(Content warning: This article briefly discusses eating disorders and body image.)
The best word to describe Jillian Shea Spaeder? Really.
For someone with impressively ~unreal~ talent (please see her extensive resume, which includes starring in Disney+’s godmother and has released countless catchy singles), she remains down to earth about her success: “To be honest, I do things for myself and for fun and then let things take their course.”
Jillian has had a year full of epic debuts as a writer. First up is her short film, The noise, The book, which she wrote based on her experiences with an eating disorder, wowed audiences when it premiered in Hollywood last spring. She also wrote her new EP, titled Fall at my feet—who perfected summer playlists everywhere (watch her music video for our chart-topping track “XY” below!).
In many ways, Jillian is just like us: she loves Chappell Roan, beach days, and claw clips. But more importantly, she is just herself. Luckily for us, she has settled into GL to share her secrets on how to write from the heart and stay authentic in the spotlight. No filters, no stress, just pure Jillian.
Girls’ Life: When did you get the idea for your short film, The noise?
Jillian Shea Spaeder: I came up with the idea The noise while I was in therapy for an eating disorder. I was very immersed in that world and found it annoying how they were portrayed on the internet. People only talked about other people’s bodies, what they looked like and the physical aspects of it. There was no representation of what that does to people’s brains, so I wanted to make something that completely ignored the body and just talked about the mental aspects of an eating disorder.
GL: What was your experience writing this?
Jillian: I wrote the first draft when I was still really struggling. Then I put it aside for a while and picked it up again about eight months later when I was feeling better. And I was able to edit it in a better state of mind and focus on making it educational and not provocative for viewers dealing with eating disorders. I think it just shows why people who have actual experiences with eating disorders should be at the center of creating this art.
GL: What was it like to share The noise with a larger audience at the premiere?
Jillian: I weirdly didn’t expect people to actually like it. It’s kind of funny because I’ve seen it so many times that I’m just looking at everyone else the whole time. And it’s surreal to see people emotionally moved by it. It’s definitely cool.
GL: Why was it important to you to talk about something that can sometimes be a really private, personal journey?
Jillian: I used to feel so uncomfortable talking about my eating disorder publicly. I felt embarrassed and ashamed and thought I would lose my job or people would be less likely to hire me. But once 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 embarrassing… hoping that maybe this would start some kind of trend of not being embarrassing anymore.
GL: You don’t just write for the screen, you also write your own songs. When did you first start making music?
Jillian: I grew up in a very musical family because my parents met in a band in college. I started taking piano lessons when I was about four, so I was doing music long before acting. I remember when I was 13 or 14, when I was just starting to work at Disney, I looked up to Sabrina Carpenter a lot and started writing songs because of her. It wasn’t until this current EP that I really figured out what I wanted to do with music.
GL: And with your EP Fall at my feet, What musical mood are you aiming for?
Jillian: It’s always so hard to describe what music sounds like. It’s pop, but with a touch of singer/songwriter stuff. We wrote the whole EP on an acoustic guitar at first because we wanted everything to come across really well live. So it definitely has those roots.
GL: What’s next for you? Any cool projects in the pipeline?
Jillian: I’m in a pretty relaxed mood at the moment. I recently finished the script for a feature film and have been going around presenting it to people. They always say something like: Do you want to be there? I think it’s because when I write, I always create a character that’s very similar to me. It’s not even intentional. It just happens.
GL: What advice would you give to girls who are aspiring artists but aren’t sure where to start?
Jillian: You can approach art in any way, whether it’s drawing, painting, singing, learning an instrument, or writing. I think the trick is not to get lost in the future. That’s what kills a lot of creativity, thoughts like: Oh, nobody will like that or I’ll never accomplish anything, so why should I? If you create something for fun, people will like it more in the end anyway.
⭐ Dream Big with Jillian Shea Spaeder … ⭐
Your dream musical collaboration: “Julia Michaels. I think she’s such a good writer and I think I would get along well with her. All my favorite songs are hers.”
Your dream role: “I want to be in a Hunger Games Movie. Something like that, a dystopian, super cool movie with a woman in the lead role. I’m going to read (the new book), find out what role I can play and then knock on the door.”
Your dream holiday: “Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s my favorite place in the world. I’ve been there twice and I’m obsessed. It’s just so artistic and free.”
Follow Jillian on IG and see The noise HERE!
Photos by Grace Wethor.
Parts of this interview have been edited or condensed for clarity.
