interview by JANA LETONJA
Emily Roman is an actress and rising music artist with an exciting few months ahead. She stars in Netflix’s upcoming coming-of-age psychological drama The Body, from writer-director Quinn Shephard, which follows a group of rebellious Catholic school girls whose dance-team initiation goes horribly wrong, triggering prophetic visions and mass hysteria throughout their town. Alongside her acting career, Emily is making her mark in music, following recent releases Out of Body and Bad on Me, with her newest single Death Wish just released and more new music on the way.
You have so much happening right now between The Body and your music. What does this moment in your career feel like from the inside?
I feel a sense of alignment, which originated around the time I was auditioning for The Body, as that was also when I started going into the studio and working with music producers for the first time. I remember auditioning a lot that whole year, and craving something more that could feed my creative desires. Stepping into a new environment with music was so refreshing, and sparked a new fire in me.
I believe the universe rewards you when you take a chance and do something for yourself, so right as I was getting into music, I booked The Body. Fast forward to now and it feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Filming The Body was an incredibly special experience, and on top of that, releasing music throughout the year was such a great experience of growth. I am so excited for people to meet Claire in The Body, and hopefully through that also discover Emily, the artist, as well as the actor, and dancer. Overall I just feel very grateful, empowered, and in control of my narrative. I’m excited for all that is to come.
The Body has such an intriguing premise — Catholic school, dance-team initiation, prophetic visions, mass hysteria. Without giving too much away, tell us about your character and what drew you to her?
My character, Claire, is very special to me. I was able to craft her with our show runners Quinn and Gina, to make her feel the most authentic and layered. Being able to portray an iconic blonde with substance is always something I desire. It is so easy to allow these roles to be one dimensional, so I made sure Claire had it all. She may come off intimidating or judgmental, but she is a loyal friend, devoted member of the dance team, and quite open minded. I also pulled inspiration from Paris Hilton, given the show is set in 2004.
There’s something fascinating about placing teenage rebellion against the rules and traditions of a Catholic-school environment. How does that tension play into the story?
That tension is the core theme carried throughout our story. It manifests in so many ways, affecting so many different characters. Who doesn’t want to watch teenagers rebelling against everything their society requires them to stand for? It is an interesting dynamic on screen because most of our characters are Catholic, and each one of us listens to the devil and angel on our shoulder differently. How we individually decide what we believe and how we act varies, which makes the story very complex and intriguing. I enjoyed the discovery of specifying Claire’s opinions on the events that occur. Deciding the pivotal moments that change everything were key to Claire’s story.
The girls at the center of the show are described as “badly behaved.” Did you enjoy getting to embrace that rebellious energy?
Oh, of course. There were about twelve of us girls on set most days, and we developed such a real bond and friendship. There was so much trust and a communal desire to make this show the best it could possibly be, so we were always “risking it all” as we would joke to each other while filming. I love scenes that allow us to act in ways that we may never be able to in real life. I wanted Claire to have this effortless confidence and sureness in herself, so I was always pushing myself out of my comfort zone to do her justice. Quinn and Gina also created such an open and collaborative environment. Often I’d come in with line ideas, or me and Bella Neuspiel, who plays Katie, would make a bit with our characters to pitch to them. We had endless improv takes and some lines I came up with ended up making it into the show which is pretty cool.
How physically demanding was the dance-team side of the role? Did you have much dance experience going into it?
We began production with four weeks of dance rehearsals. I grew up a competitive dancer so it felt like I was right back at home. Those rehearsals also were the perfect way for all of us to bond before filming. I’m happy I got to use any dance skills in this show, I do a little flip or two. I love moments in my career when I get to dance, act, and even sing all at once. I’m sure there will be many more of those times to come.
You’re also releasing music while your acting career is taking off. Do acting and songwriting tap into different sides of you, or do they come from the same creative place?
