#18-30

DAY 18: Pick three things that your celebrity owns or possesses that are important to them, and explain why they care about them so much. Please exclude animals or people!

Asking Brie to pick three is an almost impossible task - she is someone who loves with all of her heart, whether it’s a simple sticker collection or a special memento that she’s hung on to. If she had to though, she would definitely name her house as one of the three - from the moment she saw it, she knew she wanted to own it. And not just because it had a fun design and nice features but because it feels like her. If there was a physical representation of her soul, she’s pretty sure it would look much like this house. Her Oscar is probably one of those three as well, not because she has some narcissistic attachment to it but because for her it represents that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. She’d dreamed of winning such an award since she was a child and practiced her speech many times in the bathroom mirror but it wasn’t too long before she was cast in Room that she very nearly walked away from acting - her self-esteem beat down so much that she very nearly gave up. So to be standing up on that stage just a few years later and being acknowledged in that way by her peers is something she will always treasure. Lastly is a letter her mother wrote to her years and years ago - it was written to encourage and uplift a young girl who was taking life too seriously and while her mother supported her dream, she was also concerned that a young Brie might be missing out on life. Brie took it to heart and has carried it in her wallet ever since as a constant reminder to always stop and smell the roses, even on - no, especially one - the worst of days. 

DAY 19: Does your celebrity have a lot of friends, or do they tend to rely on a smaller group of friends?.

Both? Brie is very friendly and tends to talk and spend time with many people, but she does have those who are a little nearer and dearer to her. She can be very social and at a party or event, it isn’t uncommon to find her with groups of people but if she was given the choice, she would almost always choose smaller, more intimate outings. She likes to get close to people and learn more about them and this is much easier in quieter, smaller environments. 

DAY 20: What’s your celebrity’s relationship history like? A lot of hook-ups, many long-term relationships? Have they ever gotten very serious with someone before?

Brie has never been someone who ‘hooks-up’ - not that she never has, she’s had a few brief encounters but for the most part, she tends towards longer term relationships. She’s been very career focused most of her life and while she has met many people throughout her life that have captured her interest, she’s aware of the challenges that her life presents to any relationship so she tends not to commit unless she feels that person is someone she could see herself with for the long haul. It’s a bit about protecting her own heart but also because she doesn’t want to unintentionally hurt anyone she cares about. Prior to her current relationship, she’s had three in her adult life, the last of which ended after a short-lived, ill-fated engagement. 

DAY 21: Travel time! Where in the world would your celebrity like to go if they were given the opportunity to take an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the entire world? The catch is… it’s a solo trip that they’re taking alone.

Brie has been fortunate and her work has taken her all over the world, where she has been able to see some amazing things, taste delicious food and meet fantastic people but none of them are the Unicorn Cafe in Bangkok. To be honest, she’d probably prefer to do this with other’s but if getting there means she has to do it on her own, then she would absolutely make that sacrifice - whatever it takes. 

DAY 22: Whether they’re into acting, music, a sport… what has been the project that your celebrity is the most proud of?

Brie has a lot of projects she is proud of, she’s always been fairly selective about the roles she takes on but the two that come to mind instantly are Room and Unicorn Store. Room, not because of it’s critical success are the awards it put on her shelf, but because of the story it told and passion that went into making it. She is proud of her own performance, but watching some of the others, particularly her co-star Jacob, was inspiring and at times, breathtaking. Unicorn Store because, although it’s reception at TIFF wasn’t quite what she’d hoped for, it was her full length directorial debut and she put out a movie of which she is proud of and speaks to her. Lastly, local project A Place For Us is amongst the one Brie is most proud of - the brain child of her and her friend/brain sister Delta, it is one hundred percent, pure, unadulterated Brie and Delta and something she is still absolutely in love with. 

DAY 23: And on the opposite side of the spectrum, is there a project that your celebrity has worked on that they absolutely regret, for one reason or another?

Brie tries not to regret much in her life, but looking back, Basmati Blues might have been a bad decision. Although the trailer was only recently released, the film was actually filmed back in 2013 and while that is not an excuse, she has learned and grown a lot during that time and if the script was presented to her today, she would likely have looked at it with a more critical eye then she did then.

