From Nickelodeon to Indie Drama ‘Cherry’: Ciara Bravo Shatters Child-Star Image With Raw Role

It’s not every actor who can start out on Nickelodeon at age 12 and successfully transition to serious grown-up roles. But Ciara Bravo has made it look easy.

Discovered by a modeling agent when she was a 9-year-old contestant in a county fair beauty pageant near her family home in Alexandria, Kentucky, Bravo started out doing commercial work. She had an uncredited role in Angels & Demons and garnered her first break when she landed a role playing a younger sister in the popular Nickelodeon musical comedy series Big Time Rush, about a hockey boy band, which premiered in 2009.

Even at a young age, Bravo quickly realized she was more interested in being an actor versus a celebrity. By the time she was 16, she snagged a role in the Fox medical dramedy Red Band Society, in which she played a teenager suffering from anorexia.

Fast-forward to early 2019, when Bravo received an email from her agents at UTA asking if she’d like to audition for a role in Cherry, an indie drama from Marvel directors Anthony and Joe Russo about the opioid crisis that stars Tom Holland. Bravo admits that, given the names involved in the project, she never thought she’d get the part. “I sent a tape and then forgot about it to protect my sanity. It is so easy to get your heart broken in this industry,” says Bravo.

Cherry producer Mike Larocca, who runs the Russo brothers’ production company AGBO, recalls, “The guys watched the tape and said, ‘Let’s cast her.’ She had her own spin on the role. More than anything, she felt more vulnerable than others. She felt the most authentic.”

Cherry is another leap forward for Bravo, now 23. The film, debuting March 12 on Apple TV+, is based on the novel of the same name by Nico Walker about a young Army veteran who starts robbing banks to support his opioid habit. Bravo — giving a memorable performance that is by turns subtle and raw — plays Emily, his young sweetheart who later becomes his wife and also becomes hooked.

Bravo is circumspect about fame and says her parents — who run a limo business in Cincinnati — always kept her grounded. She lives in Los Angeles with her sister, Rikkel, a film publicist, and their two Maltipoos.

Did you ever worry that you’d get stuck in the tween universe and never be able to break out?

Absolutely. That’s what happens to most people. They try to break out, but no one takes them seriously. I was lucky in that I was never the star in that world, I was always the sidekick and the sassy little sister.

What drew you to the role of Emily in Cherry?

As an actor, my mouth was watering when I read the script. There are so many different sides to this character. A month later, my agent called. I thought, “Is he going to drop me? Why is he calling me?” When he told me that I had booked Cherry, I was speechless.

Was there addiction in your own family?

Growing up in the Midwest, which is ground zero for the opioid epidemic, I’d say it’s almost impossible to not know someone who has been affected, either personally or secondhand. I was lucky in getting to visit a rehab center in Cleveland, where we shot the film, and speak to people about what it is like.

Have you worked during the pandemic?

No, aside from doing press for Cherry, it’s been mostly staying home and reading scripts.

Would you feel comfortable working on a set right now?

I think it’s now possible to feel safe. My hesitation in the beginning was not so much for myself, but for the rest of the crew because I’m very lucky in being an actor. You are considered a priority, and could be treated better than the rest of the cast and crew.

Who are your inspirations as an actress?

Toni Collette and Amy Adams.

How have you coped this past year?

I’m very introverted. I didn’t know how badly I wanted the government to tell me I had to stay home. It’s me, my older sister and the dogs. It’s our version of Grey Gardens.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

This story first appeared in the March 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.