Twerking Victoria Justice Says She Has Great Gaydar, Promises to Make More Music
Victoria Justice. Photo: Getty Images
“The movie is really cool for me because it’s the first time people are going to see me in a film doing something more mature and really getting to explore my emotional range,” says the quintessential Californian Victoria Justice whose calling from her cellphone while stuck in traffic to discuss her latest film, Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. “I have four scenes where I start breaking down. As an actor it’s a little bit scary and daunting. But I’m really proud of my performance in the film.”
The 22-year-old actress stars as the titular Naomi, a fashionable, quirky NYU student who is harboring conflicted feelings for her gay best friend Ely (played by Justice’s real-life boyfriend Pierson Fode). As Naomi and Ely fall for the same guy their friendship begins to crumble and Naomi is forced to reconsider everything around her. “I don’t feel like this story – about being in love with your gay best friend and then your gay best friend falling in love with your boyfriend – has ever been told,” Justice laughs. It’s a modern day Some Kind of Wonderful, but in reverse!
“Most girls have,” Justice admits about being in love with a gay friend. “To be honest with you, though, I’ve never been in love with any gay boys. My mom was a hairdresser so she’s been around gay men her whole life. And I was around gay people from a young age because I started modeling in Florida. I was always around gay hairdressers and gay makeup artists so by age ten I already had extremely good gaydar. It’s served me well, I think.”
It’s a more mature role for Justice, who is now two and a half years from the end of Victorious, her super popular Nickelodeon series. As that show ended, Justice aimed to search out projects that could showcase a fuller range for her as an actress – and roles that didn’t necessarily also focus on her musical skills. She starred on MTV thriller Eye Candy for one season before it was canceled and now has a development deal with Fox to create a new series for herself.
“I definitely wanted to branch out and do something that was more mature and more dramatic,” Justice notes. “At the end of the day now I’m just looking for good scripts, whether it’s a great comedy or a great drama or a great psychological thriller – it could be anything.” She adds, “I don’t really feel like I need to prove anything to anybody. I’m a hard worker and I’m doing what I enjoy and I want to be a part of projects that are cool and that I’m passionate about. If anything, I think I’m doing it more for myself. I am big on female empowerment. That’s important to me. I would never want to play a role that was degrading or one-dimensional. I think all of the roles I’ve played have fit into being strong female characters. That’s what really interesting in an a character – that arc, that development, that fight they have to go through to become better.”
Victoria Justice and Pierson Fode in Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. Photo: Courtesy
Justice’s second fall movie, The Outskirts, out November 6, centers on this idea. The film, set in a high school, questions what it means to be cool and what it means to be an outcast. Justice plays misfit Jodi, a character who eventually realizes that your social status isn’t what defines you. For Justice, this felt inherently relatable.
“I think we’re all kind of misfits in our own way,” the actress admits. “No one fits into one certain category. I feel like everyone, no matter how perfect they may seem on the outside, is struggling with their own insecurities. I definitely identify with that. But at the end of the day, things that people might label you a misfit for, like your quirks, are what make you unique and interesting.”
In her own life, Justice finds empowerment through music and exercise. She works out regularly with a personal trainer and has started taking yoga classes. But it’s not all by the book. “I’m all about exploring and finding ways to keep exercising fun and entertaining,” Justice says. “I took a twerking class. I took a pole dancing class. The twerking class was fun. I went with my sister and there was no one else in there. It was just us and this really juicy booty lady. I feel like when you’re twerking you have to let go of all your judgments, which I did. Thirty minutes into it I was doing a handstand on the wall, shaking it. It was really fun.”
The actress, who admits she’d rather stay home and watch Netflix than go to some Hollywood club, is also slowly working on a new music. She cites Alessia Cara and Trevor Wesley as her recent favorite musical discoveries and is enthusiastic about the soundtrack for Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List, which includes a lot of indie artists fans may discover through the film. Justice isn’t solely interested in pop, even if that’s her background with Victorious. She loves all types of music and promises she will eventually have a new solo album.
“I took a little bit of a break to focus on acting and I didn’t know if I wanted to sign with another label,” she says. “I wasn’t ready to make that big commitment. Music is such a huge part of me and I still sing every day. I practice every day. I have some songs I’ve written and I want to get back in the studio and start producing more stuff. I’ve been saying ‘Soon. The album is coming soon.’ for a long time. But I’m not in the process of putting an album together right now. I definitely will be releasing more music.” She laughs and adds, “I’ll just keep saying ‘Soon.’ And it definitely will be true. It will happen.”
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