out thing because so many amaz-ing things have happened!” Lauren recently released her own line of adorable plushies and onesies which have consistently sold out since their release. For her, to get to have her own products has been a dream come true since she gets to put her own touch on products she has always wanted. Excitedly, Riihimaki shares, “I’ve launched plushies and onesies and we’re work-ing on lots of fun other things that are going to be in store eventually. I think there’s an opportu-nity to really evolve past just videos!” Despite all of this, she remains adamant that YouTube and making videos will always be what she wants to do. “YouTube has changed and evolved so much even in just the six years that I’ve been on it. I think it will always be the #1 platform for videos out there. And for me, it’s home base. A lot of YouTubers, myself included, are growing our brands by working in licensing and doing product lines. But making videos is still what we really love doing.”

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SWEATER CHRISTOPHER KANEOVERALLS THE ZIRAN

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L I L IR E I N H A R T

PHOTOS & STYLIST ALLEGRA MESSINAHAIR RYAN RICHMAN using ORIBE at TMG-LA

MAKEUP KERRIE URBAN using MURAD & HOURGLASS at TMG-LAFLORIST SARAH SIEGEL at THE FLOWER METHOD

STYLIST ASSISTANT EMMA CONNELLYCREATIVE DIRECTION ANNA ZHANG

WORDS ANA SANDOVAL

the ‘Riverdale’ actress reflects on the success of the show and navi-gating the entertainment industry

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Lili Reinhart’s first performances were much smaller than the ones she does now. They most-ly involved her trying to get a laugh out of her family as she frolicked around her childhood living room. “I grew up performing little skits for my family. I was such a goofball as a kid.” These little performances were the building blocks to Reinhart’s career. Now, she stars in the popular TV show Riverdale which is watched by millions across the world.

Reinhart grew up performing wherever she could. Acting was a way for her to have fun and express herself; “It was very natural. I was really born with a want to entertain. There was always a part of me that was a performer, but I think I really harnessed the craft doing theatre.” Plays were the first “official” acting jobs that Reinhart ever had. Theatre was a way for her to explore her ability to act and perform outside of her living room. As a child and as a teenanger, Reinhart had roles in many different plays, but the one that stayed with her was her role as Alice in Alice in Wonderland Jr. when she was 12. Reinhart recalls, “It was pret-ty amazing, as a twelve year-old, being the lead in a show. It rocked my world; I felt like a little star! It encouraged me and my parents that I had enough talent to pursue something bigger.” And so she did.

When Reinhart and her parents realized her full potential, they decided to start looking for representation. “At first [acting] was for fun, but then I started looking for an agent, some-one who could help me really get out there.” Reinhart and her mom began their quest for an agent. They found a local agency in Cleve-land, but soon realized it didn’t have the ca-pability to get Reinhart the work she want-ed. Unable to find anyone in the area that could fulfill their wants, Reinhart and her mom

took the matter in their own hands and began looking for parts themselves. Reinhart’s mom has been one of the most supportive and influential people in Reinhart’s career. She maintained full hope and support for Reinhart, including driving her from Cleveland to New York for auditions whenever she could. These long trips often pro-duced nothing for Reinhart. “I spent most of my career not in LA, being in Ohio or North Caroli-na, trying to make my career work by doing self tapes at home with my mom. People are always going to want to book someone that they see in the room versus a video taped audition. So, I was struggling for a really long time trying to get work and feeling really discouraged by never booking anything and not making any money.” The stress and continuous rejection often made Reinhart question what she was doing. “It was hard. I had to ask myself, do I want to have an unsure career my whole life? I was really grappling with the idea of going to college and studying something else. I didn’t know if acting was something I could really handle.” These feelings of uncertainty and confusion lived in Reinhart for a couple of years as she continued to do self tapes at home to try to book a role. Eventually, Reinhart decided to move to Los Angeles alone to pursue her act-ing career more seriously. This didn’t go exactly as planned for her as the stress only intensified when she left home. “I moved home from LA af-ter five months because I was so depressed and I didn’t have any money. But then I wanted rebuild myself, get back into my passion and grow more as an artist because that’s what I wanted to do. So, I didn’t go to college because I didn’t want a plan B. I didn’t want to have something to fall back on. I didn’t want to settle for anything else.” The new and improved Reinhart went back out into the world auditioning, and this eventually led her to land the role of Betty Copper in The CW’s Riverdale.

