Greer Grammer stars on the award winning cable TV comedy favorite, MTV’s Awkward. Greer’s dedication and passion for her craft is being rewarded as she lands roles that position her perfectly as a breakout star. All while juggling her senior year at the University of Southern California in the Theater Arts Program and she was recently featured in Teen Vogue as “The girl everyone’s going to be talking about this season.”
As the daughter of actor Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) and sister of Spencer Grammer (Greek), she is no stranger to the entertainment industry.
She co-stars with Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl), Adam Brody (The O.C.),Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) in one of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival’s top 10 indie films, Life Partners. This film is a touching story of friendship between two very different girls who struggle with the issues of love, relationship and loyalty.
Greer started her career at a very young age while attending the Idlywild Arts Academy as a musical theater major. She began her career in pageantry, winning multiple pageant titles including Miss Teen Malibu (2008-2009) and placed top 10 for Miss California Teen USA (2008-2010). Greer then went on to land her first TV role on Nickelodeon’s iCarly.
I spoke with her over the summer. This is what she had to say about college, her hit show and recent film:
L’Etage: How do you find time to keep up with your studies at USC and have a demanding acting career?
GG: Honestly? Time management. It’s really tough. I do full time in the fall and part time in the spring because that’s when we film. But usually when I’m on set, I’m either filming or I’m in my trailer reading or studying. It’s hard but it’s so rewarding. I love my job and I love being a college student so I find time to make both work.
L’Etage: What was filming Life Partners like?
GG: So awesome! I only filmed a couple of days but I loved it. Everyone was so cool and it was such a fun movie to film. And to be able to work with such amazing people was awesome.
L’Etage: What is the film about?
GG: The film is about two best friends, Paige and Sascha, one lesbian and one straight, and they’re friendship and what happens when one of them starts moving on with their life and gets in a serious relationship.
L’Etage: Who is your character, Mia?
GG: My character Mia is a love interest of Leighton Meester’s character, Sascha. They meet one night at a bar and kind of keep running into each other throughout the movie. Mia is much younger than Sascha so she’s very carefree and spirited and doesn’t have to worry about it. The dynamic is really interesting.
L’Etage: What is Awkward about?
GG: Awkward is about high school and everything that it entails. It follows the life of Jenna Hamilton and her relationships with everyone at the school. Her best friends, the bully, the popular boy, the nice guy, etc…
L’Etage: Are there any similarities between you and your character Lissa?
GG: Oh absolutely! Lissa is really upbeat, and silly and outgoing and I’m definitely the same way.
L’Etage: How do you prepare for your roles?
GG: Depends on the role! I usually work on mine with an acting coach as the first step, go over the lines etc… The most important thing for me is to just really try to get in the mindset of my character.
Follow Greer on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Greer_Grammer
The new season of Awkward starts Tuesday, September 23 on MTV at 10:00PM PST/9:00PM CST
Take a look at MTV’s Awkward Season 4 Premiere No Woman Is An Island episode:http://on.mtv.com/1mdkYps
Photo credit: Angelo Kritikos