DAY 24: How does your celebrity handle the holiday season? Are they the kind that’s very excited and upbeat? Do they tend to get somber around the holidays? Are they religious at all, or more in it for the traditions they create on their own?

Brie is absolutely enthralled with Christmas and for her it is the happiest time of the year. She throws herself wholly into celebrating the season of giving and kindness - she decorates to the max, painstakingly selects gifts for the people in her life and spending as much time as she can with the people she loves. For her though, it is much more about about the spirit then the traditional religious sentiment of the day. Over the years she’s had a number of traditions with her mother and sister, as well as with other important people in her life, although her move to Bayview has changed some of those and been replaced with new traditions with her extended family here in town. Mostly, as long as she able to be with the people she loves, then she considers it a success. That said, this past Christmas has her hopeful that perhaps a new, joint family, tradition may have begun. 

DAY 25: What is your celebrity’s Christmas (or other/no holiday, if they don’t celebrate) routine like? Do they travel out of town, have family over? Wake up early, or take advantage of the holiday and sleep in? What do they do with the day? How has it changed since they were younger and at home?

Neither Brie nor her sister have children yet, so for as long as she can remember, she’s been the excitable one - up with the sun and waking up her sister and mother, anxiously waiting while they have their morning coffee before diving into the presents. In the past, they would sometimes indulge in a movie at the theatre, just the three of them but this past year they celebrated with Joe’s family as well and after a big dinner and an evening of board games, Brie could easily see this becoming the new tradition. 

DAY 26: When the holidays end, is your celebrity the type that wants to undecorate and move on immediately to get back to normal, or do they keep things up and keep the spirit going longer?

Normally, Brie holds out as long as possible when it comes to taking down the decorations - she puts a lot of work into them and wants to get as much out of them as she can. This year however, she has a lot on her plate in January and things will remain hectic for most of the first part of the year, so she will begrudgingly take them down earlier than normal so that they don’t wind up staying up all year.

DAY 27: Is your celebrity more of a city-dweller, or a farm person? Do you think that where they grew up had a big impact on that? And how do they do when they’re living in the opposite situation?

Brie is definitely more of a city dweller, even coming to Bayview was a bit of a shock to her system. She’s grown to love the small town but country-living probably isn’t something that is in her future - she loves the fast pace of a city but more than that, she fears the quiet of rural life would allow her too much time to think. Brie has struggled with anxiety for most of her life and only recently gained control - part of that was recognizing her tendency to overthink, which only grows worse when she has too much time on her hands. For her, there is a safety in knowing that when her brain starts journeying down paths she’d rather avoid, a brisk walk to a nearby cafe or bookstore is enough to settle an overactive mind. That said, she is a huge animal lover and is quickly growing her own little farm, so maybe something in the middle would be ideal for her! 

DAY 28: Growing up, was there one person that your celebrity looked up to more than any other, whether it be family, friend, or just someone else in their life? How do they feel about that person today?

Her mother, hands down. She has admired and been inspired by many women over the course of her life, but none will ever measure up to her mom in her eyes. Her father left when Brie was quite young, leaving behind a wife and two young children to fend for themselves. Brie never for a moment saw her mother feeling so for herself and instead the woman packed up her two girls, told them they were going on vacation to Los Angeles and never looked back. They survived on very little for many, many years and somehow still, her mother managed to fully support Brie’s dream - driving her to audtions, scrounging up the cash for lessons. Whatever it took. And when it all finally paid off and Brie was finally in a place to take care of her mother, she wouldn’t hear of it, insisting it had never been about the payoff. She taught Brie how to be strong and independent, but also how to be kind and compassionate, never forgetting her good fortunates even when things really weren’t that great. Still to this day, she is the ideal that Brie strives to become. 

DAY 29: Imagine if your celebrity had never come to Bayview… where would they be right this moment? Who would they be with, and what would they be doing?

If she’d never come to Bayview, it’s very likely that Brie would still be living in L.A., though work wise not a lot would be different except that she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to create A Place For Us with Delta, which is perhaps one of the most significant and meaningful things she’s been able to work on. As for who she’d be with, she isn’t too sure how to answer that question - on one hand, she’d like to think that she would have found someone after her and her ex-fiance called it quits. On the other hand, at this point, she can’t imagine that person being anyone other than Joe and if the two of them hadn’t have ended up in Bayview, she’s not sure they ever would have the chance to spend time together and discover that their friendship could grow into so much more. 

