Bailee Madison On Ambition, Doing What Makes Your Heart Sing and Her New Netflix Film, ‘A Week Away’

Bailee was photographed in Los Angeles by Cibelle Levi; Styled by Amanda Lim.

Hair by Scott King (The Only Agency); Makeup by Katrina Klein; Interview by Alison Engstrom

Full Look by Brock Collection; Rings by Bondeye Jewelry and Nouvel Heritage

I love talking about ambition, you are an actress, writer, advocate, producer, singer and so much more! When did you realize that your ambition could move the needle and take you places?

It’s so interesting looking back because I’ve been fortunate to spend basically my whole childhood, tween, and teen years in this business. Being creative and aware of the next thing had to be instilled in me from a young age. I started realizing that I loved being creative in more than one landscape probably when I was 15-years-old. I produced for the first time at that age and co-wrote a book. I realized I had a lot more I wanted to say and do and sometimes you have to pave your own opportunities yourself. The heightened part of it all was filming the movie, A Week Away, which I co-produced as well. Looking back at the other two projects that I produced, I feel like this was the most opportunity that I was given on a set, especially as a 19-year-old at the time—that was when I realized my voice and ambitions inside of me. I was producing alongside our incredible male producers who had been doing it for so long.

When I was 19, I definitely wasn’t confident! Would you say that since you grew up in the industry that it gave you the confidence to pursue what you wanted? 

I do think the life I have lived has given me a sense of confidence but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I had my own challenges when it comes to confidence. I think when I was younger, I was less aware; as I have gotten older, you become more aware of how many more people have become aware of you and how you have to stay relevant all of the time. I do think that in terms of being creative, I am fortunate to be in a position where I’m able to have that ambition and at times be able to see that through. I feel very privileged and grateful for that.

Dress by PatBo; Boots by Stuart Weitzman; Rings by Bondeye Jewelry and Nouvel Heritage

What was it about performing would you say that hooked you so early on? Was it something that happened organically and you decided to see where it goes?

It genuinely just happened. I grew up in South Florida; my sister is 13 years older than me and was also an actress. There was never a discussion if I wanted to act since my sister did it. One day, I found myself in a waiting room in Orlando where my sister was auditioning for a movie. I was asked if I acted and my mom and sister were like, we don’t know (laughs). I said yes, but I couldn’t even read. My sister helped me with what I had to say and I ended up booking it. Then I did a self-tape for a world-wide search for a movie called Bridge to Terabithia when I was about six, and somehow found myself flying to LA for a screen test. I didn’t think anything of that and I booked that too. A week later my mom and I were being picked up and are on our way to New Zealand for six months to shoot the movie. We went back to Florida, then came back to LA at seven for the premier—my mom refused to move here (laughs)—and then from seven on, I was on set for eleven months out of the year. It was one of those things, I am a faith person, so I call it a God thing and for me, I just loved it. I was fortunate I had a family around me who kept asking, are you sure you are having fun? The moment you aren’t having fun we can leave. I was always happy and looking back, there was never a second where I didn’t feel like a kid. I fell in love with it without even knowing I was going to, then it just felt like home to me.

Do you compartmentalize each creative project or do all parts bleed into everything you do? 

I don't know if I do (laughs)! I am not a good planner so there has never been a moment where I have been like, I want to write a book and this is my next step. The book happened because I was a fan of the author, Stefne Miller, who had sent me her books. I brought her on to revamp the script I was producing. She was in Nantucket with me while were filming and while we were working on script revisions she said, do you want to write a book? And I said, yes, I do Stefne! We wrote a book based on a role that I would love to do and one that I’d never been sent or existed for someone my age. We wrote Losing Brave, a psychological thriller for a young adult audience. I feel like ideas have always naturally come up, it has never felt like ‘the right move’ or ‘a strategic move’. Ideas have been born when there was a creative lack I was feeling and I wanted to fill that void. There is always that moment of, this feels right and this feels right to me and I need to creatively express it and didn’t realize it until now.

Gown by Etro; Rings by Walters Faith

What do you do to get inspired?

I wish I could say I mediated, was a nature person, or that I went on a walk but ideas just kind of come. I could be doing the laundry and I think of something and I have to write it down. My brain very rarely shuts off (laughs). I can be inspired by a conversation and it could lead me to an idea. I try to leave my mind open and then when I think of something I make an effort to react to it. I’ll put it into my notes app on my phone.

Full Look by Max Mara

How would you say you navigated last year from a creative standpoint and your overall well-being? 

Last year was difficult; it wasn’t difficult in comparison to what anyone else was going through and I am well aware of that. I felt very privileged to be in a home with a backyard. I’m very fortunate I have remained healthy and my parents, loved ones, and friends have, too. In the beginning, it was constantly the fear of the unknown since none of us knew what was going on and that was pretty scary. Also, the idea of our frontline workers weighed on all of our minds and it was just devastating. I was also worried about my family because right when lockdown started, my sister and her whole family were diagnosed with covid. I went from everyone being together as a family to me being alone in the house. I had never been alone by myself for such a long period of time, so that really hit me. My entire life, I have been so used to not stopping. I always have a schedule and have someone with me, like hair or makeup, or I’m on set or have meetings—there was always some sort of human interaction. Mental health is a really big thing; it was a very hard period and I would go through parts of creativity but it was a constant up and down, a roller coaster. I still feel it to this day.

I agree. Do you have any hopes for when we get to the other side?

