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You heard it here first—Mixtape is officially the rock-and-roll refresh you *need* on your watch list this winter break. Starring Gemma Brooke Allen as the quirky-but-loveable Beverly Moody, Mixtape follows Beverly's journey to track down the songs on a broken mixtape left behind by her parents. Accompanied by her BFF Ellen, Beverly's life turns upside down as she learns all about music, family and, most importantly, self-acceptance.

Needless to say, we're totally obsessed with Mixtape, so we sat down with Gemma to hear all about her career (she's been acting for 11 years!), her interests and, of course, her taste in music (spoiler alert: it's pretty much flawless). Read ahead to learn more about Gemma and her exciting new movie, Mixtape, out on Netflix now!

Girls' Life: How do you connect to your Mixtape character, Beverly?

Gemma: Oh, Beverly's great. I love how imaginative she is! She's perfectly weird in her own little world. I'm similar to Beverly in the way that I think it's important to be who you are and live in your own little bubble.

GL: And what does she learn about herself throughout the movie?

Gemma: She goes on this whole journey of finding herself and figuring out where she belongs. There's a struggle with her Grandma [played by Julie Bowen] but, in the end, she learns to be herself. I think that it's really important for her and for everybody to feel loved *and* liked. There's a charity I work for called California Kids Belong. It fits in with the movie because the whole campaign is about how all children should belong and have their people. I feel like that fits in with Beverly, too. 

GL: What was a fun behind-the-scenes moment?

Gemma: I remember one day, there was a scene with me and Audrey where we were taking out the trash. I got permission to do a blooper take so I took the trash bag and walked around like I was Santa Claus! We were totally messing around. My parents didn't know, so they were just like, "Oh my gosh! What's happening?" It was hilarious.

GL: If you were putting together your own mixtape, what songs would you put on it?

Gemma: I'm a very '90s girl. I love Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. I would probably put a few songs from the movie on my mixtape too, like "Linda Linda" and "Dancing in the Moonlight."

GL: What are you looking forward to doing during the holidays?

Gemma: Just being with my family, because I haven't seen them in a bit. And baking, of course. All the cookies and treats are so delicious. I hope I go to New York one year during Christmas, just to see all the lights and window displays—and the Rockettes!

GL: Is there a goal you have for yourself in the future? 

Gemma: I want all of my movies to have good messages. I really love to help people and make them laugh. When people see my movies, I want them to feel inspired. So, my goal is really just to help others, whether that's with songs or movies.

More deets about Gemma:

Fave artist: Doja Cat

Fave song: "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals

Hobbies: Baking, cooking, singing

Fun fact: Gemma likes to bake cakes and will even pretend she's on a baking show!

Catch Gemma Brooke Allen in Mixtape, out on Netflix now! 

All photos via Teren Oddo. | Parts of this interview have been edited for grammar and clarity. 

by Lena Genovese and Katherine Hammer | 12/8/2021