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“I DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE BE-

CAUSE I DIDN’T WANT A PLAN B. I

DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING

TO FALL BACK ON. I DIDN’T WANT

TO SETTLE FOR ANYTHING ELSE.“

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Riverdale is one of the most popular shows on TV today. The show is based on the fa-mous Archie Comics, which revolve around a group of teenagers. The show follows the lives of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jug-head Jones, and Veronica Lodge and their reactions to the death of a beloved class-mate. The roles are all played by incredible up and coming actors, and the cast has be-come very close because of the show. Rein-hart remarks,“We’re very close as a group, which is amazing! I can’t imagine working on a show for this long and not liking the people that I work with. I never really had a huge group of friends growing up. I al-ways had the same friend for most of my childhood, and all of a sudden I was gifted these 10 new friends! And my relationships with them keep getting stronger, and I’m so grateful for that.” Riverdale is the per-fect blend of mystery and drama, keeping viewers on their toes and engaged through every minute of it. The show has received tremendous praise along with a giant fan base. Since its premiere, it has become one of the most successful shows on The CW. While the incredible response to the show has been overwhelming, it certainly did not surprise Reinhart. “The attention that comes with the show is surprising, but the fact that the show is doing so well is not. We all kind of knew that it was something special when we were filming the pilot.” With the success of the show has come a lot of attention for Reinhart and her life.

“MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH

[THE CAST OF RIVERDALE]

KEEP GETTING STRONGER, AND

I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT.”

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DR

ESS

YAN

A B

ESFA

MIL

NA

YA

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With her newfound fame, Reinhart is still trying to find a a way to keep the parts of her life she wants to maintain private as such. With social media, there is more pressure than ever to put every detail of our lives out to the public. For celebrities, this pressure is heightened as people are interested in anything and everything about their lives. Reinhart has no problem drawing the line between what she keeps personal and what is public; “I don’t have a problem sharing pictures of my niece and my dogs and the things I love online, but I’m not going to show me hanging out with my parents or sisters. That stuff is more private. I also don’t want to talk about my personal relationships, ones that I’m in or that I’ve had. I think it’s good to keep my private life private. For me, it’s what I need. I don’t want the world to know when I break up with someone or get into a relationship. I want people to see me as a human and to recognize me for the work I’ve done, not by whom I’ve dated.” Her confidence in knowing where to draw the line has caused some controversy with fans of the show. Fans sometimes equate Reinhart to her character, Betty, off the show, not acknowledging that she has a personal life. Reinhart remains set about what she wants to remain private. She’s learned that “what you give is never enough. People will always want to know more, and if you can learn how to draw the line, then hopefully people will realize that and respect your boundaries, eventually.” Having said that, Reinhart has been very open about many issues she has faced throughout her life, particularly pertaining to her own mental health.

“I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE ME AS A HUMAN

AND TO RECOGNIZE ME FOR THE WORK

I’VE DONE, NOT BY WHOM I’VE DATED.”

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DRESS MICHELLE HÉBERTSHOES TOPSHOP

EARRINGS VINTAGE

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Riverdale delves into a series of complex and much needed discussion of issues that affect adolescents today. For Reinhart, a lot of these issues are extremely relatable. Reinhart has struggled with depression and anxiety for most of her life. She is very open about her experiences and never shies away from them. In her words, “talking about mental health has always been a very natural thing for me to do, so I didn’t realize that people were going to take so much from me talking about it. To me, it’s an essential part of who I am and to see how people have reacted to me talking about it really highlights how little we talk about it. And even now, with filming sea-son two, I’ve experienced depression, and people keep telling me I have everything I could possibly want, so why am I depressed? But if people are still asking that question then we obviously still have to educate people about mental health. It’s such a big part of my journey and how I got to be where I am. I had to combat depression, and it’s something that I’m going to have to deal with for the rest of my life, probably.” Reinhart’s willingness to speak about her own experiences with mental health issues is incredibly important in helping destigmatize depression and anxiety in society. And while Reinhart is open about her problems, she refuses to let them define her. “I try to let it be a part of me but not all of me. I’m so much more than my depression. My struggles are a part of me, but they don’t define me.”

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DRESS VICEDOMINI

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SHOES LEONARDO PRINCIPI

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JACKET WOW COUTURECHOKER AND BRACELET CECILIA’S STEEL

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PHOTOS MARIO BARBERIOMAKEUP MELISSA HERNANDEZ

HAIR LUCY GEDJEYANSTYLIST MADISON DIXON

WORDS ELIZABETH STAFFORD

chrissiefit

Between social media, growing adversity within our country, and just the respon-sibilities of everyday life, it’s hard to find confidence to utilize our platforms as citizens. Add being a female to that mix, and there’s a whole other layer of prob-lems. Without getting too political, I bring all this up to shine some light on some-one making a difference out in the world. She’s paving the way for Latina women, building up so many others along the way, and blooming as a creative figure in the entertainment world. Chrissie Fit is coming back better than ever in Pitch Perfect 3, hitting theaters December 22nd. Luckily, we had the chance to ask her a few questions and dive a little deeper into her life.

