Shelby Surdam stars in the forthcoming psychological thriller series “Cruel Summer” on Freeform, which premieres this April 20th. The story immediately drew the young actress in as she read the script. She talked to Rival about her character and the series storyline:

“We have amazing writers because with every episode I wanted to know more! While reading the pilot, I remember messaging my mom saying I have to be a part of this show. ‘Cruel Summer’ is a psychological thriller that takes place in the span of three summers 1993-1995. We have Kate, who goes missing, and another girl, Jeanette, who is accused of her disappearance. I play Tenielle — who is a friend to both of these girls. Tenielle is one of the queen bees. She's a spitfire who tells it like she sees it.”

Shelby couldn’t give too much away, but she shared that her favorite episodes were probably numbers six and eight (“though episode five was pretty fun too!”) She loved working with the rest of the cast and shared a fond memory from working on the show:

“Everyone in the cast was so fantastic and sweet! Lucky enough, I had already worked with Aaliyah,
(who plays Renee) on a previous project, and knew Froy, (who plays Jamie) from acting class. It really put me at ease, so there is a lot of love there. We really became a family.
The first memory that I can think of is Chiara (who plays Jeanette) and I were trying to get this photo in between takes where it's us chewing bubble gum and trying to blow a bubble. I don't think we ever got the photo, but we had five or six pieces of bubble gum in our mouths. Just a lot of saliva and giggling.”

Shelby discussed what her childhood was like growing up and how she first discovered her love for acting:

“My mom was a teacher, my dad was in the military, and I have two younger sisters. We moved a bit, so I became homeschooled in seventh grade all the way to high school graduation, so I'm really close to my family. They’ve been fully supportive of me wanting to pursue acting from the very beginning, which I am so grateful for.
My mom used to take me and my sister to see the local theatre plays and musicals. I think that's when I discovered I wanted to try acting. I think I was either thirteen or fourteen. I wanted to learn about film acting - it was like a bug. I just wanted to learn everything about it and knew it was something I would always want to do.”

As an actress, she’s still learning more about what takes place behind the scenes — it takes a village to get a project up and running and she wants to know everything that goes into it. She cites her inspirations who have helped her along her journey so far:

“Reese Witherspoon has definitely inspired me. I would watch ‘Legally Blonde’ while doing my homework so I would feel motivated. The movie ‘What's Eating Gilbert Grape’ really stuck with me, as well as the show ‘Freaks and Geeks.’ My mom introduced me to the show when I was young and I loved it! It's funny and relatable. I even had an army green jacket just so I looked like Lindsey!”

It would be a dream come true if she ever had the chance to work alongside some of her favorite artists. That long list includes Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Brie Larson, and Sarah Paulson. “It would be a dream to work with any of them on anything!”

For Shelby, the most challenging part of being an actor is the rejection — getting a thousand no’s just for one yes. However, she finds filming to be the most rewarding aspect of the artistry.

“Getting to do the thing you love and are most passionate about. I think once it is ready to be shared is the scariest part because the project is your baby and it's going out into the world!”

Her future aspirations involve taking on future projects and roles that challenge her; pursuing something she’s never done before or characters that respond differently than she would. When reading a script, she questions if it’s something she would want to watch and keeps that thought at the forefront of her mind. Shelby recently finished watching “Titans,” the new live action series of “Teen Titans.”

“It would be really cool to be a part of that show. Especially the character Terra. I watched ‘Teen Titans’ on Cartoon Network when I was younger so the character Terra would be kick ass to play.

Shelby shared the best piece of advice she’s been given and her biggest dream: “Just enjoy it and have fun! And just be yourself. I still get in my head or stress sometimes, so I try to remember that.

My biggest, wildest dream would be that I have my own production company. That I help other artists achieve their dream, vision, and tell stories that need to be told. I would love to direct, and right now I’m writing. Doing all of that plus acting, of course. I really dream of doing it all.”

If she wasn’t an actress, she would probably start selling her handmade beanies and take up photography! Shelby finds a lot of nostalgia in older Disney Channel original movies like “Phantom of the Megaplex” or “Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off.” And any form of art and source of creativity inspires her: “I have friends who are so talented that inspire me. Even my family, the people I surround myself with.”

In her free time, she enjoys lounging and hanging out with her friends and family. They usually watch TV and movies together. Her favorite solitary activities include scrapbooking, making beanies, reading, and writing. She’s a huge fan of shows like “Park and Recreation,” “New Girl,” and “The Office” (she even named her rescue pup after Jim Halpert!) When she was younger, she was into “Glee” and “Doctor Who” (“I was a Ten/Eleven girl myself.”)

If there was a film she could have been a part of, it would be “Roman Holiday” with Audrey Hepburn (“There's something about a princess leaving her duties to check out Rome on her own that sounds nice”), or the movie “Almost Famous.” “I would want to be William Miller because Kate Hudson was so good as Penny Lane.”

If someone was going to make her life into a movie, she would like Margot Robbie or Emma Stone to play her role, or she’d like the possibility of portraying as sisters. “People have told me I look like Margot Robbie or Emma Stone. They are gorgeous and talented, so I would not object if they played an older version of me or maybe we could even play sisters!”

As our conversation concluded, Shelby gave some advice to aspiring artists:

“Keep moving forward. It’s always when you least expect something that it happens!”

Be sure to follow Shelby on Instagram to keep up with her journey!

https://instagram.com/shelbysurdam

“Cruel Summer” premieres on April 20th at 9/8pm ET/PT on Freeform!

“Shelby Surdam talks about her new role in the psychological thriller Freeform series ‘Cruel Summer’”

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