F  L  A  U  N  T

Olivia holt is striding straight into the unfamiliar this year, and frankly, that means incredible things for us. The 23-year-old former Disney star is enjoying a personal artistic summiting with new juicy TV show, Cruel Summer, not to mention the release of brand new music. Through the pandemic, the actor and musician was hard at work, despite the distracting and complicated circumstances, creating some of her best work yet—and without question, according to the rising star, her most challenging.

Holt sits at the helm of Cruel Summer, which is quickly becoming a teen phenomenon and sparking countless conversations. Without spoiling too much of the indulgently juicy, morbid, haunting, and addictive series—which takes place over three summers in small town Texas—we follow a twisted, unfurling mystery. Charming, seemingly perfect Kate—portrayed by Holt—disappears into the basement of the convincingly austere Vice Principal, and another girl takes her place. “It was the quickest read I’ve ever read,” she says of the period before filming. “I get scripts sent to me all the time, and sometimes it takes me days to read them. But this one I read in one sitting, and I immediately wanted to be a part of the project.” 

Despite tailoring to a young adult audience (though I’d venture to say the project will likely entertain and ensnare all age groups), the show is far from light and simple. The gruesome storyline, which takes place over three years, functions more like three separate shows occurring simultaneously. In so doing, Holt takes us on a challenging and gut-wrenching journey. Having to sit with the role for weeks without a break, she embodied the tragedy experienced by Kate—a portrayal that is both impenetrable and dense, with Holt’s contribution unyielding and deeply committed. She’s quick to point out, though, that the process was not an easy one and occasionally took its toll. “I had more challenging days than not,” she reflects. “I had to do a lot of research and educate myself on a lot of really intense and heavy subject points. I really had a hard time compartmentalizing what I was performing, and then coming home, and trying to bring myself back to reality.”

Amidst the groundswell of cultural reckoning occurring in Hollywood in recent years, Holt confronts and ignores stereotypes given to women in film. Cruel Summer rejects the one-dimensionality often assigned to Holt’s contemporaries by featuring a bold cast of empathetic, flawed, powerful, confusing, loving and all-around complex women. As Holt describes, “I love watching projects where there’s a leading female, and where they do have all of those layers—they’re not just surface, they don’t have that stereotypical thing about them.” 

Despite the guise as a teen drama, the show approaches challenging conversations rarely present onscreen. “We had lots of communication and conversations about how we were going to execute this,” Holt shares on navigating the darkness of the subject matter, the importance of accuracy, and the need to be respectful. “The dialogue was so important, and mannerisms—the small little looks, like every little detail of this episode, was so important to show. I’m a better person because of this role, and I am so much more aware of who I am and who the women are around me.”

As mentioned, TV isn’t the only creative field that Holt revisited this summer. She also created entirely new music atop her acting commitments. It’s a new era, and her thematically on point track, “Next”, is no exception. The song, which released at the end of June and is co-written by Meghan Trainor, feels and sounds like liberation and joy—a testament to how Holt has grown and changed over the years. In reference to her heartbreaks and growth, Holt shares, “I’m starting to embrace those things instead of feeling insecure about those things. And I feel like I’m just in such a liberating headspace, and that is sort of the tone of where my music is. I want it to be vulnerable, and I want it to be real and raw and transparent, but I also want it to be fun, because I want people to enjoy life and to enjoy every little thing about themselves—and to not be afraid to just let go.” After this bewildering year of isolation and reflection, these satisfying anthems for female growth seem to have come at the perfect time.

As a young feminine powerhouse, it’s clear Holt has indeed turned challenges into meaningful lessons and ammunition. “I now have learned the power of ‘No,’” she says. “And I just gained this whole new competence about decision making, whether it’s personal or professional—the resilience is there.” This registers as a mantra for women finding their self-worth and strength, and Holt compounds it thoughtfully, “I only want to love every layer of me and to have a tribe that are my champions.”

Now that we’re spoiled with new Olivia Holt content, it’s hard to not want more. We can’t help but ask her what everyone is dying to know—what about season two? “If we go into the second season and continue on this story, I think that there are some interesting topic points there, even if it goes in a different direction.” After a conversation with the astoundingly mature and insightful Holt, one doesn’t have a lot of reservations about her adaptability—no matter the direction. 

Photographer: Kurt Iswarienko

Stylist: Savannah White at The Wall Group

Hair: Marissa Marino at A-Frame Agency

Makeup: Tonya Brewer at Dew Beauty Agency

Producer: Garett Quigley