Chillin’ with Brooke Lewis Bellas

Actress, producer, author, and Board-Certified Life Coach Brooke Lewis Bellas certainly proved the proficiency of her abilities, and the multitude of accolades that she received asserts that matter. 

She has amassed over 80 prestigious awards, the most recent being “Best Actress” in an Indie Film at the 2018 Actors Awards. You can see a clip of her character from the film here.

Her most recent appearance was as Pam Deluca in the comedy 1/2 New Year, about a tight-knit group of friends letting loose once a year at their annual Half New Year Party. The film, which is distributed by Comedy Dynamics, won the Audience Choice Award at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival. It is available now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

As a veteran of the horror genre, she will soon be seen returning to her roots with a role in the upcoming film The Day of The Living Dead, a zombie origin story set in 1950’s Hollywood. It is set for an on-demand release later this summer.

She also teamed up with Director Joshua Butler on Red Rooms, a streaming series which she also executive produced and stars in. It chronicles a fictional reality show where a prominent Hollywood producer, a Senator, a priest, and an international mogul are held captive and psychologically tortured as subscribers watch. The cast includes The Vampire Diaries’ David Alpay and acclaimed horror actress Suze Lanier Bramlett. The series will hit the festival circuit and streaming platforms later this year.

Bellas is aware of the platform she has and utilizes it to give back to positive causes. She partakes in Philanthropy and is a celebrity ambassador for the Breaking the Chains Foundation. She’s a part of Volunteer LA Mission Feed the Homeless, various Breast Cancer Charities, and an LGBTQ & AIDS Activist.

Chilled sat with this Old Hollywood soul to chat about her fully stocked home bar and secret bartending past.

 

Tell us about the projects you are working on.

I am so incredibly grateful that I had acted in and produced, a few projects that wrapped prior to COVID-19. My Psycho Therapy (Amazon Prime) film director, Staci Layne Wilson, wrote a film with Darren Gordon Smith (Repo! The Genetic Opera). Those two are so crazy talented. It is a fun indie gem. I do not want to give any spoilers, but it’s The Second Age of Aquarius. It is a comedy, with a little bit of a Sci-Fi twist and a lot of music. It’s really sweet and clever. I am an Executive Producer and I act in it. I play Tawny Stevens. She is a young mom, stuck in the eighties, as a New Jersey rocker mom.

With your busy schedule, what do you like to do with your downtime?

Downtime? I’m sorry, come again? I’m confused, I don’t understand! I do not know that word. I sleep four hours a night and I am on a constant crazy train. A true workaholic! I would have to say, the brief moments of downtime consist of attending Pantages Theatre Hollywood to see the amazing Broadway shows that come through town.

When you go out to eat, where do you like to dine?

You will often find me at the best steakhouses from New York to Los Angeles to Vegas. I love most restaurants in Beverly Hills, and I am a Mastro’s Steakhouse fanatic. I love any chance I get to go back to New York to dine at Peter Luger’s Steakhouse in Brooklyn. We also frequently go to Rao’s in both Hollywood and New York City, where we spent last New Year’s Eve.

What types of dishes do you typically order?

My ethnic genes just love good food! Again, I love a delicious steak, and I live for Rao’s veal parmesan—a special treat for me a few times a year! I will go for long periods of time avoiding pasta that I love, because of the carbs, but, when I indulge, I indulge!

What dishes/drinks are you making at home right now during “stay-at-home?”

Confession…we have ordered more food delivery during “stay-at-home” than we have in five years! I have been so insanely busy working and filming virtually, and my husband and I started a home renovation just before COVID-19 hit, so you can imagine the chaos and delays with that.

Any Favorite Bars?

Referencing my Old Hollywood soul again, I have always been a fan of hotel bars. Whether with my hubby and friends, or for a business meeting, I love to grab a cocktail and appetizers at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Bar Nineteen 12 or The Peninsula Hotel’s The Belvedere, and my home away from home, where I hang with my girls, is the Sunset Marquis Hotel’s Cavatina Restaurant!

What drinks do you order when out?

I genuinely enjoy the taste of alcohol, and with severe allergies, I have learned to make mindful choices of the drinks I choose. I love wine and tend to veer toward an Oregon Pinot Noir or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. My other absolute favorite drink is tequila.

Do you prepare drinks at home?

My husband, Mark, and I love to prepare drinks at home. We are “that couple” who loves to have fun, celebrate, and indulge, after a terribly busy work week. We both work incredibly hard during the week, so, on weekends, we get pleasure out of having friends over and entertaining.

Tell us about your home bar. What is it stocked with?

You will find a “varietal” in our home! Currently, our bars are stocked with Fortaleza and Dulce Vida Tequila, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek Bourbon Whiskey, Macallan and Glenlivet Scotch, Kettle One Vodka, Cointreau for my special Margaritas. And, I am sure I am missing a few.

Have you ever been a bartender?

Chilled, you are forcing me to reveal my hidden secrets! When I was 21 and finished college, I chose to forego Law School and headed to New York City to become an actress. Just before I left Philadelphia, I went to Bartending School to earn my bartending license, so I would have a plan to support myself, while I was pursuing acting.

If you could share a drink with anyone, who would it be?

First, I would have to choose my two Old Hollywood icons. The late and great Elizabeth Taylor and the late and sassy little Mae West, because these two talented, beautiful, powerful women changed the face of the Hollywood entertainment industry.