Tell Me Lies, the new college drama basedo the best-selling novel by Carola Lovering, is a little like The OC meets Gossip Girl. It follows a turbulent but intoxicating relationship between Lucy Albright (Grace Van Pattern) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), as their addictive entanglement unfolds over the course of eight years.
Van Pattern tells marie claire Australia all about toxic exes, growing up on the set of The Sopranos, and the advice she wishes she could share with her character Lucy.
marie claire: Congratulations on Tell Me Lies. What drew you to the script?
Grace Van Pattern: I thought that the show took young people’s feelings so seriously, which you don’t see very often. People are often afraid to delve into that, because it’s a really scary formative time. I liked the way it captured really raw, toxic love in a thought-out and layered way. Everyone is able to relate to that time when we had that opportunity, whether it was going to college or starting a new job, to reinvent and find themselves. The show goes deep into these people’s psyches in a pretty uncomfortable way.
[Tell Me Lies is set in the early 2000s], so it’s refreshing to see Blackberries instead of the Apple logo everywhere. It’s interesting because you see that there were just as many issues and problems before social media for young people.
MC: Is there a crossover between the book and the show?
GVP: The show definitely takes its own path with the characters and the storyline in a really cool way. I’m excited for the fans of the book to now see the series because there’ll be surprises for everyone. The showrunner, Megan is a young woman and I feel like she understood these roles so well. Every character feels like somebody you know or grew up with.
MC: Emma Roberts is an executive producer of the series. What was it like working together?
GVP: I had met her a few times before we started shooting and she’s so creative and smart. It was so cool seeing her in that position because I had only known her as an actress.
MC: You filmed Nine Perfect Strangers over five months in Australia with Nicole Kidman during a pandemic. How was that experience?
It felt like I was really able to escape the chaos. It was beautiful during that time, because everyone had been so isolated, so to all come together in this lovely place and connect again and work again. It was life-saving. Nicole, [who stayed in character the entire time], was dedicated to its fullest. I’m so inspired by her.
MC: The show centres around a wellness facility. What’s your wellness philosophy?
GVP: I was never that extremist in taking care of myself. I like nice face masks and bubble baths, but filming the show was really eye-opening, especially to all the new wellness tactics out there. I learned a lot through that about how we as a culture are obsessed with self-care and self-transformation. We want to look better and feel better as quickly as possible, but not many people are willing to actually go through the work to do that.
MC: Your father was a director on Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos. What career advice has he given you?
GVP: To stay curious and stay open. He’s very adamant about keeping the mind open and not closing any doors and just continuing to read and to explore and enhance your passion and creativity. That’s what I live by.
MC: Your first acting gig was an episode of The Sopranos. What memories do you have from that experience?
GVP: I remember being so fascinated by James Gandolfini and Edie Falco and seeing these amazing, beautiful people, who I knew in real life, turn into these monsters.
MC: You starred in the production of This Is Our Youth with Lucas Hedges and Paul Mescal, are you interested in producing more stage work?
GVP: This is our Youth is one of my favourite plays and Kenneth Lonergan is one of my favourite writers. The production was done virtually during the COVID-19 lockdown, so I would love to do that in real life at some point. I’ve been in two plays in the past and they were both the scariest, but best experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve never felt so fulfilled at the end of something.
MC: What are you currently watching?
GVP: I am deep into Love Island right now. I’m addicted.
MC: What’s a role you’d love to play next?
GVP: I would love to do a comedy. I’ve done things that are comedic, but to be able to do full-on comedy, where I don’t have to cry in every scene, would be really nice. I would love to take on something less emotionally intense.
MC: I’m not surprised! Especially after your last two shows (Tell Me Lies and Nine Perfect strangers).
GVP: I mean, you’re only on episode four of Tell Me Lives…
MC: Oh no, what am I in for?
GVP: Lucy loses her shit, big time. But it’s so unaware of it. She thinks that she’s totally finding herself and is in love and in her own power, but from an outsider’s perspective, you just want to tell her to run!
Tell Me Lies is now streaming on Disney+. Sign up here during Disney+ Day to get the first month for just $1.99.
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