DAY 30: It’s the year 2022, and your celebrity is still living in Bayview. Describe what you think their life is going to be like in five years; are they still in the same house, doing the same work? With the same person and social circle? Or has their life changed astronomically? Do you think the reality of where they are is where they would have wanted to be back in 2017?

DAY 18: Pick three things that your celebrity owns or possesses that are important to them, and explain why they care about them so much. Please exclude animals or people!

Drew isn’t very much into material thing, she tends to value people and her relationships more than anything else and while she has plenty of things that she loves. none of that is valued about the people (and pets) that she loves. Still, she has both of the hospital bracelets from the day both her children were born and they are tucked away safely so that she’ll always have them. She also has a photo of her, Olive and Frankie that sits on her make-up table, framed simply and decorated by her girls. It’s absolutely her favorite photo of the three of them and she would be devastated if something ever happened to it. It’s a little early to say just yet but there’s also a certain ring she thinks she could end up treasuring just as much. 

DAY 19: Does your celebrity have a lot of friends, or do they tend to rely on a smaller group of friends?.

Drew is friendly with pretty much everyone she comes across - she loves people and enjoys being around them for the most part. She’s a single mother of two, though, with a hectic work schedule, so there isn’t always a lot of time for extracurricular socializing. She’d love to be able to spend time with everyone on a regular basis, but unfortunately she has to prioritize the people who mean the most to her so that she can be sure they are getting the time they deserve. She loves a good party though and when it works out that she can be there, she definitely will be and is a bit of a social butterfly, moving from person to person to try and catch up with as many as she can while she has the chance. 

DAY 20: What’s your celebrity’s relationship history like? A lot of hook-ups, many long-term relationships? Have they ever gotten very serious with someone before?

If you can dream it, Drew has probably done it. Her younger years were wild, by most people’s standards, and there was a continuous chain of one night stands (far too many of which she only barely remembers), short-term, and (relatively) long-term relationships. It’s a period of her life that she is simultaneously not proud of but doesn’t regret either. She had a difficult childhood and a complex family and spent much of her younger years looking to others to love her. Sobriety and years of therapy, self-reflection and personal growth has turned things around though and she has enough self-love now that she no longer needs to compensate with the love of others. Still, she doesn’t have a great history when it comes to long-term relationships - she’s been married three times and engaged twice more but her longest relationship was with the man who fathered her two children, and even that lasted barely five years. You never know what the future might hold though, and right about now, things are looking pretty good. 

DAY 21: Travel time! Where in the world would your celebrity like to go if they were given the opportunity to take an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the entire world? The catch is… it’s a solo trip that they’re taking alone.

There aren’t a lot of places Drew hasn’t been already but there are plenty that she’d love to be able to have the time to enjoy and explore more - if she was going on her own though it would primarily be to indulge in a photography journey. She’d love to photograph the Northern Lights and Victoria Falls in southern Africa. Number one on her list though would be the Rainbow Mountains in China. 

DAY 22: Whether they’re into acting, music, a sport… what has been the project that your celebrity is the most proud of?

Drew has had a long career, so choosing just one project that she is particularly proud of is difficult - she has many that she is proud of, for a variety of reasons. She will forever be proud of The Wedding Singer - not because it was some sort of life-altering concept that changed people’s lives but because it touched people. All these years later and people still approach her to tell her how much they enjoyed it. For Drew, that is what she loves the most about acting and so this is the ultimate compliment. She’s proud of Charlie’s Angels - not only because she somehow managed to convince her friends to do it with her, but because at a time when female leads weren’t nearly as common as they are today, they were able to not just make one but two  movies with female leads. She’s also very proud of her performance in Grey Gardens and Miss You Already.

DAY 23: And on the opposite side of the spectrum, is there a project that your celebrity has worked on that they absolutely regret, for one reason or another?

Not exactly, she does wish they women in Bad Girls could have been...badder. She felt as though they given a very different script than they would have been if the leads had been male and it always disappointed her a little. Other than that though, Drew doesn’t really like to look back with regret on anything she’s done - everything, whether it turned out good or bad, has been an experience that she would trade. 