For those who maybe aren’t too familiar with the Pitch Perfect series, Fit caught up us quickly by saying, “What I can say, is that the Bellas are back! We’re out of college and trying to find our place in the real world. When we see the new Bellas perform, we realize how much we miss singing and dancing together and decide to have one last show together. We join the USO tour and take acapella interna-tional. In Europe, things get a little interesting and we run into some trouble. It’s jam packed with songs from all genres. And there’s some fun physical comedy and stunts. It’s also very heartwarming and emotional. Wow, did I just give you the whole plot?”

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JACKET WOW COUTURECHOKER AND BRACELET CECILIA’S STEEL

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I don’t know about you, but I am personally su-per excited about a movie that not only entertains but promotes awesome lady gangs. And not only is the Pitch Perfect series doing a phenomenal job at building women, they are showing off the women who may have been unfortunately under-represented in the past. Fit, a proud Latina wom-an, is paving a path for others. I asked why she thought it was important for Latina women to be represented and she replied, “I think representa-tion is important period. Especially in such a big studio film like this, that’s so highly anticipated. Latinos make up almost 18% of the US population but only [account] for less than 6% of the speak-ing roles on TV and film in 2017. That’s crazy! So, having a Latina be part of the Barden Bellas is im-portant. It says we hear you, we see you, and we value you. Young Latinas need to see themselves on that screen.” And honestly, I couldn’t agree more. So many young women are demanding their way to the top by working hard, and the top-ic of representation is finally becoming a common conversation. We still have a lot of work to do, but the first steps are being taken. I dove a little deep-er into the topic by asking what other women can remind themselves when maybe they don’t feel fully represented or like they “fit in.” With radiat-ing confidence, she said, “Speak up! I have always been so afraid of saying anything because I don’t want to come across as rude or difficult. But if you don’t fight for what you want, you’ll always stay in the same position you’re in. You’re wonderful and amazing. Now go show the world! As far as typical

beauty standards, those are lame anyway. What makes you different is what makes you beautiful so celebrate the things that make you - you.”

Steering back to the cast of Pitch Perfect 3, we see a whole plethora of ethnicities, body types, and backgrounds. That’s why Pulse Spikes is so excit-ed to be talking about the movie. I do admit I am a bit skeptical when it comes to Hollywood, and I wanted to know if the cast and crew were as sup-portive as they seem. Thankfully, I got the answer I was hoping for. Fit gave me the scoop when she said, “We are all so supportive of each other. We have this big group text where we praise, vent, get mushy, inform, congratulate, everything. I can honestly say that the friendships and relationships I’ve made on these films is the best thing about the experience. I feel like I have another incredi-ble support system with the Bellas.” I know it’s al-ways a major comfort factor watching a film and knowing the people are just as empowering off camera as we hope for them to be.

Major props to you, Chrissie Fit. You are blazing a path for countless young women with your cre-ative spirit and supportive soul. I’m eager to hop on over to theaters when Pitch Perfect 3 drops, and I am certain so are thousands of other people. All of this shows why utilizing platforms and stepping up for what you stand for is so vital these days. The industry is changing and young people are coming into the spotlight. Big things are coming, and I am excited to see how Fit plays a role in it.

“HAVING A LATINA BE PART OF THE BARDEN

BELLAS IS IMPORTANT. IT SAYS WE HEAR

YOU, WE SEE YOU, AND WE VALUE YOU.”

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why notPHOTOS AND STYLING MAJA LINDBERG

HAIR AND MAKEUP MY JOHANSSONMODEL EMILIE PORSE at LE MANAGEMENT

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PHOTOS STORM SANTOSSTYLIST GABRIEL LANGENBRUNNER

GROOMER LAUREN MCKEEVERWORDS ANA SANDOVAL

froy

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Froy Gutierrez has grown from being the “strange kid in the playground that would come up with weird fan-tasies and act them out” to a real, working actor. The Dallas native has now starred in the popular show Teen Wolf.

