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Write a note in this area. It's really easy to share with others. Click here ...An Interview with Lauren Bell of Schmucker Life + American Horror Story
by Stacy Glisson
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Lauren Bell, mostly known for being one of the many talented child stars of the smash success "Beiger Days" reality TV show, and one of its later spin-offs, "Schmucker Life", has now made the transition to a full teen idol. Although she has taken a slight break in her work, she returns with a new album, and a new performance in FX's "American Horror Story". We talked over the phone about life after reality TV, making albums, Claire's, and of course, boys.

Q: Hi! You're riding on the success of American Horror Story's successful season premiere, but also, you're releasing a new album soon. How do you feel?

A: Oh, awesome! It's so cool to be in this position, you know, as an actress and singer it's a very rare thing. You only get these highs so often, so I am just living it up while I can. [laughs]

Q: Schmucker Life just ended last year, and this is your first school year in a while that hasn't been filmed. The show was pretty controversial, but you maintain that it was a good experience. How it's feel to be out of the light during school days?

A: It's different. That's how I'll describe it. I mean, part of me misses it. Some really great memories came out of those times, but I was also under complete lockdown-- couldn't even reveal basic details. The school was like, hyper-monitored to prevent people from getting in. We switched to hidden cameras in elementary, so we weren't always aware of the filming, but you couldn't ever truly feel comfortable with it sometimes-- it's nice to sit and do stupid stuff in class and not worry about it being on ABC, you know. [laughs] But there's Snapchat now, so that covers that base. I can feel a little more relaxed.

Q: How is it to have a way more personal life now? Any boys?

A: Um, yes, some. [laughs] Teenage crushes in school, but I do have a boyfriend, Finn [Wolfhard]. We met filming something I can't give anymore details on, but it's been a good experience so far. He's so funny and awesome, we just fit together really well. He's great to me.

Q: Oh, I would press you for more, but.. And I'm glad it's going well!

A: Thank you! And yeah, I'll talk more when I can, but I really don't want a PR department after me. [laughs]

Q: You guys were the talk of every award show-- ended up winning two Emmys by the end of it. Why do you think the show was such a success?

A: It was so big with kids mostly, because it was relatable. It wasn't some forty-something executive with kids sitting in front of his computer typing up a script, you know. It was us just being us. Sometimes it was boring, and sometimes it was fun. It was always real. After that, someone suggested we do music at Beiger. It was ugly at first, and then "2" sold like a crazy amount, and it spiraled after that. Then at Schmucker, that realness just continued. We were just being us, and that's appealing. Real people are what draws people in. That, and drama. Which they didn't script, middle school is just that bad. [laughs]

Q: A lot of people have asked why the show hasn't continued through high school-- why is that?

A: Our school is just too big for it to ever feasibly work. The freshmen class is huge, we are one of the biggest high schools in Indiana. It's too many kids, the familiarity of it would be gone as there's two other middle schools with kids we never met. Plus, I think we are entitled to four years of no cameras. [laughs] Also, no one would produce it. We were sad at first, but it's been kind of a blessing in disguise. I don't want to be only about Schmucker. My identity isn't confined to middle school. No one wants to be in middle school or high school forever.

Q: Onto your new projects. Your new album, "Flatline" is out next week on Reprise. People have commented a lot about the album title and its contents. What are your thoughts on it?

A: The title? It references the jokes people were making about all of our careers flatlining after Schmucker or Beiger Life. Honestly, a lot of the kids don't want entertainment careers, so it was me out there, defending them. I wanted to fight back against that myth that we were all doomed for mediocrity. The album itself is pretty.. all over the place. It's just what I like. It's hints of people like The Decemberists, or um, Gorillaz, or Marina and the Diamonds. It's a lot, but I think everyone did a great job making it seamless, even though it sort of jumps around. I'm very proud of it and even prouder of the fact that I wrote most of it.

Q: You've released two albums before-- "New Wings", and "Sincerely, Lauren". These albums did pretty good across the board. You toured for them, even, but took a break after New Wings. What's different about these albums?

A: They are less organic. I wrote a lot of them, but they are very filtered. I was trying to be cool, so they let me have an image I partially controlled, but the record company wanted me to be sort of softer, so it's not really very authentic. It's not their fault, they had a specific image for me they had to adhere to for PR purposes. As pieces of art, they are decent. I had a lot of fun touring them, but the entire time I was sort of lukewarm about the music itself. This time, I feel like it's accurate to me as a person, and I can wholly back it.

Q: How has was the process for recording itself?

A: So fun. I felt so lucky that I got to work with people like Max Martin, who actually produced some of "New Wings", and also some new people, Shellback and Dann Huff. I got some real advice, and some real helpful bits and pieces. We just played around. I would bring in a song for Max, and he would say, "Oh, I like this, but maybe this would work better," and then he would come up with a beat and it would be that simple. It was very relaxed, which helped it be very real and authentic. I feel lucky for that.

Q: As for your acting, you recently became a regular on Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story. How has it been to work with some true acting greats?

A: Indescribable. I took a slight hiatus from acting, but I'm back now, and it feels so good. I was expecting to maybe book some like, chill, low-brow but fun work, or none at all, [laughs] and then I went in for this, and Ryan and Brad told me they were actually going to call me before I came in. I read for Maddy, and the rest was history. The actual part of working with so many amazing talents, like Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and you know, people like them-- Zach Quinto, Cheyenne [Jackson], the list just goes on. I learn every day from them. They are truly amazing.

Q: Your character is already becoming a fan favorite. How has the process been to develop Maddy, this sort of neurotic, worried schoolgirl?

A: Oh, so fun! I've loved every second of it. I'm pretty comfortable with her now, but the feeling of it was crazy, because you get so little downtime. It's like you shoot an episode, and then you get another script. I loved it, it kept me on my toes and I honestly feel like I made better decisions for her character. I wish every role was as easy as this has been so far, from what we've filmed. [laughs] I'm assuming it'll get harder, but I truly don't know.

Q: Well, we've hit the end! Thanks so much for doing this with us, and good luck with your new album.

A: Thank you so much! I've had a blast. "Flatline" is out November 12th, buy it! *END*