Olivia Holt is just getting started

It’s a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, and Olivia Holt is lying on the floor of a photo studio, posing with the It accessories of the season. With a decade of on-camera experience, getting the perfect shot is almost second nature to her. But long before she ended up in a fashion affair with Salvatore Ferragamo, she could only imagine where the fulfillment of her childhood dream of becoming an actress and singer would take her.

Holt grew up in Tennessee near Memphis, finding the love of performing during his years of gymnastics, cheering, and local theater. She has used her athletic training to land powerful roles as a martial arts maven on a TV sitcom and as a young superhero in a sci-fi series. Now the 24-year-old stars in hit teen thriller Cruel summer and aiming to take his career to a whole new level.

In the role of Kate, victim of a kidnapping, Holt enters a more dramatic role. Her character is subject to grooming, gas lighting, and domestic violence. “We really wanted the show’s topics to be as real and raw as possible,” says Holt. “As creatives we have had this brilliant opportunity to help educate our viewers about the issues we discuss on the show, and it’s really great to see the reaction and impact that we had just by the story that we presented on tv.

Presenting audiences with new points of view is one of the things Holt enjoys the most about acting. “It’s a chance for us to be somewhere else for a while, but at the same time to be educated and to learn something that is still relevant today. This is honestly one of my favorite parts of making movies – you get to open people’s minds in ways they’ve never explored before. “

Holt’s career is at a point of exponential growth, and she loves it. During the past year, she has been able to learn and collaborate with great storytellers. Her music has enjoyed the same steady rise as her acting career, with one of her songs hitting the charts in the fall of 2020. In June, she released her second EP, In my feelings, followed by an infectious dance single titled “Next”. Speaking about her music, Holt admits that she is still discovering what she means as an artist.

“It was such an interesting trip as I learned to love other genres,” says Holt, who attributes his upbringing in Memphis to his appreciation for instrumental sound. “I love hearing guitar and drums, and songs that can be taken up and incorporated into a genre of music that everyone thinks they know and love so well.” It’s all in the unexpected mix, she says, “Pop can become such a stagnant thing, but if you take little things that you like elsewhere and add them to the mix, you’ve got this really beautiful piece of art. “

This journey to find his voice also extends to social media, which Holt sees as a double-edged sword. “You just need to stay sane, right?” She said frankly. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to figure out how social media works or being in the spotlight, but something that worked for me is still grounded in reality. On her Instagram you’ll find plenty of photos of her rescue puppy Roger and unfiltered selfies with honest captions about her body image and sanity. But for now, she’s focused on balancing her private and public life: “I really try to stay present and be with the people I’m with. It is certainly a challenge, but I am finding my way in the best possible way. “

And when it comes to her style, Holt leads with what she loves. For her, confidence comes from feeling good about yourself and expressing yourself freely. “I’m the type of person who doesn’t have a straight face,” she admits. And there is a real sense of authenticity in its minimalist style.

During the afternoon photoshoot, Holt is clearly in his element, modeling Salvatore Ferragamo’s bright and eye-catching accessories. “I like a good bag and a good pair of shoes,” she says. “I feel like my style can be very simplistic, so when you add a cool accessory it just elevates the look in a real way.” The Italian brand’s signature leather Studio bags and mirrored sandals display personality and energy against its classic denim and all-black sets. While she may never have imagined herself in high fashion, Holt effortlessly wears the outfit as if it was made for her. After all, fashion is just another performance fad, and that’s why Holt was born.

“I thrive in performance. I really don’t know what else I would do, ”she said. “This is where I feel most like myself and the best version of myself. Playing is something I loved to do as a kid, and then as I just got older it became crazy passion and this creative outlet that makes me so much happier.

When Holt talks about her dream career in Hollywood, she doesn’t intend to limit herself. The next step on her wishlist is to develop her own projects and her own musical style, and maybe even get behind the camera.

You can tell by the way her eyes light up when she talks about the store that she is having the most fun of her career. “Honestly, I feel like this is just the beginning, which is crazy because I’ve been doing this since I was literally a kid,” says Holt, “I want to help develop stuff and keep doing it. make movies, tv, and music, and just create cool art that people can relate to or escape from. Ultimately, this is the world that I thrive in, and I want to continue to do so for as long as I exist.

All Salvatore Ferragamo clothing. Artistic direction by Sonja Georgevich; Styling by Annina Mislin; Styling assistance by Michael Vasquez; Makeup by Tonya Brewer; Hair by Marissa Marino; Manicure by Queenie Nguyen; Production by Mandi Hayes.