NYLON NINETEEN
Olivia Holt On Her Song "Love U Again," Ghosts & Blake Lively's Met Gala Fits
The actress and singer definitely felt "ghost energy" while filming "Cloak + Dagger."
Olivia Holt is in the middle of shooting Cruel Summer, the new Jessica Biel-produced Freeform series, when she hops on the phone one recent afternoon. The actress, best known for her role as Dagger in Marvel's Cloak + Dagger, has relocated to Dallas, Texas for the time being to finish up filming for Cruel Summer's first season after it was pushed due to the pandemic.
"It is different," she says of the atmosphere on set. "It's definitely not the same as before [COVID-19], but it's fun."
Holt has been gradually making a name for herself on the Hollywood circuit since she was 14-years-old and starring in the Disney XD show, Kickin' It. Cruel Summer, her latest gig in which she plays lead character Kate, will see her step into the thriller genre as the show explores how a mysterious abduction impacts the community of a small Texas town.
Over the years, Holt has also ventured into making music, releasing her debut EP, Olivia, in 2016. Now, four years later, she's gearing up to share a "new era of music," starting off with her newest single with producer R3HAB, "love u again." The track is a breezy, EDM-inflected single that's so immediately hummable, one might almost miss its moody lyrics: "I don't want to be friends/ Don't wanna see nobody touch you."
Ahead of more new music Holt hopes to release before the end of the year — songs that she describes as "true and authentic to what I've experienced or what I want to experience" — the actress and singer gets candid about being a Leo, feeling spooked by ghosts while filming Cloak + Dagger, and swooning over Blake Lively's Met Gala gowns.
What’s your astrological sign?
I am a Leo.
Do you believe in it?
I believe in some parts of astrology. I think less on the horoscope side and more on the personality trait side. I run into a lot of Leos and I feel like we're very much one and the same. I feel like whenever I speak to another Leo we are very strong-willed in our opinions and really passionate about what we do, no matter if we're in the same profession or not. But when it comes to my daily horoscope information, because I was into it for a minute and I think when I started my day reading it, I would be looking for all of the signs for the horoscope. So it didn't work for me. I feel like you are either really into it or just kind of like, eh.
Do you believe in ghosts, and have you ever seen one?
I definitely do believe in ghosts. I've never seen one. I worked in New Orleans for two years [filming Cloak & Dagger], and there's definitely some suspicious energy there. I feel like I believe more in ghost energy than I do in visually seeing them.
[The city's] so haunted, I mean it's been around for centuries so there's obviously lots of history there and that city itself has been through so much destruction and it's sort of built itself from the ground up a lot of times. Living there, I felt like: One, we filmed in a lot of abandoned places, so every time I showed up on set I would feel some sort of energy that didn't feel like the norm, or even on my days off when I would walk around the city and walking to certain restaurants or bars or shops, I would feel certain energy. And I would talk to somebody that worked there and they were like, "Oh yeah, this place has been around since the beginning of the 1800s," and I would be like, "Yeah, that absolutely makes sense why I'm feeling the way that I am."
What is your go-to drink order?
A margarita for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't have a specific margarita order, I always like to switch it up and try different tequilas. And then also frozen to straight on the rocks, I'm very open to any sort of tequila.
What is your go-to hangover cure?
I have absolutely none. I just suffer through it. I don't get terrible hangovers, so for me it's not as aggressive as it is for some people. But yeah, I can just power through. I'm like, "Oh, I'll just take an Advil and drink some water and I'll be fine." But that never works.
Who would be the three headliners of the music festival of your dreams?
Ellie Goulding, I'm obsessed with her. I'm really obsessed with a lot of U.K. artists so her, Jess Glynne, and probably Bruno Mars. Very eclectic group but I definitely need my two favorite female artists in there.
What is the weirdest snack that you make/eat?
I'm not sure if it's weird, but it's definitely a challenge to eat. Popcorn is my favorite snack and a few years ago I discovered Nutella, and so popcorn and Nutella is the snack that I like to make — but it's the messiest snack ever and it's actually really hard to eat because the kernels get stuck in the Nutella when you dip it in there.
What's a bad habit of yours that you've been meaning to fix?
Cracking literally every bone in my body. My chiropractor's actually going to kill me for it, but it's been a habit since I was a kid. [I do it] as soon as I wake up, and then about 15 minutes after that, and then about 15 minutes after that. It's too much, it's way too much, but it's literally every bone. From like my neck to my entire spine to my hand and fingers, knees, ankles, toes, hips, absolutely everything. I'm going to have arthritis in a year. My mid-twenties are not going to be great for me.
What was the last internet rabbit hole that you went down?
Probably watching the dead funniest commercials in TV history. Which are so fun to watch because they're very quick. I think when you're going deliberately to find them it's a very different experience, like when you're actually watching something that you're interested in.
If you could be in any music video, what would it be?
One of my favorite music videos of all time is "We Found Love" by Rihanna and Calvin Harris. And the music video is directed by Melina Matsoukas — she's a legend and the video is literally insane and the concept sort of shows a world between love and lust. Which is sort of the reality of our world, but in this music video it's just on a more enhanced level and it's sick, it's so cool and it would be a dream to live in that one.
What was your favorite movie as a kid?
Favorite movie would probably be Stick It, which is an iconic gymnastics movie. It's directed by Jeff Bridges who is also iconic. I was a gymnast since a kid, so when I watched it, I basically saw myself in every character.
What was your teenage AIM screen name?
My nickname is Liv, so I did a play-on-words situation and it was Liv4Ever and my birth year is 97 so it was Liv4Ever97. Super simple, super sweet.
What lyrics would make up your AIM away message today?
I'd probably would just do, "I should Probably Go To Bed" by Dan + Shay.
What is your favorite meme or internet joke, and why?
I feel like there's too many great ones to choose an absolute all-time favorite. But I do follow this dad joke account, and I don't know if I can choose a favorite, that whole account is my favorite. It's so good, and I'm a sucker for a dad joke.
What is your go-to breakup song?
I think "More Hearts Than Mine" by Ingrid Andress. That song is so good. I like to be in the dark and listen to sad songs, but I think for the most part when I'm going through a breakup I need something that makes me feel empowered and something that feels liberating.
What is your favorite red carpet look of all-time worn by someone else?
Probably every look worn by Blake Lively at the Met Gala. I think it might've been 2018 where she's in the red gown with the whole headpiece. Just so simple and classy and cool.
What is one thing everyone should buy that is under $10.
I feel like any used book. That might even be less than $5. I know that sometimes reading isn't everybody's best thing, but books are so easy to get and if you're going to get one I highly recommend Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed.
What reality show would you most like to appear on?
I think probably any cooking show, because I'd probably get kicked off in the first round because I actually suck at cooking. One: I love the idea of cooking, and then two: I think every cooking show that I've watched, the adrenaline behind it would be so fun to be a part of. But I would absolutely lose because I would wanna be the first one done but I actually probably wouldn't put in the correct amount of ingredients or measurements to anything.
What is your favorite fast food place and what is your order?
Chick-Fil-A. Probably a 12-count nugget meal with fries. Obviously.