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(Content warning: This piece briefly discusses eating disorders and body image.)

The best word to describe Jillian Shea Spaeder? Real.

For someone with impressively ~unreal~ talent (pls see her stacked resume, which includes starring in Disney+'s Godmothered and dropping countless catchy singles), she's staying super grounded about her success: "I honestly make stuff for myself and for fun and then let things play out the way they're supposed to."

Jillian's had a year of epic writing debuts. For starters, her short film, The Noise, which she wrote based on her experience with an eating disorder, wowed audiences when it premiered in Hollywood last spring. Plus, she penned her new EP—titled Fall At My Feet—which perfected summer playlists everywhere (catch her music vid for our top track, "XY", below!). 

In lots of ways, Jillian's just like us: She loves Chappell Roan, beach days and claw clips. But more importantly, she's just unapologetically herself. Lucky for us, she sat down with GL to share her secrets for writing from the heart and staying authentic in the spotlight. No filters, no fuss, just pure Jillian. 

Girls' Life: When did you come up with the concept for your short film, The Noise?

Jillian Shea Spaeder: I came up with the concept of The Noise while I was in therapy for an eating disorder (ED). I was very submerged in that world, and I found it annoying how the internet portrayed them. People would only talk about people's bodies, what they looked like and the physical aspects of it. There was no representation of what it does to people's brains, so I wanted to make something that ignores the body completely and just talks about the mental aspects of an ED.

GL: What was your experience of writing it like?

Jillian: I wrote the first draft when I was very much still struggling. Then I put it away for a while and picked it up about eight months later when I was in a better place. And I could edit it from a better headspace, focusing on making it educational and not triggering for viewers dealing with EDs. I think that just speaks to why people who have actually had experience with EDs should be central to creating that art.

GL: How did it feel to share The Noise with a wider audience at the premiere? 

Jillian: I didn't expect people to actually like it, weirdly. It's kind of funny because I've seen it so many times that I'm just looking around at everyone else the whole time. And it's surreal, seeing people emotionally affected by it. It's definitely cool. 

GL: Why did you feel like it was important to speak out about something that can sometimes be a really private, personal journey?

Jillian: I used to feel so uncomfortable about publicly talking about my ED. I felt embarrassed, shameful and I thought that I was gonna lose jobs or people were gonna be less likely to hire me. But when I realized I was in a position where I could talk to a lot of people at once, I felt this responsibility to be open and show that it's not an embarrassing thing...with the hopes that maybe it'll kind of start the trend of not being embarrassed. 

GL: Aside from writing for the screen, you write your own songs, too. When were you first drawn to making music?

Jillian: I grew up in a very musical family because my parents met in a band in college. I started piano lessons at, like, age four, so I was doing music long before I was doing acting. When I was 13 or 14 and just starting to work on Disney, I remember I looked up to Sabrina Carpenter a lot, so I started writing songs because of her. It wasn't until this recent EP that I truly figured out what I want to be doing with music.

GL: And with your EP Fall At My Feet, what's the musical vibe you're going for?

Jillian: It's always so hard to describe what music sounds like. It's pop, but with hints of singer/songwriter stuff. We wrote the whole EP on an acoustic guitar at first because we wanted it all to translate really well live. So it has those roots, for sure.

GL: What's next up for you? Any cool projects on the horizon?

Jillian: I'm kind of in a loosey-goosey mindset right now. I recently finished writing a feature film, and I've been going around pitching it to people. They're always like: Do you want to be in it? I think that's because when I'm writing, I always end up writing one character that's very similar to me. It's not even intentional. It just, like, happens.

GL: What advice would you give to girls who are aspiring artists but aren't sure where to start?

Jillian: You can pick up art in any way, whether you're drawing or painting or singing or learning an instrument or writing. I think the trick is not getting caught up in the future. That's what kills a lot of creativity, thoughts like, Oh, no one's gonna like this or I'm never gonna make it big, so why would I do it? When you're creating for fun, people end up liking it better anyway.

⭐ Dreaming big with Jillian Shea Spaeder... ⭐

Her dream musical collab: "Julia Michaels. I just feel like she's such a good writer, and I feel like I would get along with her swimmingly. All my favorite songs are written by her."

Her dream role: "I want to be in, like, a Hunger Games film. Something like that, a dystopian, super cool, female-led movie. I'm going to read [the new book], scout out which role is mine and bang on the door."

Her dream vacay: "Edinburgh, Scotland. It's my favorite place in the world. I've been there twice and I'm obsessed. It's just so artsy and free."

Follow Jillian on IG and watch The Noise HERE!

Images by Grace Wethor.
Parts of this interview have been edited or condensed for clarity. 

by Madelon Basil | 8/27/2024