Complex female roles draw Biel, Holt to ‘Cruel Summer’
By Elizabeth Wagmeister
When Olivia Holt rose to prominence on Disney XD’s “Kickin’ It” in 2011, she was barely 14 years old — the same age as Jessica Biel when she began working on the family drama “7th Heaven,” 15 years earlier.
Now, the two women have teamed up for “Cruel Summer,” Freeform’s psychological thriller airing Tuesdays in which Holt stars as Kate Wallis, a high schooler who goes missing. Her classmate, Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), is accused of being connected to her disappearance, which becomes the central mystery of the series. The story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion over three years in the mid-’90s.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to be part of this project is because of the incredible team of women behind (it),” says Holt, referring to Biel, who serves as executive producer, along with showrunner Tia Napolitano and Michelle Purple, Biel’s producing partner at their Iron Ocean production banner.
Though Holt is barely into her mid-20s, the actor has seen a progressive change for female characters since she started out in the business as a preteen.
“Just by the scripts and the auditions that I’m getting, I’m noticing such a massive shift. When I was a kid, I don’t think I really understood why there was only the same role for women — the arm candy of the guy. There wasn’t anything interesting about the women,” Holt says. “We can now see ourselves, and that’s so important, especially for generations to come.”
Holt is excited about playing Wallis because she is a character who speaks her mind. In the future, she’d love an action role like Lara Croft or going back to “The Great Gatsby” times for a period piece, but first
Biel, left, and Holt
and foremost, Holt is interesting in portraying strong women.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to play such different characters, but at the forefront, these women have all had such a strong voice, and I want to continue on that path,” Holt says.
She is also interested in producing, and spent time learning from the female forces on the “Cruel Summer” set. Biel told Holt that she was around her same age when she began to learn about producing and development.
Biel is in awe of the maturity, confidence and fresh ideas her “Cruel Summer” cast, including Holt, brings to the table.
“I would tell these ladies the pitfalls that I stepped into and what to watch out for, but these young women are so much more together than I was at that time,” Biel laughs. “They are dedicated and driven, and they have a plan — they want to be involved behind the scenes, they want to write, they want to direct, they want to sing, they want to do it all.”
Starting off as a child actor herself, Biel wasn’t inspired just by her Gen Z cast but also by today’s evolving teen television genre.
“‘7th Heaven’ was a really particular show. It was one side of being a teen and being a kid,” Biel says. “It was much more protected and not really pushing boundaries; it was dealing with issues, but being really sensitive about them for families.”
“But now, we can tell everybody’s story and tap into really challenging experiences that teenagers are going through,” Biel says, noting shows like “Euphoria” and “Sex Education.” “When I was working and looking and trying to be stimulated creatively and be challenged, I definitely did not have those opportunities.”
Biel says she would have jumped at “Cruel Summer” when she was starting out, which is why her production company signed on to the series.
“What I’m always looking for is stories with complex female characters to really provide a platform for female perspectives and female stories,” she says.