DAY 24: How does your celebrity handle the holiday season? Are they the kind that’s very excited and upbeat? Do they tend to get somber around the holidays? Are they religious at all, or more in it for the traditions they create on their own.

In general, Drew is fairly upbeat all the time and she tries extra hard during the holidays to keep things positive and light, mostly for the benefit of her children and other people. Beneath the surface though, there is a certain sadness that comes along with holidays as well. Most people have families, large or small, that they are close to and have established, meaningful traditions that excite them. Sadly, Drew doesn’t have any of that - she is not close with most of her family, and while she was close with her ex’s, things have changed since their split. Drew herself has accepted this is the way things are and doesn’t spend too much time being sad for herself. She does wish however that her girls could experience it - they do get it from their dad’s side of the family, but Drew hopes that over time the three of them can establish their own traditions and customs that can give Frankie and Olive that same sense of family and belonging. 

DAY 25: What is your celebrity’s Christmas (or other/no holiday, if they don’t celebrate) routine like? Do they travel out of town, have family over? Wake up early, or take advantage of the holiday and sleep in? What do they do with the day? How has it changed since they were younger and at home?

That’s hard to say, Drew’s life in the last five years is vastly different from what it had been previously, so they’re still working out exactly what their traditions will/should be. That said, she grew up with a distinct lack of many of the traditions other families had and it is something she’s always wished she had. Her family was broken and disjointed and even when they did manage to get a group together, it often broke down before they could truly enjoy the holidays. Most years though, important people were missing - either working, incarcerated or swimming in addictions of one kind or another. As a result, establishing traditions with her girls is extremely important to her - more than anything, she wants them to look back on the special days and have stories to tell and share with their own children some day. Christmas Eve does always include the opening of one present - predictably pajamas and a book and then cuddling up to read together before setting out the previously baked (together) cookies for Santa. And then waking up at the crack of dawn to race downstairs and see what he delivered. She hopes more will come to be as the girls grow up.

DAY 26: When the holidays end, is your celebrity the type that wants to undecorate and move on immediately to get back to normal, or do they keep things up and keep the spirit going longer?

God no, Drew is definitely the kind to drag things out as long as humanly possible - she wants to savor the good things as much as possible and enjoying the holidays well into January is something she’s not too ashamed to admit to. In fact, the only reason the tree ever comes down is because eventually have to chase the dogs away from trying to dig around in it and cleaning up dried pine needles from the floor becomes too much work. Otherwise, it might stay there until Easter!

DAY 27: Is your celebrity more of a city-dweller, or a farm person? Do you think that where they grew up had a big impact on that? And how do they do when they’re living in the opposite situation?

Only a few short months ago Drew absolutely would have said she was a city-dweller - she loves the feeling that something is always happening, that people are always out and about experiencing the world and sharing it with others and likes to be at the heart of it. Once she had children though, things began to change - she grew up in the public eye and is accustomed to the flash of cameras and nosy questions but when they started photographing Frankie and Olive, and printing those photos, without any thought to getting permission from her or their father, suddenly the city started to feel like too much at best, unsafe at worst. Hence the decision to move to Bayview - and much to her surprise, she is absolutely loving rural living. She loves the solitude and quietness. The safety in knowing her children can play in the yard without having to worry about appearing on the front page of a tabloid. Of being able to provide them experiences like camping in the yard or owning their own horses. She thought she would struggle to adapt but it seems like it has been exactly what she needed, right on time. Perhaps once the girls have grown and moved from home she would consider returning to the city but for right now, she is happy to stay where she is. 

DAY 28: Growing up, was there one person that your celebrity looked up to more than any other, whether it be family, friend, or just someone else in their life? How do they feel about that person today?

Drew didn’t have a lot of positive role models growing up, that was part of her struggle. She was surrounded by people who were carrying their own burdens and had their own struggles, often not making the wisest of choices as they navigated their way through them. These days though, she finds inspiration nearly everywhere she goes - whether it’s the stranger that stop to hold the door open for someone or the mother who manages to balance her children with a career and social life. She has a strong sense of the power of women though and this is usually where, even as a child, she found her strength. In seeing what they could overcome when they put their minds to it and how they could do so while still being kind. That’s the ultimate inspiration as far as Drew is concerned. 

