Kalen Bull is an actress on the rise! We caught up with Kalen to talk about her role in a new movie that’s perfect for all of your Halloween movie nights.
Kalen grew up in a small town in Arizona where she started dancing at the age of 3. Starting in ballet and branching out to other genres, Kalen even competed with a team at Showstopper for several years. When she was 13, Kalen injured her hip and was forced to stop dancing. “I lost all motivation and direction because dance was all I knew,” she said. “My mom offered me $5 to take an acting class to get me out of the house. She said it’d help me with dance if I went back.”
Kalen hasn’t gone back, though. Her performance background led her to her true passion, acting. “My studio owner always told me I was an entertainer and a performer, not a dancer. Once I started going to acting classes that finally made sense. I’ve always been in the business of storytelling, and now I get to say that it’s my job.”
From short films to leading Lifetime thrillers, Kalen’s acting career has been taking off. In the last year alone, she has taken on three starring roles. Kalen plays the lead in Lifetime’s The Wrong Cheerleader and Dying to Be A Cheerleader. In her most recent role, Kalen plays Sadie in Her Boyfriend’s Deadly Secret which premieres as part of Lifetime Movie Network’s “Shocktober” event which kicked off October 1.
If you’re looking for something to send chills down your spine, celebrating spooky season with Kalen is a must. “It definitely has that eerie feeling that makes you look over your shoulder and close all of the blinds,” Kalen said about the film. “It’s the perfect spooky movie.”
On-screen, Kalen is Sadie, a high school senior who has everything planned out until her boyfriend Jack (Carter Glade) lets her know that their dream school was actually just his backup plan. When Sadie starts dating a new boy named Gavin (Anthony Carro), her life gets a lot more risky, especially when someone seems to be willing to do whatever it takes to end their relationship.
Kalen shared with us that she fell in love with Sadie’s character from the moment she read the script and knew she wanted the part. “She reminded me a lot of myself,” Kalen said. “She just felt very comfortable. She embodied all the best characteristics a person could hope to have.” In the past, Kalen has taken on more “mean girl” roles that make her want to “cry every time I say a line,” so she feels lucky to have taken on a character she connects with.
No spoilers, but according to Kalen, Sadie is “the literal definition of a ride or die (wink wink).” She’s a planner, and when she’s passionate about something—whether it’s school, the ocean, or a boyfriend—she’s all in. Gavin definitely shakes up her world, though. “[She] starts to learn how to let go and live a little, and boy does that turn into an adventure.”
Behind the scenes, things weren’t so tense, but Kalen and her co-stars did seem to have a lot of fun. Their final day on set was one to remember. Kalen shared that it was an intimate (and rainy) day of filming with just her, Anthony, and the crew. “We filmed in December, so it was already freezing,” she said. “We were so cold we thought we were going to get hypothermia. Anthony and I spent all day huddling together for warmth.” Cute, right? Well, filming wasn’t without its fun moments.
On that same day, Kalen shared, she and Anthony filmed a first-date montage that quickly turned into on-set pranking. “There was no dialogue, so the whole time we just casually verbally abused each other,” she said. “I made him help me find seashells, and I found the perfect one. I showed it to him, and then he threw it into the ocean.” Sadie might be a sweet girl, but Kalen isn’t beyond retaliation. “So, I threw him in, too. He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, and I thought it was game over, but he’s much nicer than I am and spared me the freezing winter ocean.”
Now that filming is over, Kalen is working on some small projects like YouTube videos with friends, and she’s diving back into auditioning and working on herself and her acting. Her Boyfriend’s Deadly Secret premieres on Lifetime on October 15 at 8/7c, and Kalen is as excited to see the whole film as we are. She’s seen most of the film, though. The only thing she’s sharing? The ending made her cry.
