By Hope Ankney
Sophia Bush is an American actress, director, and producer, but she’s most well-known for starring as Brooke Davis in the hit CW drama series One Tree Hill.
Although she has been a part of the entertainment industry for years and has been featured in many TV series and films, she has an undying passion for activism. Working to use her platform to raise awareness for certain causes, she has been part of many campaigns and groups like F*ck Cancer, Run for the Gulf, Humans Rights, and Do Something. Recently, she has been very vocal about women’s rights and the feminist movement, joining organizations and using her credibility to make a stand against misogyny.
In our exclusive celebrity interview, we chat with the inspiring actress about her newest project with Always to #EndPeriodPoverty, her efforts to support the Times Up movement, her newest film, Hard Luck Love Song, and what she loves about her podcast Work in Progress!
In our celebrity interview with Sophia Bush, she talks about making the leap from the big screen to the activist scene.
1. Can you tell us about your latest campaign with Always?
I’m so proud to be working with Always on this important mission to help #EndPeriodPoverty. Last year, we were able to donate 20 million period products in the U.S. This year we’re donating millions of additional products via Always’ longstanding partner, Feeding America, and local Period Heroes who are already working to #EndPeriodPoverty for school-aged students in their communities! We are asking everyone to join us. Talking about the issue in your circles and on your social channels — tagging @always_brand using #EndPeriodPoverty — will help raise awareness and inspire action! If you want to do, even more, you can purchase period protection products and support local Period Heroes in your community by donating them to your local school or shelter. Any donation could go a long way in making a difference for someone in need. Visit https://always.com/en-us/about-us/end-period-poverty to learn more about how you can get involved.
2. What made you want to join the campaign?
I was honestly shocked and disheartened when going over the data that shows that nearly 1 in 5 girls in the U.S. have either missed school entirely or left school early because they lacked access to basic period products. Here in the Los Angeles area alone, 88,000 students have missed school because of period poverty. That’s why I’m honored to team up with Always to help raise awareness of this issue and make a difference. We cannot begin to tackle an issue if no one knows about it, so breaking the taboo and having the conversation is an important first step!
3. Another campaign you have been a part of and helped found is the Times’ Up movement. How has this movement affected your life? Your dating life?
Well, I find it sad that there’s some sort of fear that women speaking up for themselves — and their friends and coworkers — would somehow shrink their dating options. Or, that it’s part of the consideration in the conversation around equity and eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace. I want to be clear- pursuing someone romantically and harassing someone in the workplace do not, ever, overlap or intersect. Nor should they. My understanding of that reality hasn’t made men run away from me. And if it did, trust me they wouldn’t be the right men for me or for any of us. Times’ Up has been a long time coming. As has the general conversation about treatment in the workplace. Women deserve to go to work and just do their jobs, the way men get to. The considerations and practices women have had to think about, just to avoid mistreatment while working, are an unfair amount of emotional labor, period. I’m glad we are in an era where we are talking about these things. I’ll be even more glad when we see substantive, structural change taking place across industries. The conversation is certainly the first step, the awareness aspect is integral, but we need to see action taken as well. In my own life, I feel much safer and freer to be creative on sets where respect for everyone present has been clearly expressed. Where performers and crew alike are assured that they are supported. It matters.
4. Time’s Up was founded by a number of other talented women. What are some lessons/ advice you have learned from the women you have campaigned with?
There are strength and safety in numbers, that’s for sure. Whether it’s the famous faces who have been able to garner global attention for the cause, those who champion behind the scenes, brilliant legal minds running the defense arm of the organization, I am in awe of how a committed group of women who are relentless in their pursuit of justice can effect change.
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5. Along with being an activist, you are an actress who has starred in many popular shows/films. How do you use your platform as an actress to advocate for issues in the world or issues you are advocating?
My platform is the blessing of my career. I get to use it as a great big highlighter, a megaphone if you will, to draw attention to causes that need support. While I don’t expect everyone to feel the way I do, I couldn’t imagine having the ability to talk to millions of people every day and not pay that forward for great causes! I also happen to be a giant research nerd, so it excites me to do deep-dives on important subjects, from politics to philanthropy, and be able to share findings with my audience at large. It’s the perfect marriage of the personal and professional, for me.
My acting career is something I love very much. I’m grateful that my professional work is something I deeply enjoy. My activism, advocacy, political work, and volunteering are what truly fuel me as an individual, on a personal level. That’s where I can truly serve. It has been a privilege to be able to use my platform and my social channels to share my dedication to causes that I’m passionate about. I’m grateful every day for the incredible community we’ve been able to build together, filled with people who continue to support these important causes along with me.
6. You have an upcoming film, Hard Luck Love Song. Is there anything you can tell us about it?
It’s such a beautiful, tragic, messy love story. I was so struck by the cast of characters in this movie, each trying to do their best in their complicated circumstances. Working with Michael Dorman was a dream. He’s a fantastic friend and collaborator!
7. Will you have any love interests in this movie?
Michael and I play used-to-be sweethearts who can’t quite let each other go. It’s a relationship that once held a lot of love, but also a lot of pain, and over the course of the film, our characters will have to see if they can start over.
8. How do you prepare for a love interest in a new movie?
I don’t prepare for the love interest part so much as I prepare my own character and her experiences that have led her to the place where the audience meets her, the first time she appears on the screen.
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9. Is there anything you are excited to work on next?
I’ve been loving working on my new podcast, Work In Progress! It’s been so fulfilling and fun. I get to have these deep, funny, curious conversations with unbelievable people. The other day someone called it the “‘Fleabag’ of podcasts,” and considering “Fleabag” is one of my favorite shows of all time, I just about fainted. That kind of raw honesty is exactly what I’m looking to cultivate, and I’m so thrilled that our listeners feel it. Plus, getting to interview everyone from Gloria Steinem to Whitney Cummings has been such a joy!
What can’t Sophia Bush do? With her platform and determination to make a change, be on the lookout for this actress and her continued efforts through activism. Whether it’s filming a movie, using her voice, or actively participating as a woman’s activist, know that she’ll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. And, if you want to get involved with any of the campaigns that Bush is apart of, herself, reach out to the organizations featured and make your own difference!
Keep up with Sophia on Twitter @SophiaBush and Instagram.
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