In five years, Izzy G has gone from starring alongside RuPaul in Netflix’s hour-long dramedy “AJ and the Queen,” to starring in Chuck Lorre‘s network sitcom “B Positive,” to a breakout role as a real-life, controversial figure in the mini-series “Under the Bridge.” And she’s still only 15 years old. Whether or not “Bridge” is rewarded with a slew of Emmy nominations next month, the Hulu program has been a showcase for a slew of teenage acting talents, including Izzy G, that will make their mark for years to come.
During an interview with The Playlist last week, Izzy G was appropriately blunt about how she found her character. Based on the real events surrounding the 1997 death of 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) in British Columbia, Canada, “Bridge” finds Izzy G portraying Kelly Ellard, a member of Virk’s social circle. To say Ellard’s actions at the time were eyebrow-raising even for a troubled teenager is something of an understatement. And, yes, Izzy G was well aware of what she was getting into.
“There was no humanizing Kelly. Kelly is a very difficult human to act out, to convey, to portray, because there’s so much hidden,” Izzy G explains. “So, I feel like through all of my research, through are all of the things that I was given. There were a couple of things that I could use to drive the hurt that she had inside of her. [But] don’t come to me and be like ‘Izzy said this. Izzy said that,’ I don’t know, it might not be true, but she might’ve been a victim of abuse from her stepbrother and her father. She might’ve witnessed her mother being abused by her father. So, even if it wasn’t true, that was something that I could really just use to turn and twist her into a character. But also realizing that I can’t play Kelly. This series is not a documentary. And I didn’t know Kelly, I didn’t know who Kelly was. I didn’t know anybody who knew Kelly. So, instead of playing Kelly Ellard, I focused on playing a 15-year-old girl who was very troubled and very disturbed and very manipulative.”
Izzy G goes on to share her thoughts on “Bridge’s” unexpected popularity, how she bonded with her fellow castmates, how she initially found Kelly through her compassion for Reena’s story and much more.
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The Playlist: Are you aware of how popular “Under the Bridge” has been so far?
Izzy G: I mean, I really am happy that people are connecting with “Under the Bridge” and how they’re watching it. I’ll get messages and stuff like that on Instagram, and I do see them, by the way. I just don’t always respond because I can’t, but I do see them and people are like, “I relate so much to Reena Virk, and thank you for telling her story.” And “I feel seen and I feel heard” Or even just, “I look up to you” and stuff, and it’s really amazing to see the amount of people that are connecting with it. And even more so now because the show’s officially out, and so people are going in and they’re really binging it.
That’s amazing. No, I was going to say, that I just went online on Hulu last night, it’s still in the top five, most watched on Hulu. And it’s been over for what, a week?
I just can’t believe it. I mean, it has been number one on Hulu eight times in a row, and it is crazy. You always want it to be good and stuff like that, and to really see it thrive, it’s just, it’s mind-blowing and it’s amazing. It really is. It’s such a testament to the work and stuff, and I couldn’t be more proud of everybody.
Are you still 15 or have you turned 16 yet?
I’m turning 16 in August. Oh,
O.K., Leo. Same. Alright!
Leo? Yes!
Leo, let’s go! How old were you when you shot the show?
I was 14 years old. I originally got [the role] when I had just turned 14, so I think two years ago today, or not today, what the heck? Two years ago, A little bit after my birthday would be when I got it. So I basically had just turned 14, got the audition, went to Vancouver, and filmed it.
Do you remember what scene you auditioned with from the script?
There was two. There was my original audition and then the camera scene. So, I had the train scene and then I also had the court scene. So, I had those two really big scenes. And then for the camera scene, I think it was the scene after Reena gets drunk with Joe and she comes downstairs and stuff and she’s doing the sign and stuff and she’s like, “What the hell was that?” That was my camera read, that was my chemistry test.
Did they, have you audition with any of the other young actors? Did you guys do any sort of chemistry test stuff?
Yes, I did it with Chloe [Guidry] and Vritika [Gupta] I think. Yeah, Chloe and Vritika. Those were my girls.
In-person or on zoom?
It was really crazy because it’s so hard on Zoom. It’s so hard on Zoom, it’s so hard. The lag is crazy. I feel like a news anchor, seriously, but it’s crazy. You could tell, even in the camera read, you could tell that it was going to work.
It’s very impressive that you’re playing these characters who have been through rough, dark times. We all have things in our lives that are tough, but how did you relate to her in that respect?
Yeah, I mean that was the thing that I related to was Reena. I think for me, everybody has gone through bullying. Everybody has gone through being an outcast or being pushed away. But also I related because my friend was going through a very similar situation to Reena. She had been dealing with the same thing that was driving the bullying for Reena was also driving the bullying for my friend. And I think it wasn’t just to tell Reena Virk’s story, of course, that was a huge part of it, but it was also to tell a very close friend of mine who I have grown up with the story and as well as people who relate to Reena Virk.
That’s an amazing answer. I’m going to use that. But what I meant to ask is how did you relate to Kelly? How did you find her?
How did I relate to Kelly? Through Reena, seriously. Through Reena first connecting with the project and then moving on to Kelly. There was no humanizing Kelly. Kelly is a very difficult human to act out, to convey, to portray, because there’s so much hidden. So, I feel like through all of my research, through are all of the things that I was given. There were a couple of things that I could use to drive the hurt that she had inside of her. [But] don’t come to me and be like “Izzy said this. Izzy said that,” I don’t know, it might not be true, but she might’ve been a victim of abuse from her stepbrother and her father. She might’ve witnessed her mother being abused by her father. So even if it wasn’t true, that was something that I could really just use to turn and twist her into a character. But also realizing that I can’t play Kelly. This series is not a documentary. And I didn’t know Kelly, I didn’t know who Kelly was. I didn’t know anybody who knew Kelly. So, instead of playing Kelly Ellard, I focused on playing a 15-year-old girl who was very troubled very disturbed, and very manipulative.