My hope, when all of this is over whenever it’s over, is that we can all remember and hold onto how precious life moments are. In the beginning, it’s going to be such a shock, but as the months pass, I hope we hold onto that same appreciation of human interactions and conversations and just the little things in life. I hope in a lot of ways it’s just a reset for all of us to be kinder, enjoy more, and take a breath.

Well said. Now to talk about your netflix film, A Week Away, congratulations! You star and are an associate producer in the film. All of the singing and dancing is what people need right now. Can you talk about what drew you into the project?

It’s such an interesting time going from being an actress as a kid to now a young adult and wanting to take your next step as thoughtfully as possible. The script came to me at a time when I was reading a lot of stuff, and to be honest, nothing was connecting with my heart. I had about four scripts to read one night and that script was the last I read before bed. I just absolutely fell in love for so many reasons. The obvious one was that it’s a movie that the whole family can watch. It’s a film that’s happy and light but it’s not dumbed-down and it’s not a walk in the park either. There is depth and honesty to it and I appreciated that so much. The other side was that I have been wanting to do music since I was a little girl. I spoke about how I didn't know I wanted to be an actress but I did always talk about how I wanted to play at stadiums and give concerts. I’ve always wanted to do something with music but I never figured out the time or the right way to do it. Half of the songs we are singing in the movie are re-imagined songs that I grew up listening to. I am vocal about my faith but I loved the fact that the movie wasn’t trying to shove anything down anyone’s throat. It felt like if you are on that journey with your faith, you’ll get the connection, but if not, you’ll be able to connect to the idea of friendship.

Can you share more about your character, Avery? 

She is the daughter of David Koechner, who I just adore. When they told me he was going to be my dad, I was very stoked about that. They started the camp with Avery’s mom who later passed away from cancer. There are so many things about her that I love, one of them being that she stands for the qualities that make women strong and admirable. She is honest, kind and she has a big heart but she isn’t this sweet, dumbed-down female character, she has some spunk to her. When she sees Will’s character, played by Kevin Quinn, come to summer camp, she connects with him before anyone else does because she has also experienced loss. Everyone is so quick to judge somebody else and instead she decides to see through it and give someone a chance. I think that’s such a cool quality. I love their love story—there is a line where she says, I am not trying to fix you Will and I love that because so often, it’s the story of the girl going back to the guy. There is another side too of when you love somebody, you lend a hand and see people through things. I am excited my nieces are going to have a girl like Avery to look up to.

What do you hope that viewers take a way from it? 

To put it simply, what made me love this movie was the fact that I felt like it had a message of love, hope, lending a hand to a neighbor, and not judging. It’s coming out at a time where we’re still so separated but wanting to stand up for one another and make the world a better place. My hope is that we can take a breath and smile and feel connected. In my heart, my greatest hope is the film has the ability to touch someone's heart in a way that they need to be touched. If someone is needing to hear something or feel something, I hope our little movie that could gives them that message.

That must be such an amazing feeling to have an impact on someone like that.

It is; it’s special and nerve-wracking because I think sometimes, maybe it’s just me (laughs). I have to say I watched the film with my sister, her husband and my two little nieces and I just watched their faces. They are honest critics they’ll tell Aunt B if she isn’t killing it (laughs). Just to see their eyes light up, hear them talk about it after, and have them listen to these songs that feeling to me was priceless. I hope families can connect with it now more than ever.

Dress by Cinq à Sept; Earrings by White Space; Bracelet by Nouvel Heritage

Do you have a personal motto that guides your life? I know you have talked about your faith.

I have two things that I say all of the time. My mom has a sign in her kitchen that says, “Because nice matters.” I just grin looking at it because it’s true and pretty simple at the end of the day. Lead with kindness and hopefully, you will receive that in return. The other thing I love part of the time and hate the other half is “Everything happens for a reason.” Looking back as a child, if something didn’t work out for me, I cried for sure but then a door was quickly opened up that was a thousand times better for me than the other door that I wanted. I think with growing up, you can add that to your work and personal life. I truly do believe everything happens for a reason, as hard as that is to wrap your mind around that in certain situations. I do, I choose to believe that. 

Going back to my first question, do you have any dreams that you are still hoping to come true? 

I was able to direct a music video a week before lockdown and I had the time of my life. I left being like, this is my 2020 goal, I am going to go and direct as much as I can. For me, I think directing is at the top of my list and I would love to do that as soon as possible and find projects that speak to me. I also want to step behind the camera and give back. So many people have taught me a lot and I love the idea of finding someone who was my age when I started and getting to navigate that with them, that would be so cool. Music is really important to me and I am now finally ready to start to share the things I have written and the stories I want to share and do it through music.

so, Maybe Broadway one day?

If Broadway calls, I am running! I love Broadway. I think subconsciously it made me fall in love with what I did before I knew I was going to do. I was always in New York with my mom and sister—Little Shop of Horrors was my favorite Broadway show. I went so many times and I was that girl who would wait outside the theater to see them come out on the carpet.

I think that curiosity is such an important element in living a creative life. How do you stay curious in your life and work? 

I don’t like feeling too comfortable and I’m always curious about what’s around the corner. I love the idea of believing that something else is out there that I will be able to experience and will then become a part of me, whether that’s a good experience or a bad experience. The idea of getting to shape your heart through experiences is intriguing to me. 

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Stream ‘A Week Away’ Now on Netflix

*A Very Special Thank You To This Team