DAY 29: Imagine if your celebrity had never come to Bayview… where would they be right this moment? Who would they be with, and what would they be doing?

Honestly, her life wouldn’t have changed much - she’d still be living between Hollywood and New York, continuing work on her show as well the production company and other business ventures. The difference would be more in what she wouldn’t be doing - she wouldn’t learning all she could about horses so she could make smart choices come the Spring. She wouldn’t finally be growing her own flowers. And she definitely wouldn’t be fake married. All in all, she thinks things have worked out better than she could have hoped and prefers not to look back, but only forward!

DAY 30: It’s the year 2022, and your celebrity is still living in Bayview. Describe what you think their life is going to be like in five years; are they still in the same house, doing the same work? With the same person and social circle? Or has their life changed astronomically? Do you think the reality of where they are is where they would have wanted to be back in 2017?

DAY 18: Pick three things that your celebrity owns or possesses that are important to them, and explain why they care about them so much. Please exclude animals or people!

Jim Lee, a comic book artist, drew Rahul a Batman sketch for his 30th birthday it remains one his most treasured possessions to date. He also has a collection of recent and vintage Liverpool FC jerseys that would be ranked amongst his most prized possessions. Third, would have to be his guitar. He may not be winning any MTV Awards anytime soon, but when things get stressful or he just needs to check out for awhile, strumming away on that guitar is when he finds his most solace.  

DAY 19: Does your celebrity have a lot of friends, or do they tend to rely on a smaller group of friends?

If you were to ask Rahul, he would tell you he has a lot of friends, but he does tend to keep most people at a certain distance. He can be difficult to get close to and even when he feels attached or close to someone, he isn’t always the best at expressing it. So even many of his friends, would likely only be considered acquaintances to most others. Once he gets close to someone though, he rarely lets go and continues to have many friends from his childhood and adolescence even today. He definitely prefers smaller groups to larger crowds, though he likes to have many small groups and has groups of friends for specific interests in his life - friends that also enjoy football, friends that enjoy video games, work friends, etc (these days though, there is plenty of crossover among them). 

DAY 20: What’s your celebrity’s relationship history like? A lot of hook-ups, many long-term relationships? Have they ever gotten very serious with someone before?

Rahul has always been a bit of a nerd, so his opportunities for hook-ups have been limited but prior to coming to Bayview, Rahul had also been in a long term relationship for a large part of his adult life (he was about 23 when they began dating), so it’s safe to say that it was serious. While neither of them seemed to be in a rush to get hitched, it ultimately is what caused the end of the relationship. They’d both felt as if there were things they wanted to do and accomplish before they settled in for the truly long haul and instead of strengthening them, like he’d thought it would, they eventually grew further and further apart as their paths diverged in different directions. It’s a strange feeling returning to bachelorhood, and some days he enjoys it. Other days it’s a bit lonely.

DAY 21: Travel time! Where in the world would your celebrity like to go if they were given the opportunity to take an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the entire world? The catch is… it’s a solo trip that they’re taking alone.

This is easy - he’s a pretty simple guy, who has two real passions outside of acting: video games and football (or, as we peasants call it, soccer). Rahul’s dream trip would include not just one city, but a series of cities while he travelled around the country (England, not America) watching his beloved Liverpool Football Club play in every city/stadium he could. If that’s cheating, then he would likely want to attend a FIFA World Cup wherever it happened to be that year.

DAY 22: Whether they’re into acting, music, a sport… what has been the project that your celebrity is the most proud of?

It’s early in Rahul’s career, so his choices are limited here, but obviously iZombie is his pride and joy so far. Ravi is a lot of fun to play, but he appreciates that he’s been given opportunity to play some more complex scenes with him and that, while Rose is the center of the show, he’s not just simply a sidekick. Mostly though, when he hears how the fans react to the character and his portrayal of him, it’s hard not to feel as if he’s done a good job. Making people feel something and particularly something they can relate to is the core of what makes acting such a fulfilling job, so that sort of feedback absolutely contributes to a sense of accomplishment for Rahul.

DAY 23: And on the opposite side of the spectrum, is there a project that your celebrity has worked on that they absolutely regret, for one reason or another?

