- I feel like I don't know anything about you.
- [Grace] I used to be good at socializing.
- [Man] What changed?
- [Grace] Nine months ago,
a car swerved coming around a bend and flipped.
- [Woman] Come here. ♪ How I can ♪
- Now, this is the first movie
you've ever both started and executive produced.
What was the biggest difference you felt
being in the executive producer role for the first time?
- It was wonderful because I was really able
to be involved from start to finish,
which is something that as an actor, I've always enjoyed.
Even when I did my first PBS pilot
at 13 years old, I wanted to be involved in everything.
Like as soon as we finished, as soon as we wrapped,
I was still emailing the director.
I was very annoying.
So I appreciated the fact that I was able
to fully be involved from start to finish
and have my opinion actually taken into consideration.
So that was just a really fun experience.
And one that I wanna continue from here on out.
I would love to continue executive producing.
- Why'd you give up writing?
- I was asked to write something
about someone really important to me
but I just couldn't find the words.
- It's funny cause I can't find the words when I talk
and you can't find the words when you write.
- Now, you wrote some of your new poetry book,
Swimming Lessons on set, right?
- I was finished with that book.
All of my poems were in that book already,
but I did write poetry as I was filming Chemical Hearts.
- So how did your experience on set,
inspire your poetry you were writing?
- Well, actually, I was reading in order to kind of keep
my somber melancholy frame of mind on set.
I was reading a book of poems about grief, actually.
I dunno how I found that book.
And so reading poetry was obviously
and helped inspire me to write as well,
but also just even everything that Grace was feeling,
I felt that I was feeling as well
because I was really internalizing her character.
So a lot of poems just kind of came naturally
from being in character and letting myself
feel the flow of emotions that Grace was feeling.
- And speaking of emotions, you're someone who is always
really open and honest with your fans
about struggles you're going through.
Why is that so important to you
to be open and honest with them in that way?
Yeah, I think it's therapeutic for me.
Even though I have my friends,
my close friends that I can confide in and my family,
it is always an extra level of I don't know,
just putting it out there into the world to be like,
"Yeah, I'm struggling with something right now."
I think if you want to know me and follow my journey
and support me as an actor and a human being,
I don't have a problem with you knowing
that I am struggling with whatever I'm struggling with.
I think it's just important to normalize
talking about how you feel.
I don't wanna be an enigma,
just this figure on social media,
who you see in a magazine or in a movie,
I want to be a human being.
And I want you to know that I have emotions
and have my own life going on.
And I think that kind of adds a level of respect
that hopefully people can have for you as a person.
- And just the other day,
you went on social media and you called out an outlet
who took a quote and misconstrued it.
And that can seem to be the hard part of social media
right now, as an actor.
People feel entitled to know so much about your life,
but at the same time,
it gives you the platform to go on there
and speak directly to your fans.
How would you describe your relationship with social media?
- I think I really try to be as genuine as possible
on social media.
And I'm actually very thankful that I have the opportunity
to if something's said about me that was misconstrued,
which that article completely was, I'm talking about a movie
that's involving heartache and depression.
And so it's very easy for people
to twist that and make it seem like I'm talking
about my own personal life.
And I think I was taken advantage of in that way.
And so I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna say it how it is."
I'm gonna go straight to my fans,
the people who are reading this content and be like,
"Hey, that's not what I said, that wasn't the context."
And I want people to know that.
I don't have to do that, but I felt the need to.
I don't want my words to be twisted.
I don't like publicity around my personal life.
I don't want that, that's gross to me.
I'm here, I'm talking about my film
and then it becomes about something else.
And so I think it just felt important for me
to be as genuine and open as possible on my social media,
just from the get go.
(upbeat music)
- [Grace] It's almost too much to feel.
(upbeat music)