Here is the exclusive on how the actress and producer has made a career-focused pivot.
Widely recognized for her standout roles in Sharknado, ABC’s Grand Hotel and teen cult favourites Make It or Break It and Bring It On: In It to Win It, Cassie Scerbo’s talent continues to flourish in what many consider to be her career-defining role, in Michael Schilf ’s The Wolf and the Lamb.
Outside of acting and producing, Cassie serves as vice president of Boo2Bullying, an organization dear to her heart, at which she has spent nearly 15 years leading youth-focused mental health education, suicide prevention programs and anti-bullying initiatives throughout the U.S.
She has graced City Life with an exclusive interview to discuss her artistry and how she lives a purposeful life.
Q: In The Wolf and the Lamb, you portray a mother whose child returns “not the boy she knew.” How did you emotionally and psychologically prepare for such an intense, destabilizing role?
A: There was a lot of prep that went into this project. I spent months working on dialect with Jessica Drake, continued developing the character with my acting coach and mentor, Anthony Meindl, and built out a personal diary for Jo, which is something I do with every role. As I wrote, I kept discovering more about her. It’s always interesting how that happens. Once you’ve done the backstory work and really place yourself inside the character, things start to reveal themselves on the page.
I’ve also never played a mother before, and I don’t have children yet, so that was a big part of the process for me. I spent a lot of time reflecting on the love I’ve received from my own mom, and I paid close attention to the mothers around me: the way they love, the quiet sacrifices they make, the kind of care that feels instinctual and all-encompassing. I wanted to understand and portray that as honestly as I could.
Q: What prompted this intentional pivot toward darker, more psychologically complex storytelling at this stage in your career?
A: It’s been a culmination of a lot of things. First off, I’m genuinely grateful for every project I’ve had the privilege to be a part of. Each one shaped me in its own way. I got to collaborate with incredible artists and travel to beautiful places doing what I love most. At the same time, I started to feel a real pull to step outside of the boxes that can naturally form around you in this industry; it happens, and it’s human, but I found myself craving more layered, challenging work as I grew into the woman I am today. I wanted the roles to reflect where I’m at in my life, both personally and creatively.
It wasn’t necessarily about going darker. It was more about going deeper. If a comedy or even a musical speaks to me, I’m absolutely open to that, too. I just wanted to explore characters that feel more evolved, more grounded and more aligned with where I am right now.
Q: Your long-standing work as vice president of Boo2Bullying has centred on youth mental health and advocacy. Why does this particular initiative resonate so deeply with you?
A: I’ve always felt that bullying in any form sits at the root of so much of the negativity we see in the world. When you create space for people, especially young people, to speak their truth — many of whom have felt silenced in one way or another — it becomes some of the most meaningful and fulfilling work you can do.
And that message extends to myself, as well. I’m learning, in a deeper way, how to quiet my own self-bully and fall back in love with the arts from a more grounded, honest place. It’s something I speak about often because while it’s so important to show up for others and champion their voices, it’s just as important to do that for yourself as you move forward with your life and career.