Everything I do at its core, will be me. Ating and music are definitely channeled differently, but they both require my vulnerability and storytelling abilities. For acting, I like to tap into empathy and allow myself to get lost in a story, because often times you are only one part of a bigger picture. Songwriting has been a way for me to express myself completely as myself. No characters, no roles, unless I feel like it. I am in control of the narrative I wish to say, which is the most rewarding part. Sharing real stories and thoughts from my life through music and having them resonate with the world is why I do it. The artist side of me also feels more free, and larger than life. The way I present myself through my music is my choice, it is an elevated version of myself. While acting, I always bring myself to a character, but ideally my goal is to become this character, not just be myself all the time. It is an escape from my reality, a way I can live as someone else.
You’ve just released your new single Death Wish. What can you tell us about the song and where you were emotionally or creatively when you wrote it?
Death Wish feels like the start of a new era for me as an artist, which is funny to say because I only started releasing music this year. I’ve grown a lot in this short time and I’m happy I put out songs I connected to and was proud of in the moment. It all lead me here today.
Death Wish is the first song I made and released with my producer Dylan Harrison. After we made that song, we knew there was some magic going on. I wanted to make a song that perfectly described the feeling of rolling the windows down while driving at night and feeling the wind in your face. Everything’s moving so fast, yet the moment feels still in time.
Death Wish is also inspired by a paradox I often face in life, we all face it. How the most beautiful and perfect things in life always inevitably end and die. I found myself pre-grieving a lot of things, like relationships and experiences. Yet once they finally ended, I felt relief, instead of all the sadness I was dreading. If you listen to Death Wish, I hope it makes you feel carefree and at peace within all the chaos. Everything ends, but that shouldn’t mean we can’t enjoy it in the moment. It ’s existentialism with some swag.
When you’re writing music, how autobiographical are you comfortable being? Are there things you’ll say in a song that you might never say in conversation?
So many lyrics are words I wish I said, or words I know I’ll never get to say. It is a way to bring myself closure and create something beautiful out of a poor situation. I wish I was petty enough to name drop people sometimes, but I prefer to keep it classy. I’m sure people can connect the dots if they know me, but my songs will always be up for interpretation. However the listener wishes to relate is the right way for them. Just like any film or show, it is okay for meanings to be ambiguous and differ to each person.
Does being an actor make you a different kind of songwriter, particularly when it comes to storytelling, creating characters or building a mood?
Acting definitely adds to my songwriting. It makes me hyper aware of the story arc within a song, how it begins to a resolved ending, and what conflict we face in the middle. I am a very visual person when I create so often times I am seeing the movie version of a song as I am writing it. That is also why creative direction comes so easily to me. I love building the visual world around my songs with music videos. If I don’t see a way my song can manifest into a real-life portrayal, it probably won’t become a song.
If your current era of music had to be described as a movie genre, aesthetic or three-word mood board, what would it be?
I love this question. My music as a movie genre would be a mix of romance and film noir. My songs are sonically ethereal and pretty, with gritty undertones and meanings. My three word mood board: leopard, mermaid, princess.
Between acting and music, you’re giving people two very different ways to get to know you. What do you hope audiences discover about Emily Roman over the next year?
I hope people find a way to connect to me personally, whether that is through the music I make or the characters I play. For those that know me as an actor or dancer, I hope I can bring them into the world of Emily Roman the artist, because the most authentic version of myself is within my songs. I am lucky to be able to pursue many different avenues of the entertainment industry. I’m not myself if I don’t do all the things that bring me joy. I love being able to do it all and I hope people follow along the journey.
Finally, with The Body arriving this November and more music coming, what are you most excited for people to see, or hear, next?
I am very excited to see the reactions for The Body. I am keeping my focus forward on upcoming projects, but I hope the amount of love and care the entire cast and crew of The Body put into this show will have its moment to shine. I am working on an EP now, which will be my very first project in music I’ll be releasing. I have been enjoying the process so much. Putting the songs together and curating the aesthetic is a dream. I am really proud of what I’ve been making for this EP. The rest of 2026 I’ll be rolling out singles from it so stay tuned for those, it’s just the beginning.
TEAM CREDITS:
photography JESSE VOLK
styling RACHEL BODE
hair MADELINE CAMPAGNOLO
makeup TAMI EL SOMBATI
