April Bowlby is an intelligent actress who has proven herself, throughout her career, to be funny, beautiful, and compassionate. Despite that, she still shows a strong determination to keep her feet on the ground. April showcased her enjoyable and memorable levels of acting in the shows Two & a Half Men as Alan Harper’s (a.k.a. Jon Cryer’s) no-rules girlfriend/ex-wife Kandi. She is now co-starring in Lifetime’s acclaimed series Drop Dead Diva as Stacy Barrett, the room mate, model and good-hearted friend to Brooke Elliot. FAULT spoke to April while she was in Atlanta, Georgia on the set of Drop Dead Diva. Our first reaction to speaking with her was that our conversation felt like one between old friends. Not only is April positive in the way she speaks of her past and current experiences, but she is also more than optimistic for what lies ahead.

Interview by Danielle Langely

 

FAULT: You went to school to study Marine Biology, French, and during that time you had a great passion for ballet. Did you have any sort of set career plan at that time?

April: I moved to Newbury Park, California and went to Moorpark College for a few semesters. I kind of never really had a set path; I’ve only ever done things that interested me. What interested me then was French, Marine Biology, and Ballet. I’ve always wanted to be a ballerina so that’s why I studied that, as well. I trained to be a ballerina from when I was very little but when I was 17 I broke my foot… and then I started modelling. So one door closed and another opened so I felt I had to take that one! You don’t want to ignore those doors. I studied Marine Biology for a little while which was amazing and interesting. I don’t know if I ever wanted to teach it or do anything with it, I just really loved the idea of it; studying and learning about this whole other world that we know so little about. We can only go so deep into the ocean and we have no idea what is underneath – it’s crazy!  We would take field trips to the ocean, and we would walk on the shore to identify all the little sea creatures and animals on the beach. It was beautiful! I have been scuba diving, but I didn’t like it. It was very frightening to me, and my brain just couldn’t relax. There are so many things that can go wrong. So I’ve tried it, and I know I don’t like it.

FAULT: What special mentors helped to change your career interests?

April: Goodness gracious, I’ve been so lucky with all the people that have come into my life. I had my ballet teacher, Dorothy, who was quite a mentor and a really strong woman. Also I had my beautiful teachers in school. When I moved to Los Angeles, I had my first LA boyfriend, Randall Slavin, and he is a photographer who used to be an actor, so he was very supportive of me acting and he kind of opened the world to me. He told me the best acting coaches in LA, and he also introduced me to his old agent who signed me, which was so amazing. I was so lucky to have that.

FAULT: You’re currently working on the third season of Lifetime’s hit series Drop Dead Diva. Has your role in that depicted any part of your real life personality or how does it differ from you? Are there any additional qualities that you would like to incorporate into this role?

April: We shoot 13 episodes [for the series], which we began at the end of February, and we’re already starting to film our 9th episode. We’re expecting to wrap up by July 13th. All of the people I work with are beautiful and kind. We’ve been working with each other for three years now, and truly have become like a family. It’s really nice to go to our set; it doesn’t even feel like work.

I think there are a few aspects of my character, Stacy, that reflect my personality. I think we are both very positive people; we always look on the bright side and want to find the good in things. It’s an easy role to play as it is just naturally in me.  What is great is that I have been playing this character for three years, and you don’t really have to work as hard at it. You just kind of pick up your script and know what you are going to do.  I think my character is a bit gullible, and gets a little bit over-excited. I’m a little bit more grounded than that. She’s a good girl, she really tries but sometimes both of her feet are not on the ground. I feel like my feet are kind of on the ground! I know that Stacy isn’t really savvy, and comes across things by accident. She’s not aware of the things that she is solving which is an adorable part of her, but I would love for her to be more clever and aware. Other than that though, she is perfect.

 

FAULT: What were some of your favourite moments from working on ‘Two and a Half Men’?

April:It was such an incredible show to be apart of; everyone is so talented on that show that it is insane. Some of my favourite moments came in the process of that show. I just loved how, Monday through Thursday, you come in and rehearsed and it was almost like a play. You go from beginning to end, and you get to play with all of these ideas. Sometimes I couldn’t make a joke work, and I would ask Charlie Sheen or Jon Cryer. They were always so helpful, they would recommend different ways to say it like this, and would it help if I did this… It was just a cohesive thing, and the whole experience of it was such a pleasure. Then on Fridays when we would perform it all in front of a live studio audience, it was the most insane chaos you could ever have because people would react immediately and it was magical. It was always such a moment of success when people laughed! My character, Kandi, was such a fun character to play as she was so out there that you could do anything with her, and she had no rules!

FAULT: Do you have a particular inspirational quote, or favourite words to live by?

April: “Just breathe.”

FAULT: Out of all the characters you’ve portrayed so far in your career, which one has been the most challenging, and why?

April: The most challenging has been this movie that I did, Prada to Nada. My character was the evil sister-in-law, and I played the bitch. I think it was challenging because I had never done that type of role before. It wasn’t like I really knew how to do it.  It was my first time, and I loved it because you could do anything under the guides of being a bitch if you do it a certain way. I got to learn a lot from that role, and I would definitely do it again.

FAULT: What is your FAULT?

April: I really like big steak French fries, and when I say “I really like”, I mean that every day I will find a way to eat them. I’ll order a salad – and French fries. I’ll order a sandwich – and French fries. I can’t stop eating them and they are not good for you. I went to the doctor, and he was like “yeah, you can eat fried food once or twice a year” – but I eat them everyday! I don’t know how long I’ll be able to get away with it as it’s really getting out of control.