Aubrey Peeples feels fortunate that she grew up outside of Hollywood's unforgiving spotlight before breaking into the business. She avoided having to sacrifice her childhood for stardom, a conflict similar to the one her character Jem deals with - choosing between fame and family - in the new movie "Jem and the Holograms."
"Even though I wanted to pursue [acting] from such a young age, I definitely think because I wasn't a child star... I feel like more of a whole person," the Florida native told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. "I can't speak from experience, because I never dealt with that, but I'm super glad that this has been my past and that I didn't book anything huge until I moved out [to Los Angeles]."
Based loosely on the popular '80s animated series, "Jem and the Holograms" tells the story of a small-town girl (Peeples) who skyrockets to global success after a video of her singing goes viral. She keeps her real identity secret as she discovers what it really means to be a superstar and at what cost.
Although Peeples finds Jem to be a "super relatable girl," she didn't draw any comparisons between herself and the character.
"We have very different career paths... our rise has been very different and mine has mostly been in the acting world," the 21-year-old actress said. "She's definitely a character and not like an extension of myself. I prefer that in a role because I think that's the most challenging and really where you get to have the most fun."