Again, it’s early in Rahul’s career and at this point, he doesn’t have any regrets - he’s just grateful for whatever work he can get and hopes it continues to come. 

DAY 24: How does your celebrity handle the holiday season? Are they the kind that’s very excited and upbeat? Do they tend to get somber around the holidays? Are they religious at all, or more in it for the traditions they create on their own?

Rahul is rarely ‘excited’ about anything, but he does enjoy the spirit of the Christmas season - especially the parts where people go out of their way to be kind and help and uplift others, so he’s generally in a fairly jovial mood this time of year. He’s not overly religious himself but he does continue to respect his family’s traditions which include Mass on Christmas Eve, but he particularly appreciates the traditions they have made for themselves. 

DAY 25: What is your celebrity’s Christmas (or other/no holiday, if they don’t celebrate) routine like? Do they travel out of town, have family over? Wake up early, or take advantage of the holiday and sleep in? What do they do with the day? How has it changed since they were younger and at home?

These days, Rahul generally heads back to London to be with family for the holidays. Personally, he’s prefer to sleep in but his parents are early risers and usually wake him not long after the sun rises. Groggy, and perhaps a little crabby, they generally stop for coffee and breakfast  and some tea before settling down to exchange gifts. The rest of the day generally includes him trying to convince his father to play whatever new video game he got as a present (there’s always at least one) and his father trying to convince him to play Scrabble instead. After a lot of back and forth, he eventually relents. This is all while his mother (usually with the help of his sister) prepare a feast that is a bit of a mix of traditional Western Christmas dishes and Indian favorites. Stuffed, the family usually sits down together to both chat and watch a movie until they all begin to fade for the evening. It’s simple, but nice. 

DAY 26: When the holidays end, is your celebrity the type that wants to undecorate and move on immediately to get back to normal, or do they keep things up and keep the spirit going longer?

Rahul usually lets things linger for a few days after Christmas, but once New Years has come and gone, he generally packs everything away until the next year. He’s not eager to have the holidays be boxed up, but he doesn’t see much point in dragging it out much beyond January 1st either. It’s all got to be put away eventually, so one may as well get on with it, as far as he’s concerned.

DAY 27: Is your celebrity more of a city-dweller, or a farm person? Do you think that where they grew up had a big impact on that? And how do they do when they’re living in the opposite situation?

Rahul is absolutely an urban dweller - growing up in a city like London likely contributed to that but while he isn’t exactly a social butterfly, he likes being close to the pulse of things. Where shops and pubs and restaurants and people are nearby. Rural/country living is more of an experience for Rahul, something he likes to enjoy for a weekend or a few days but the quiet, slow pace of such a lifestyle is not well suited to his personality and it doesn’t take him long to crave the busyness of city life. 

DAY 28: Growing up, was there one person that your celebrity looked up to more than any other, whether it be family, friend, or just someone else in their life? How do they feel about that person today?

Rahul is extremely close to his family and he admired both his parents, but like many young boys, he particularly looked up to his father. He instilled a great sense of respect for others and appreciation for what he has in Rahul and that is something that he carries with him everywhere. Despite his often sarcastic and cheeky nature, Rahul is very loyal to those close to him and never, ever takes for granted how fortunate he is to be doing what he loves and be able to make a decent living off of it, to be surrounded by people who love him and he loves back. He is extremely grateful for the opportunity he has been given on iZombie and appreciates every single fan of the show/Ravi (even if he doesn’t always agree with them). 

DAY 29: Imagine if your celebrity had never come to Bayview… where would they be right this moment? Who would they be with, and what would they be doing?

Vancouver and/or L.A. Prior to coming to Bayview, he maintained residence in both place, though most of his time was spent in Vancouver. So long as he is fortunate enough to have a place on iZombie, he’ll continue to keep his condo there, purely for convenience when he’s working, but he gave up his place in L.A. If he hadn’t found a spot like Bayview though, he likely would have stayed put. Not much outside of location has changed for Rahul though, outside of some friends made that he might not have if he hadn’t come here. 

DAY 30: It’s the year 2022, and your celebrity is still living in Bayview. Describe what you think their life is going to be like in five years; are they still in the same house, doing the same work? With the same person and social circle? Or has their life changed astronomically? Do you think the reality of where they are is where they would have wanted to be back in 2017?