We chatted to Brooke Lusk about her appearances on HBO Max’s 12 Dates of Christmas, as well as starring opposite Danny Trejo in American Sicario.
Brooke Lusk has already appeared in film roles. However, she makes her television debut this year with HBO Max’s 12 Dates of Christmas. As well as this, Brooke also stars opposite Danny Trejo (Machete, Spy Kids) in the upcoming film American Sicario.
Read on for Brooke’s interview with Courageous Nerd. Or, alternatively, listen along to the full conversation on our YouTube channel, which is linked below.
Welcome Brooke and thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
Brooke Lusk (BL): Yeah, thank you for having me. I’m happy to be here.
We’ll be primarily discussing your appearances in 12 Dates Of Christmas and American Sicario. Before getting into those directly, however, let’s talk about your background. Did you always want to have an on-screen career, in some form?
BL: It wasn’t until I was a preteen that I fell in love with film. Around the age of 12, I kind of fell into this world. Throughout the teenage years, I was like, “Wow, this is what I want to do.” So, it was at a fairly young age that I discovered my passion was in film.
Interestingly, you already had some acting roles under your belt before venturing into Reality TV. How did you come to be on 12 Dates Of Christmas and was the experience what you expected?
BL: I kind of fell into 12 Dates of Christmas. Reality TV wasn’t anything I ever expected to do. A Casting Director approached my manager and we discussed it, how we felt about Reality TV. I was actually fresh out of a really bad break-up and told my manager that this was something I wanted to try. Apart from my acting and film career, I just wanted to do this for myself.
I’m glad I did because it opened me up in a personal and intimate way. It’s always fun to be on set and be around cameras, but this was more of a selfish choice. I just wanted to do it for myself. I’ve got to say, Reality TV is very different from what I expected. I had the same stigmas and stereotypes about Reality TV as everyone else. Coming out of it, I have a totally different view about Reality TV now.
From an outside perspective, Reality TV seems like an intense environment or a microcosm of real life. For you personally, was it difficult to put yourself out there emotionally and be vulnerable while appearing on 12 Dates?
BL: It was, it was extremely hard. It’s a very fast process. You have to force yourself to open up way faster than you would in the real world. I think it was a great learning experience and a great opportunity for me to let go of those fears that I carried in real life dating situations. I’ve been hurt badly in the past. Yeah, it was scary and yeah, it was fast-paced. I’m very, very grateful for the experience. I pushed myself to do this. I think I learned a lot and changed a lot, to be quite honest.
Overall, what would you say were your learning experiences or take-aways from 12 Dates. Is Reality TV a route you would want to pursue again in the future?
BL: Yeah, I mean… even though it was an emotional rollercoaster, I was still going through emotions post-show. Wrap, at home with family. I was still kind of on this crazy emotional ride. I would absolutely love to do it again. I had a great time; production, cast, crew. Everyone was so cool, so much fun. It was exhausting, I mean we would film until 11pm-12am every night. They would wake us up at 5 or 6am to get us in hair and makeup.
If you’re awake, you’re filming, basically. Even though that was physically and mentally taxing, it was overall a really great experience. I met some incredible people and I would do it again, for sure.
If anyone from a potential future season of 12 Dates of Christmas were to reach out and ask for advice, what would you tell them?
BL: My advice would be to go in without any expectations. Go in, be 100% authentically yourself. You can be as authentic and pure as you want but it is a TV show at the end of the day. Unfortunately, some of my castmates did get an edit where it wasn’t 100% them. You have to let that go. People watching the show are going to judge you, no matter what.
No matter if you’re the villain or the good guy, you just have to go in and be sure you’re authentically yourself. Don’t be scared to let those walls down. Somehow, I overcame that and went in without any walls up. I’m really proud of myself for that. That made me leave without having any regrets. So, that’s my biggest advice. Don’t leave with any regrets. Just go in and be you.
Aside from 12 Dates, you also have a role in American Sicario, starring Danny Trejo. For anyone who’s unfamiliar, how would you describe the premise, who you play and your character’s role in the story?
BL: It’s very opposite from 12 Dates of Christmas. You have all the love, Christmas and fluffiness. [In American Sicario], you have drugs, shootings, cartels, murders… I’m giving you both, right? I am playing the cartel leader’s (Maurice Compte) girlfriend and didn’t have any scenes with Danny Trejo, but I heard he’s lovely to work with. I’m just excited to be in the same film as him.
If you’ve seen the other 2 Sicarios with Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt, you’ll love this. Same kind of premise. You get to see me dripping in diamonds, a silk gown and a mansion. I’m dating… not a monster, but the leader of a cartel.
Did you go from 12 Dates of Christmas to American Sicario or vice-versa?
BL: I actually did American Sicario first, a few months before 12 Dates. I was actually in the casting process for 12 Dates. This has been a long time coming, a long time waiting. I’m so excited for it to come out in theatres.
Where can people catch American Sicario, now that it’s out?
BL: It will be in select theatres and online on the same day, December 10th. I believe on Amazon and iTunes.
You can watch 12 Dates of Christmas, I’m on Season 2, on HBO Max. All of the episodes are out, all of them dropped on Thanksgiving day.
You have quite the social media following, with 50,000 followers on TikTok. Especially in this day and age, how would you say having prominent social media following intersects with your acting and Reality TV endeavours?
BL: Yes, I have 50,000 followers on TikTok – you can find me at BrookeLusk5. Follow me; I love talking about horror movies, I do some funny voiceover stuff. You can find me on Instagram, that’s just my first and last name, BrookeLusk.
Yeah, absolutely [it intersects]. I think productions nowadays love having talent with a big following in films. It helps with pushing projects and everything. It’s such a great tool to utilise. I do spend a lot of time and effort in my posts and TikTok videos. I want good quality content. Having a good following is just beneficial. Even the work that you don’t see me in, the movies I script supervise on, I love to push those projects. I think social media is a great 21st-century tool.
Lastly, what are you hoping to accomplish in the coming months as we head into 2022?
BL: In 2022, I’ve been manifesting this… I would really love to book a lead role in either a horror film or action film. I have been in horror films, not as the lead. My favourite thing ever is to have prosthetics on me and covered in blood. Be the Final Girl in a horror movie. That’s my goal in 2022.
Thanks again for taking the time, Brooke. Take care and stay safe!
BL: Yeah, thank you so much. I had a great time.
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