“When ball is life, every move matters.” – Disney+’s The Crossover
The fabulous actress Skyla I’lece truly is making moves and is making an unforgettable mark in the entertainment world. Starring as Alexis in Disney+’s hit, new series, The Crossover, the gifted I’lece instantly swept fans off their feet with her remarkable work in the show. The Crossover is based off of Kwame Alexander’s best-selling novel of the same name and follows twin brothers, Josh and Jordan Bell, who are regarded as basketball phenoms. The series, which is told through beautiful and thoughtful, lyrical poetry, invites viewers to see the brothers’ coming of age story—both on the court and off—and it proves that there’s no team tighter than family.
I’lece gives a standout performance in the series. She does an outstanding job helping to bring this powerful story to life. And, the best part of it all? She gets to combine her passions of music and acting into one sensational project!
The phenomenal Skyla I’lece is a natural entertainer. She’s a true multi-threat being a marvelous actress, a brilliant singer, an amazing dancer, and a fantastic musician. If you follow the exceptional Skyla I’lece on social media (which you definitely should be!), you’ll get to hear her angelic and harmonious, singing voice in all of the magnificent covers she shares. She also has an incredible background in musical theatre and recently performed in a production of Witness for the Prosecution.
Whether it’s balancing being an honors student, working on set of an extraordinary show, or being a skilled volleyball player, I’lece manages to do it all with such grace and with her million dollar smile on her face. We know that the wonderful Skyla I’lece will continue to book more and more projects and we can’t wait to see her top-notch talent continue to shine in everything that she works on.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess had an excellent time interviewing the vivacious Skyla I’lece all about what it was like for her to have worked on The Crossover, what her favorite part about playing the role of Alexis is, what is a memory that sticks out to her the most from working on the show and so much more only in our VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview. I’lece even revealed what is the biggest takeaway she’d like fans to have from watching the show—see what she had to say in our VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview below!
Read my VIPAccessEXCLUSIVE interview with the effervescent Skyla I’lece below and catch her in The Crossover—all episodes are streaming now on Disney+!
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: Congratulations on all of the stellar success with your career! Can you tell us what inspired you to focus your life around being an actress / singer?
Skyla I’lece: Thank you so much! Around age three, my mom enrolled me in a musical theatre camp to help build confidence and keep active. At the end of the camp week, the students would perform a shortened version of a musical. I would end up being placed front and center in the shows, and I would come home singing and dancing nonstop. My singing was not that good at the time, especially when I hit those high notes, so my mom was like, “Okay, I need to find you an outlet so you can continue to perform, but outside of the house!” She later enrolled me in a musical theater conservatory in which I trained in dance, acting, singing, and musical theater every day after school and on weekends. I trained there for about seven years and began to audition and perform in regional theatre productions and even auditioned and received callbacks for Broadway roles in NYC. Performing in musicals, especially when I portrayed the role of Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden, is when I knew that not only did I want to be an actress and singer, but I was good at memorizing long scripts, and can act, sing, and dance at the same time.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: You star in the incredible Disney+ series, The Crossover. What was it like for you working on this brilliant project?
Skyla I’lece: The Crossover is such an amazing and important project. I play the role of Alexis, the new girl at school and girlfriend of Jordan Bell (JB). Working on this project has allowed me to grow as an actress by being surrounded by incredible actors, directors, and producers. The casting was amazing! All of the cast had great chemistry on and off set. The writers and directors were open to our ideas about our characters. And, the fact that I got to play a role based off a character from Kwame Alexander’s book is also so incredible to me.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: What was your favorite part about getting to play the role of Alexis in the series?
Skyla I’lece: Damani Johnson, one of the writers and showrunners of The Crossover, later told me that when he saw me audition for the role of Alexis, I looked exactly like what he had envisioned her to look like, which is absolutely incredible to me. And, the fact that they trusted me with this role is something I’ll never forget.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: Your character, Alexis, is a musician, just like yourself. What was it like for you getting to combine your passions of acting and music in The Crossover?
Skyla I’lece: It is so dope that both Alexis and I play guitar and sing. I am so glad that this is something the writers decided to incorporate into the show, even though it differs from the book. I have always said that I’ve wanted to be in a film or series where I was able to combine my two favorite things: acting and singing. So, being able to portray this role is truly a dream come true for me!
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: Is there a memory that sticks out to you the most from working on The Crossover?
Skyla I’lece: A memory that sticks out to me the most while working on The Crossover was filming the roller skating scenes in episode four. While shooting those scenes, it didn’t really feel like we were working. The camera just happened to catch a real friend group having a great time skating.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: The Crossover has a lot of touching and moving messages weaved throughout the series. What is the biggest takeaway you’d like viewers to have from watching the show?
Skyla I’lece: The Crossover has that sports drama element, but it is centered around so much more. It’s about love, family, education, and real-life issues. The biggest takeaway I hope viewers will have is that there are other people going through similar situations, and they are not giving up, so you shouldn’t give up either. Keep open communication, stay determined, and persevere. Also, I like how the show weaves vocabulary in. I come from a family that takes education very seriously, so I can relate to and respect the vocabulary lessons.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: We also have to talk about your background in musical theatre. If you could describe the feeling you get when you perform in a live production in just one word, what word would that be?
Skyla I’lece: OMG… In one word… performing live in a musical or theatrical production is like… fireworks.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: Who are some of your musical inspirations?
Skyla I’lece: For singers, I’d say Fantasia, Jasmine Sullivan and Adele because each of these artists have such strong voices and they always have a message to convey. For musical theatre performers, I love Phillipa Soo because Hamilton is one of my favorite musicals and her voice is the one that resonates the most with me.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: If you could work alongside any other actor in a future project, who would you like it to be?
Skyla I’lece: I would love to work alongside Gina Rodriguez. Gina is such an incredible actress and she can play a variety of different character types. I strive to be able to do that as well.
AlexisJoyVIPAccess: Lastly, if you could bring out one message to all of your fans, what message would that be?
Skyla I’lece: Work hard, believe in yourself, and scream to the top of your lungs your biggest goals and aspirations. Manifest it and go get it!