STEP UP is back for a third instalment with a star-studded cast that features singing royalty in the form of Ne-Yo and cast newcomer Christina Milian.
Ne-Yo returns in his role as Sage Odom, while Milian (41), takes over the role of Collette Jones from the late Naya Rivera.
Glee star Rivera played the character on the show before she drowned in a boating accident on a lake in southern California in July 2020.
Step Up, which airs on Lionsgate+ is a reimagining of the film series and is set at a performing arts school in Atlanta, Georgia.
Hollywood stars Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, who co-starred in the original Step Up film in 2006, are executive producers on the TV show.
Singer Milian first found fame as a 19-year-old when she signed with the Def Jam record label and released her self-titled debut album.
She is best known for hits including AM To PM, When You Look At Me and Dip It Low, and has also appeared in several films such as Love Don’t Cost A Thing and 2007 television film Snowglobe.
She talks about taking on the Step Up role.
HOW WAS IT FOR YOU TO STEP INTO THE CHARACTER’S SHOES?
“It was definitely big shoes to fill. I will say that, as a fan for years of her work, also just a fellow, I think, Latina, I feel like she always stood out for me.
“So when this opportunity came about I was familiar with this role.
“And knowing this was her last role that she played, and so the connection to me was, it was really important for me that if I was going to do this, to take it seriously, and to understand all the components, not only for the character, but the fans, and for her family, and to respect it, and how was I going to do this in a way that wasn’t trying to be her as Collette, but who was I going to become as Collette and how was Collette going to also continue to be the same Collette that she was and tell the same story.”
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT IT?
“There were many elements that I, when you talk to yourself, and you’re figuring it out, it was like a puzzle, like Tetris, you know, the whole time.
“But eventually, it all landed with me. And I prayed on it, I did pray. And I just hope that, you know, I was doing the right thing and respecting her.
“And then I trusted it, you know, and it’s beautiful when you just trust yourself and trust the process and allow it to happen. It kind of just allows you to just like, release that weight and actually just kind of become it and the prayers also helped.”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE CHARACTER?
“I feel like she is a woman of this modern day, of now, a woman who has a past, she has a story, but she has a dream. She’s passionate and she’s figuring out her journey. She’s not perfect.
“But her love for not only the arts but also for Sage and for their history and also what it could be. And also, she knows that she has a certain amount of power that she can actually, like, she can create, she can change lives.
“So understanding her power makes her really special – when you start to understand what you’re capable of, I think it’s an incredible turn that you can have in your life.
“And so I feel like that is the art that I got to see that happened with her and that’s a really big part of, I think, just people’s lives in general.
“When you see it, you see that and you’re like, wow, I went from this to this. And I became this from this or, you know, I put boundaries, I wasn’t weak, these kinds of things make you stronger.
“And I feel like she’s that strong character and ballsy and I love that about her.”
STEP UP TELLS THE STORY OF MARGINALISED GROUPS AND PEOLE WHO WOULDN’T NORMALLY GET A CHANCE TO MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE IN THIS WAY. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT STORY TO CONTINUE TO TELL?
“I mean, there’s so many stories. I think it’s an important story to tell because people should understand, there’s one thing for what you see that’s on TV, but there’s the process, the process is so important.
“And sometimes the process isn’t perfect, a lot of the time it’s not, and it takes a long time, it’s patience, hard work.
“Sometimes you run into a lot of speed bumps. But if you can get over those, and you really are passionate about it, and you work hard, and you’re actually good at it, you can make it, there’s potential for anybody to make it happen.”
STEP UP BLENDS YOUR WORLDS OF ACTING, MUSIC AND DANCING – WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BRINGING THOSE ASPECTS OF YOUR CAREER TOGETHER IN ONE PROJECT?
“I think what I enjoy the most… my fans ask me all the time, ‘Are you going to sing?’, especially music, they see me acting so when I can blend the two and I have performances or musical aspects of things in my film, career and television, it makes my fans really happy.”
Step Up season three is on Lionsgate+.
