interview by JANA LETONJA

Multi-faceted actress, singer and songwriter Victoria Justice is most widely known for her role as the lead character in Nickelodeon's global-hit series ‘Victorious’. Most recently, Victoria appeared in a guest starring role in NBC’s ‘Suits: L.A.’, and next, we’ll be seeing her in ‘Send A Scare’ alongside Robbie Amell.

‘Send A Scare’ sounds like a thrilling concept. What drew you to the role, and how was it working alongside Robbie Amell?

It always starts with the script for me. I like to see how it’s written and then of course, the character that I would be playing. I then look to see if it’s someone that I'd like to sink my teeth into. The next step was meeting with the director, Josh Trank, to see how we vibed. In this case we met over a Zoom, and we just hit it off. I loved his passion and his energy, and I knew that he would be someone that I wanted to work with. He just seemed like an “actor’s director”, and I was right. Also, we share the same birthday, so I thought two Pisces working together could be cool.

As for Robbie, we’ve known each other for a long time now. We had worked together on Nickelodeon way back in the day before ‘Victorious’ premiered. I had guest starred on ‘True Jackson VIP’ and he was a recurring character on the show. We also had shared the same publicist, so we would run into each other at different events. Robbie’s very talented and just a really nice guy to work with. It’s interesting to have acted with him so many years ago when I was just a teen on a family show and now we’re acting alongside each other in a movie that is definitely not family fare.

The plot takes a turn from tech innovation to horror. What can you share with us about the film and your character’s story in it?

The story is set in the world of venture capitalism and the genre is in fact horror. I can’t divulge too much, but I can tell you it’s intense and if you love horror, this is going to be your movie.

left:
full look VIVIENNE WESTWOOD via Pechuga Vintage
earrings NANCY NEWBERG

right:
dress JEAN LOUIS SCHERRER via Pechuga Vintage

left:
dress JEAN LOUIS SCHERRER via Pechuga Vintage

right:
set DIOR via Pechuga Vintage
shoes MARC JACOBS via Pechuga Vintage
hat SARAH SOKOL
earrings MISHO
tights WOLFORD

You had a guest-starring role on ‘Suits: L.A.’. What was it like stepping into such an iconic franchise with a new West Coast twist?

I loved working on that show. When I was offered the role, I had never seen the original series so of course, I watched a few episodes and thought this could be cool.I loved that the reboot took place in LA and that they were entertainment lawyers. It’s a world that I’m obviously very familiar with and it was so fun to drop into a series that’s about my industry and play an actor. The viewers get to see what it’s like from a part of the business that the public doesn’t usually see. Also, it was nice to film in LA. Usually I’m flown to many different places all over the world to film. I love traveling, but it’s just nice to go to work and come back to your own home sometimes. As for the cast, the director and crew, they were some of the nicest people I've ever worked with.

You’ve played everything from musical comedy in ‘Victorious’ to more intense thrillers. Do you intentionally seek variety in your roles?

Absolutely. I‘m always trying to find something interesting and to stretch myself as an actor.

set PUCCI via Pechuga Vintage
hat MARNI via RD Archive

You’ve been releasing music independently since ‘Treat Myself’ in 2020. How has your creative process evolved over the years?

It evolves as I evolve. As a songwriter, I’m trying to tell stories and share my own personal stories and experiences. I’ve worked a lot with producer, musician, and songwriter Toby Gad over the last couple of years, and it’s been an experience that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. We just collaborate very well together. We have a history that goes way back, again to my Nickelodeon days, when we worked together on music for ‘Victorious’, and then didn’t see each other for many years. He reached out to me a couple of years ago about covering a version of a song he had written with Fergie, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, for a personal project he was working on. I have always loved that song and said yes immediately.

I’m always excited to go into the studio because you don’t know what’s going to come out of a session. I will say that I’ve been very happy with the outcomes in the past few years and I’m really proud of the songs. I feel I’ve really grown as a songwriter and of course have had many more experiences to write about than when I was a teen, writing songs for ‘Victorious’. I don’t know if many people know this, but I wrote three songs for the show, ‘Best Friend’s Brother’, ‘Make it in America’ and ‘Faster Than Boys’. ‘Victorious’ was what started my songwriting journey and for that I will always be grateful.

coat and shorts ENTIRE STUDIOS
necklace FALLON
earrings NANCY NEWBERG
tights WOLFORD
shoes VIVENNE WESTWOOD
ring MISHO
gloves vintage

You have a very loyal fan base from your Nickelodeon days. How do you stay connected with them as your career grows and evolves?

I stay connected through social media and I’m grateful that so many have stuck by me for so long on this journey. We’ve all grown up together. I was only twelve when I joined ‘Zoey 101’, and just sixteen when I started filming ‘Victorious’. There are so many that I know by name and have met in person, through meet & greets, autograph signings and on tour. I see them getting married, having children, graduating from college, and fully launched in their careers. We've come a long way. One thing that I hear a lot when I’m out and about, and get recognised is “You were my childhood,” and it always makes me smile.

You have more music on the way. Can you give us a hint about what themes or sounds fans can expect?

I do have more music that I’m definitely going to put out. I was planning on releasing a summer song, but my schedule changed. The movie I’m currently filming was originally going to start production in April, which would've given me the time to do all the marketing and creative prep to release it. But it pushed the dates through to June and I won’t be finished filming until end of July so that changed everything.

When I’m filming, it’s the only thing I can focus on, it’s just where my attention needs to be. When I’m done here, then I can shift my attention to music. One of the songs I’m thinking of releasing is kind of an anthem to live life to the fullest. That’s all I’m going to say for now.

White Black Photo Collage Elegant Autumn Mood Instagram Post.jpg

dress SAINT LAURENT
shoes VIVIENNE WESTWOOD via Pechuga Vintage
tights WOLFORD
jewellery MISHO

You’ve had hits in both acting and music. Do you see yourself leaning more into one in the next few years, or do you plan to keep balancing both?

I probably will always try to balance both because it's such a huge part of who I am and what I’m passionate about. Releasing music independently though, without the machine which is a major label backing you in any capacity, is not an easy road. It requires a lot of constant self-promotion, a lot of self-funding and so much more. The public has no idea what goes into releasing a song, an EP, or an album. It’s always special though when they both can co-exist in a project like they did for me in the ‘Rocky Horror’ remake. Since it was a musical and one that I loved growing up, it was a dream to work on that movie. I got to do so many things that I love, like singing, dancing, and acting. It was so campy too, so it had many great comedic moments.

What keeps you grounded and fulfilled outside of acting and music?

Many things. Close friends and loved ones for sure. As for fulfilment, live music, great food, and conversations, traveling, watching a good movie or TV show with my people, being in nature, reading and animals. I really love dogs, but any animal tugs at my heart. I’m really just very grateful for the life I have.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent VICTORIA JUSTICE
photography GABRIEL PEREZ SILVA
styling SÉBASTIEN HOHL at The Only Agency
makeup ROBERT BRYAN at The Wall Group
hair LAURA RUGETTI at The Only Agency
photography assistant CHLOE NORRIS
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
pr AASIM KHAN and STEPHEN FERTELMES

IN CONVERSATION WITH VICTORIA JUSTICE

IN CONVERSATION WITH BUSY TWIST