Froy’s journey to get to where he is today has not been entirely linear. Growing up, Froy was always interested in film and acting. Still, he decided not to fully pursue it and went to college to study economics. Froy’s journey closely resembles that of one of his idols: Brit Marling. “I’m a huge fan of Brit Marling (she did The OA on Net-flix) because she writes, produces and stars in all of her art. She went to Hollywood after working for Goldman Sachs for two year, similar to me, I was actually in college studying economics before I began acting. She quit her job and moved to LA like I did. She got to Hollywood and was so tired of doing the same roles of like crying wife and helpless woman so she took pen to paper. She literally went to the local library and read about produc-ing and screenwork. She took her career into her own hands, which is something that I’m really try to do. I’m really big on writing as well as acting, I’m trying to get into producing this year.” Froy, only 19 years-old, is not afraid to push his boundaries and experiment with his art. This drive and innovation is what landed him the role of Nolan on the final season of Teen Wolf.

Teen Wolf revolves around Scott McCall, a high school sophomore, played by Tyler Posey, who lives in Beacon Hills. The night before his sophomore year, Scott is bit-ten by a werewolf and ends up becoming one himself. The show is all about how he manages his new identity while still trying to remain a normal teenage boy. Teen Wolf has been on the air for over eight years, earning a large following and becoming a staple show for teen-agers everywhere. Froy joined on as a cast member for the finale season of the show. While Froy was not a fan of the show before being on it, he recalls hearing all about it; “I never watched the show before I was on it, but all my friends did in high school. Tuesday mornings they would all be talking about what happened on Teen Wolf. It was very much a center piece of mine and my generation’s adolescence, so to get to be on that, spe-cially on the last season, was very wild.” To Froy, being on a show of that magnitude so early on in his career has been life-changing. “It’s really funny, I’m still finding little presents that the show has left me, I’m very slowly unwrapping them. I can’t describe the feeling, it’s like a

rainbow of emotions; everything from joy to laughter to sadness about saying goodbye to something that was such a big part of your life. Especially so for the peo-ple who had been on for eight years! I am so sensitive about it and I’ve only been on for one year.”

The show’s final season was largely anticipated by fans, and the addition of Froy’s character, Nolan, did not disappoint. But because of how popular and huge the show is, Froy could not help but be nervous. “I can be very insecure and nervous sometimes, so to go on a show as popular as Teen Wolf, I felt like I had to keep proving myself. You go on set and see the cast and get so nervous. The whole time I was there I was just this su-per serious guy, walking around with my headphones in getting into character. I felt like I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.” Froy does an outstanding job playing a very complex and complicated character, No-lan, who suffers from multiple mental illnesses and is driven by a need for acceptance and feelings of loneli-ness. Despite Nolan’s dramatic personality, Froy sees a lot of himself in his character; “Nolan is obviously kind of a crazy character. He’s got a lot of issues, and when it came out and I was watching it I said to myself, ‘Wow, Nolan is kind of a jerk!’ which I hadn’t previously real-ized because I was trying to empathize with him. So I imagined Nolan as a sweet little angel that could do no wrong. To see him on screen, I felt like a mother whose child went to jail! But I can relate to how young he is and his social anxiety, and he’s in high school. I had a very long period of time in high school where I would sit in the hallways alone because I had no one to sit with. So I took that feeling of isolation and burden of feeling like a liability to everyone and empathized to a really large degree. And Nolan, at his core, just wants to be loved! At the end, you see him smiling and happy. It was so cool to see how my character developed so quickly and went from point A to B in the span of 12 episodes.” Aside from all that his character taught him, Froy says that he learned so much about being an actor largely from the “amazing” cast. “It was the first show I’ve done where I was the youngest person on set. So being around people who had not only more work ex-perience but also life experience was great. I really got to pull from them and see how they work. Getting to see the work ethic of Tyler Posey or the cheerfulness of Dylan O’Brien. It was so cool to see them in action behind the scene.” To be surrounded by so many great actors all day pushed Froy to want to be better himself.

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Froy is currently continuing to act and work on various different projects. He is learning a lot more about how the acting industry works and how hard it can be to get parts. “You know, at one point last month I was signed up for seven projects, and in the course of two weeks I watched them all fall from my hands. And unfortunately that’s just how the industry works; learning to understand the methods behind it, how a lot of it is political, how a lot of it is people just getting in the door because they know people, is really important.” Being fully aware of these harsh realities keep Froy ready for anything. He has also set up support systems for himself when thing don’t work out to keep himself optimistic and hopeful. “If I take a loss or something doesn’t work for me I don’t get too upset. I’ll go out and have a crazy night with my friends or I’ll cut my hair! It’s kind of like a post break-up. I’ll let myself feel that pain and then I get right back to work however I can.”

There is so much of Froy that we have yet to see. He is currently working on various differ-ent projects set to come out the in the next year. “I have a lot of original music that is fin-ished and ready to come out! I have a whole conceptual design video that is going to be filmed at the end of the year, which I think fans will really like.”

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