We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bella Glanville. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bella below.

Bella, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

The best thing about my job is that I am permanently fulfilled. I always say that when you are a performer, it is in your soul. You can’t not do it! There was one point in my life that I had a place at Exeter university to study psychology, and sometimes I do wonder what would have happened had I gone there. I probably would have ended up on the path to become a clinical psychologist, engaged to a rugby player named Rupert. However, I know that it wouldn’t have been the right path for me. I ended up moving to Miami very last minute as I was signed out there to Next models. At that point, I knew that I wanted to be an actress. Even though I ended up doing my psychology degree in London, I did this to have something to fall back on, but I mostly did it so that I would be in a place where I could continue to pursue the arts. I could never do a ‘regular job’. It’s not in me.

Bella, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was fourteen, I was running a foundation called ‘Lovekidz’, where I gave workshops and talks to kids in order to help them build self-confidence and self-love. The day that I gave my first workshop, I was on the street after and I got scouted to be a model! Funny how life works. I joined Milk Management and ended up modelling almost full time alongside school. It was amazing to be able to work for some of my favourite brands, like Stella Mccartney, Topshop, Adidas and Gucci, as well as travel to work in awesome places like Sydney, Paris and Miami. I also used my experience as both a model and a motivational speaker to teach kids about what goes on in the modelling industry and that they shouldn’t hold themselves to the same standards. I ended up giving a TED talk in Pennsylvania because of this, which lead to three others as well (in Texas and London).

Alongside all of this, I have always been a passionate performer. When I was a kid, I was trained in improv and musical theatre at Questor’s Theatre in Ealing, where a lot of known names trained at some point too! I did some shows there, and continued to do shows when I got to university. I also dipped my toe into film when I was eighteen.

Throughout my degree, I always felt this pull towards performing, particularly in film. I’d met quite a few people in Hollywood at that point and my soul was telling me that this is what I was meant to do. It helped that I grew up with parents that were opera singers, so I was always within the industry!

In 2020 I decided to fully go for it. I was still doing my degree, and the pandemic hit, so it felt like the perfect time to start writing some stuff that I could film in order to create a showreel, get some experience and try to get an agent. I first signed with a commercial agency, which my modelling helped me get into. I also landed my dream commercial that year, which was to be the face of Coca Cola. In addition, I got into reality tv year after being scouted for Celebs go Dating and Sexy Beasts on Netflix. I started applying for other people’s projects on websites like Backstage.

I used all this experience, some fashion film footage, the footage from my short films and my newfound credits to start approaching agents. And the rest, as they say, is history!

For most of my career, my agent has been Mary Liz Management. She has been absolutely amazing, as well as the team that work for her. They got me an amazing role acting alongside Jamie Demetriou on Netflix in his show ‘A Whole Lifetime’, and they are very holistic in their approach towards clients. They know I write as well and have hired me on a couple of their own productions. I also always cast from Mary Liz’s talent pool in my own short films. I have continued to write and produce films the entire time (one of them won the New York Cinematography Awards and London Film Festival). Some of my other favourite roles I’ve done have been in Ted Lasso, Ghostbusters 4, and the upcoming Geek Girl on Netflix and an ITV crime drama.

In terms of my writing, I have two features and an exciting sitcom which are under works (but that is all I am allowed to say right now).

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I am really into self-help books, so I’ll go by category of what my favourite books are!

For career, my favourite book is ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. As far as self-help books go, this has it all (and I’ve read a lot of them). It goes into a lot of detail and really makes you evaluate absolutely everything you do.

For finance, ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ and ‘Money Master the Game’.

For health, literally any books on veganism have enhanced my beliefs that everyone should be plant based. And I’ll leave that there. Also, when I decided to go sober, I read the amazing ‘The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober’.

For relationships, ‘Why Men Love Bitches’ is fabulous (for us girls), ‘He’s Just Not that Into You’ and ‘The Unexpected Joy of Being Single’.

In general, I also loved ‘The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F***’ , ‘Unleash the Giant Within’ and ‘The Brain that Changes Itself.’

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I usually reply to this by saying that fulfilment is the thing that drives me, and as long as I am always fulfilled, I am always achieving my goal. We want goals because we want the feeling that comes with achieving that goal. It is the feeling that we are after, not the goal itself.

However, I’ll answer it a different way this time. My Grandad was my best friend, my rock, my everything. He was more my (Gran) Dad. And his last words for me were ‘I can’t wait for you to win an Oscar.’ And Grandad, I will win an Oscar.

Contact Info:

• Website: bellaglanville.com
• Instagram: @bellaglanville
• Twitter: @bellaglanville

Image Credits
Photo 1: Gonzalo Feo Photo 2: The Webster Photo 3: Yared Berhane for Infolist pic Photo 4: Stella Mccartney Paris Fashion Week