Vanessa Merrell Dishes On Her New Movie 'Switched' - Exclusive Interview

Vanessa Merrell‘s new movie Switched is out on digital and VOD now!!

The 24-year-old YouTuber and actress plays cheerleader Olivia in the anti-bullying film.

“I’m in a movie!!! 🥳 it’s called Switched and it’s available NOW on digital and VOD! Watch me play “Olivia”, Katie’s best friend (one of the mean girls 🤭) link in my bio to watch!! ♡ @switchedthefilm #LeadWithLove #SwitchedTheMovie,” Vanessa shared on Instagram on Friday (September 4).

Here’s a synopsis: Tired of being bullied, Cassandra Evans prays that her nemesis, Katie Sharp, the queen bee of social media, would know what it’s like to walk a day in her shoes. Her prayer is answered in an unexpected way when they get “Switched.”

JJJ spoke to Vanessa about the movie, her advice for people who are being bullied, and which Star Wars actress she would love to switch lives with.

Head to SwitchedMovie.com to watch the trailer and find out how you can watch!

Click inside to read our interview with Vanessa Merrell…

Just Jared Jr: Can you tell us about your character?
Vanessa Merrell: My character is named Olivia. She’s a cheerleader and her favorite color is lavender! Olivia will do anything that Katie Sharp says which gets her into trouble. Olivia is peppy and always excited about everything.

JJJ: What drew you to the role?
VM: I was excited because I was a cheerleader in high school as well! I love how Olivia’s character is portrayed and I love the lesson her and her friends learn at the end of the movie.

JJJ: Your life is very public online and is open to scrutiny from random people. How do you deal with any online bullying?
VM: Luckily, my viewers are very supportive for the most part and I love that. Every now and then there are some “trolls” and the best thing I’ve learned is to be kind or ignore them. It is very hard to ignore because negative comments affect a person more than positive comments, but I always remember that I know who I am and I stay true to myself. I do my best to not let those comments get to me. I also have an amazing, supportive family and great friends who remind me every day that I am more than what those “haters” say.

JJJ: What advice do you have for anyone who might be dealing with someone like Katie Sharp at school?
VM: To anyone who is dealing with someone like a “Katie Sharp” or a bully in general, my advice is to be kind. Being mean back to someone, getting revenge, or stooping low to the same level as a bully only fuels the bully and gives them more power to be mean again. When you are kind to someone who is being mean, it takes away their power and defeats their purpose of bullying you. Also, people who are bullies and are mean to others have more problems going on with them. Either they are insecure, so they project their insecurities on you, or there’s a bigger issue happening at home that is affecting them negatively causing them to take out their anger and hurt on others. That’s why it’s always a better idea to be nice to anyone no matter what because you never know what a person is going through.

JJJ: What would you like fans to take away from this movie?
VM: To Lead with LOVE. Love is the most important thing we as humans have in this world. When we choose to love, we can transform our lives for the better and have a positive influence on others and the world. Loving others and always choosing the side of love can be difficult sometimes, but it makes us better humans. I get asked a lot, “How do I love myself more? I don’t like who I am.” My answer to that is to love. When we choose to do the right thing and be kind, it’s not hard at all to love yourself when you know you are being a good human. Loving others leads to positive things in your life including how you see yourself.

JJJ: If you could switch lives with anyone, who would it be and why?
VM: I would love to switch lives with Daisy Ridley. I think she’s an amazing actor and I’d love to see what a day in her life is like! I’d also love to be a Jedi, lol!

JJJ: Who is someone you would not want to switch with?
VM: Someone who has a hateful heart… seems like it would be a miserable life, don’t you think? (Agreed!)

JJJ: How did filming this movie differ from the different YouTube series you’ve done?
VM: A movie is very different from filming YouTube videos! With YouTube, it takes a lot less time to film. We can finish filming a YouTube skit in one day. While a movie takes a lot more people to create and it takes longer. Switched took a little over a month to film and YouTube videos don’t take that long. I love being a part of both YouTube videos and movies! They’re very different but my favorite is to create content and that’s why I love both.

JJJ: You usually do most things with your twin, how was it being part of a project without her?
VM: It wasn’t too bad. We are individual people at the end of the day. I did miss seeing her all the time and it was weird to be apart from her for so long. But we texted each other and updated each other with what was happening in our lives and we’d also send each other memes, haha! We both support each other with anything we want to do and even when we are apart we are very supportive.