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Tampa Actress 'Privileged' To Have TV Role

Photo from The CW

"Privileged" stars Ashley Newbrough, left, as Sage, JoAnna Garcia as Megan and Lucy Kate Hale as Rose.

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 7, 2008

TAMPA - When Tampa native JoAnna Garcia went from blond to auburn in one dye job, she looked in the mirror and thought, "Why didn't I do this sooner?"

Blondes supposedly have more fun, but the 29-year-old actress says the new look suits her for more than just her role on The CW's lighthearted drama "Privileged."

"I think I'm getting more attention, more respect and more of everything - life is good right now," she said in a recent telephone interview.

Garcia says she changed her hair color to play Megan Smith, a Yale graduate from a working-class family who becomes tutor and surrogate mom to spoiled rich siblings in posh West Palm Beach.

"I had to go red because the script called for it," Garcia says "And I thought, 'Oh, I'm blond now, and I'll do this whole red thing for the script. And then somehow in this magical transformation, I'll be blond again,' but there's no way now. I don't miss the blond," she adds.

In the opening scene, aspiring journalist Megan is putting a Lucille Ball henna color on her locks because she notes, "Red is bold. It grabs people by the collar and says, 'Promote me. I am ready for greatness.'"

At first, it's a disaster, and Megan looks like a shaggy version of Peppermint Patty. But as the show progresses, the red softens to an auburn glow and Meagan's career goes in a different direction.

Will life imitate art? Garcia says she wanted this role so much that when she got it, she wept in front of the producers and CW network officials.

"I know it sounds like a cliche, but this really is a dream job for me," she says. "I'm working harder than I ever have, and I'm loving every moment," she adds.

After six seasons on the sitcom "Reba," co-starring as a bubbly cheerleader turned teenage mom, Garcia had established herself as one of Hollywood's better comedic actresses.

She's Compared To Lauren Graham

Now she has the grown-up role (even though Megan is only 23) and high praise from "Privileged" producer-writer Rina Mimoun, who has compared Garcia to Lauren Graham of "Gilmore Girls."

"We were stuck in the casting until JoAnna read for the role," she said during an interview at the Television Critics Association's fall preview tour in July. "The character has to have heart and a sense of irony ... a mixture of youthful inexperience, sensible maturity and be a fish out of water in Palm Beach society."

She also has to handle a lot of fast-paced dialogue that includes pop culture quips.

"You should see my scripts," Garcia says.

"Privileged" is based on Zoey Dean's teen novel "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls," and it's crafted to appeal to The CW's young, affluent female audience.

Garcia's character is from a blue-collar family that lives near Palm Beach. After she botches her first reporting gig at a tabloid newspaper, she's in need of money to pay off her student loans.

She takes a tutoring job with Palm Beach Cosmetics magnate Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer), who wants her high-rolling twin granddaughters, Rose and Sage, to graduate with high enough GPAs to get into Duke University.

Sage, played by 20-year-old Ashley Newbrough (from MTV's "The Hills'), is a party gal and social butterfly who resents this Mary Poppins invading her turf. She plays down and dirty with Megan.

Rose, played by 19-year-old Lucy Hale ("Bionic Woman" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"), is a little sweetheart who would rather go to Duke than become the next Paris Hilton.

Mimoun, who worked on "Everwood," "Pushing Daises" and "Gilmore Girls," has said the series is like "the Gilmore Girls teaching the Gossip Girls."

"Tonally, we want it to also be like 'Clueless' and 'The Devil Wears Prada,'" she says. "It's a wish-fulfillment comedy. We want to keep it fun and upbeat."

The excesses of the rich are a recurring theme. Mimoun says the wardrobe for the twins is four times the size of the one Carrie Bradshaw had in the "Sex and the City" movie.

She adds that in the battle between Sage and Megan over Rose's soul, the show will strive for a mix of heart and fun.

Garcia says she is flattered by the comparison to Graham, who played single mom Lorelai Gilmore.

She adds that with each episode, the writing and the character develop, and the story has become better and more defined.

Career Takes Steady Climb

Garcia's career has been a steady climb since she started performing in local theater and TV commercials when she was in elementary school.

By the time she was a teenager, she was working in films and TV series that were produced in Florida such as "Second Noah," "Clarissa Explains It All" and "SeaQuest DSV."

Her father, Jay Garcia, is a well-known South Tampa gynecologist. Her mother, Lorraine, a former schoolteacher, has been a big supporter of her career.

Before JoAnna finished Tampa Catholic, she was a regular for two seasons on the Nickelodeon series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

After a year at Florida State University, she dropped out and headed to Hollywood. Work came fast with small roles on series such as "Dawson's Creek" and "Party of Five."

She landed a series role as Delta Burke's daughter in the 2000 comedy "DAG" but was cut after the pilot episode. Garcia went on to a recurring role on the critically acclaimed but short-lived "Freaks and Geeks."

In 2001, she got the part of Cheyenne, a clueless Texas teen and daughter of a single mom (Reba McEntire). "Reba" ran for 124 episodes from 2001 to 2007 and is still in reruns. It established Garcia and gave her financial security.

When "Reba" ended, Garcia worried that she had been so strongly identified with her Cheyenne character that she would have difficulty getting offers for other roles. But a year later, she was cast in the short-lived CBS comedy "Welcome to the Captain."

She says that she and her fiance, Trace Ayala, 27, business partner and pal of singer Justin Timberlake, are planning a spring wedding. They have been dating for two years.

Garcia says that Ayala "is the most romantic guy" she has ever met.

"I feel so blessed on so many levels," she says.

ON TELEVISION

Privileged

WHAT: A lighthearted new drama starring JoAnna Garcia and Anne Archer

WHEN: 9 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: The CW

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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