“This movie just really inspired me to tap back into music and pick up my guitar again,” she explains.
Jessica Lord inChristmas in the Spotlight.David Spowart/A+E
David Spowart/A+E
In the movie, theFind Me in Parisactress plays Bowyn, a world famous singer who falls in love with a professional football player named Drew (Laith Wallschleger). Lord, who has been dancing since age 4, was able to use her talents as a performer to bring the character to life on screen.
“Honestly, I think that the producers didn’t realize how much of a dance background I really had, so I think all of us were really excited to see how I could elevate the role even more than anticipated, especially when it came to the dance performance,” she says. And even though she didn’t get to record the songs, she still learned how to play them on her guitar to add another layer of authenticity to the movie’s musical moments.
The multi-hyphenate, who also created her own jewelry lineBizouxx, “always wanted to come out with a song,” but until she booked the role of pop star Bowyn, she didn’t anticipate that dream coming true anytime soon.
“I never really saw it in the near future until I booked this project,” she says. However, once she was on set, she recalls, “People were like, ‘Wait, Jess like you should actually do this.'”
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Jessica Lord (left) and Laith Wallschleger inChristmas in the Spotlight.Lifetime/A&E
Lifetime/A&E
More than anything, she hopes her song “inspires people to choose what’s best for them without looking back.”
Lord also notes the surreal feeling of going from playing a pop star to making her music debut all within just a few months.
“There’s no way that little Jessica would think that she’s releasing a song and playing a pop star,” she says. “I just hope that I can inspire other people — especially women and young people — to just follow their dreams and persevere and know that anything is possible.”
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Christmas in the Spotlightpremieres Saturday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 p.m. EST on Lifetime. “Tread Carefully” is available to stream now.
source: people.com