So, at least in Canada, Kelly still gets herself in the news if she needs to. She has not disappeared from the public eye all these years later. Did you find any even recent videos of her or interviews or anything that you used as a reference? Or were you like, “Nope, I don’t need that. I’m going to do my own thing”?
Yeah, I mean, obviously studying the character there were so many mannerisms that she had just watching her walk to court and stuff and seeing how when she would walk, how her hands, her sleeves were over her palms like that. And that doesn’t seem that big, [and] I don’t want to say insecurity thing, but it can come off as that. And really adding that into Kelly, covering her stomach with her bag or her hands when she was out in public. Just trying to add those little things into Kelly to make her seem like a 3D functional human being.
The series has a lot of different types of scenes for you to tackle. There’s even a fight sequence in that bathroom where you sort of get beat up. There’s stunt choreography there. How tough was that to do? Was there a stunt person who stood in for you? How did that work?
Yeah, I mean, there were a lot of moments where they did use the stunt doubles just because it was very intense. But Vritika said something beautiful. She had said when we were doing rehearsals, it didn’t feel as heavy as it did when we shot it. So when we were shooting it, it was like, “Whoa, it feels so heavy.” It’s just you’re lost in the scene. You’re just going. “I mean, that was really difficult.” The fight scenes were really difficult. And I mean, the bathroom scene where I get beat up, that was kind of fun. I got to have blood on my face and stuff. I was talking with our makeup [artist] and I was like, “Just make it big and we could drip down on my shirt and stuff.” I’m really happy to have worked with them and our stunt doubles and our team and our cast on that scene, as well as all the other ones who really helped support it. And then were there for all of us when we needed it.
Especially with the pivotal scenes underneath the bridge, there are a lot of flashbacks throughout the entire series. Did you shoot those sequences all at one time, or were you continually going back to the bridge set and shooting with different directors?
When we were shooting the show, there was a lot of different episodes being shot at the same time. So there was [episodes] one and two being filmed at the same time. There was a part of [episode] three, some of four, the end of three…we tried to go in a row, but at the same time it was, that’s how it works with shooting. It’ll go all over the place every once in a while, as soon as you get the script. But the fighting scene definitely wasn’t shot at the same time. There was a lot of parts to that. There was being at the party, which, oh my God, shooting that in Vancouver. Vancouver, freezing cold and raining. It wasn’t supposed to rain, but it started raining and we were so busy on scheduled time that we were like, “O.K., Vancouver, Canada!” So there was that part that we shot, and we also shot with the same director, the running down the street, chasing after her, going down under the bridge, coming back out. And then the fighting was, I think with Kevin [Phillips] who directed two and eight.
Oh, that sounds like a lot.
I think that was with Kevin and Quinn [Shepard]. I think both of them helped with that scene for sure. Yeah, it was both of them that kind of helped with that part. So yeah, I was kind of all over the place for sure.
Should I assume the toughest scene for you was the scene in the court case when Reena was on the stand, or was that easier because you’d auditioned with it?
I mean, I think with this show there were so many difficult scenes. There were so many difficult moments, and they were all difficult in their own way. It’s such a heavy show. But I think one of the most difficult ones was the court scene and the fighting and under the bridge. And for me, those were the really, really, really hard, difficult days just for me personally, mentally and stuff. Everybody was amazing, but especially the court team, it was such a highly emotional day. It was so high. I was screaming, my hands hurt from banging on the table and everybody was so supportive. There was a woman who was in the background, she was in the court, she was in the stands and stuff, and I was banging on the table and she had come over to me and I’m hysteric some crying and stuff, and she’s so sweet. [She gave me] like an icy hot stick or something like that. And she was like, “Here you go. It helps. You won’t even feel it right now and stuff.” And I put it on and I felt so much better. And just the support that I had from everyone on that day, I’m so grateful for her. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
You’re sort of lucky because in the context of this series, you’re not in every scene, but you’re in every episode. You’re a significant part of it. Is it easy for you to watch yourself on screen and judge your performance? Or is it something you don’t like to do?
I think for me, when you get so lost into a character, you don’t see yourself anymore.That’s how I look, even not really though, because my eyebrows are shaved off and my hair was to here. But it’s like even watching it, I don’t see me, so I don’t feel like I can judge it because I was so lost and into Kelly. I was so lost. To the point of where after I came home, I kind of had to find who I was again without her because obviously I’m growing up while shooting the show and having her is such a significant part of my life for almost for half a year and more. It was letting her go was definitely emotional for sure. And then to see it on screen and the beautiful work that was done, it’s just, I can’t judge it.
Before I let you go, you’re in high school now, but what do you love about acting? Is this something you want to still be doing 10 years from now?
I think it’s something I want to be doing for the rest of my life. I’ve been doing it since I was little and it’s just a part of me at this point. I mean, I couldn’t imagine my life without acting. If I never acted. I would still be in Louisiana in my little school with my little southern friends and I would still be there and now I’m here. And I wouldn’t have met my best friend without acting. I met her on “Under the Bridge” and I wouldn’t have been able to experience the things I’ve experienced with her or met RuPaul Charles. I wouldn’t have been able to do the things that I’ve been able to do. And I love it so much. And losing myself in a character? I couldn’t imagine not doing it.
“Under the Bridge” is available on Hulu