Lexie made her big break as Mattie Ashby on the CBS Daytime Award-Winning drama The Young and the Restless. While Lexie spends most of her time acting, she does save time to model and build her fanbase on social media & Lexie also stays busy serving on the advisory board for the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Both she and her mother suffer from the disorder and it almost took Lexie’s life when she was only 17.
Now she is ready than ever, doing what she loves and juggling between Acting & modeling. I had a chat about her everyday struggle with Endometriosis & How she became a fashion icon & all things exciting.
The Young and the Restless is a sensation amongst fans. How does it feel to be a part of such an amazing show?
Being part of The Young and the Restless feels like an honor. The show is so well respected and well known, so when I first heard I was going to be part of the Y&R family, I was thrilled. Soap Operas, especially The Young and the Restless, help you find connections to everyone because of how well known it is. So when people ask me what I do for work or what shows I have been on and I mention Y&R, it’s always a great conversation topic because most people know about it, which is really cool.
You have been aspiring to be an actress since a young age, what inspired you to get into acting?
My journey towards wanting to become an actress actually started with singing. When I was younger, I told my parents I wanted to be a singer but growing up in Maine, there weren’t many opportunities to showcase my voice or do much with it except musical theater. I started doing musical theater at an amazing place called New England Youth Theater and from there fell in love with acting. I fell in love with it so much that it’s what I decided to pursue as a full-time career.
You have established yourself as a brilliant actor. How do you make your character more relatable to your audience?
It’s funny because at first, making Mattie relatable seemed hard for me because I didn’t relate to her at all (or so I thought) because she is very into school, not too much of a trouble maker, and on the outside, she’s got it all together. But as I began studying her more, I realized that there’s a lot more about her that I can relate to than I initially thought. Mattie has a full schedule all the time, her passion for school is intense (as is mine for acting), she has a black mom and a white dad, which comes along with confusion, and I had a lot of that growing up with a white dad and black mom as well. Like me, she looks like she’s got it all together on the outside, but behind the scenes, she falls apart a little bit like most young adults. So to answer the question, I channel all of the parts of myself that I can see in Mattie, and I bring those parts to every scene I do.
Since you have already worked in major TV productions, do you plan to shift towards films if the right project arises?
I would never turn down a TV production project, but films are definitely the goal. I always say that my biggest goal in life is to win an Oscar for a Marvel movie, and I stand by that.
You have also established yourself as a fashion icon on your social media. How do you make time for acting and modeling throughout your busy schedule?
Honestly, I have no idea how I make the time, lol. I have my methods that can help me stay organized, but usually, I just take it day by day. I’ll usually try to write out my schedule at the beginning of each week to the best of my knowledge and set it as my phone screensaver. Time management is definitely key and something I have learned to get a lot better at. I also have an amazing team, and they help me configure everything as well.
How does Endometriosis affect you, and how do you cope with it?
Endometriosis affects me in a multitude of ways. I’d say the biggest issue I have with it is the “endo attacks.” They occur at the most inconvenient times (especially when I’m stressed), which can cause embarrassment or even more stress. I’ve never been a part of any production team that wasn’t understanding of it, but when I have to film a scene, I have to grit through the pain, which can just make for a really bad day. However, I cope with it by making sure I have my endo attack emergency kit. My EAEK has 4 very important items: my heat pads (one that plugs into the wall and one that is disposable and doesn’t need electricity), my tea bags, my pain medication, and my nausea medication. The heat pads and tea help relax my stomach by heating it from the outside and the inside. I hate taking my pain medication because it can make me pretty nauseous, but there’s really no other option when the pain gets to a certain point.
You are on the advisory board of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. How has the organization helped those with the disorder to do better ?
The women on the Advisory board for the Endometriosis Foundation of America have helped in so many ways I don’t even know where to begin. The biggest act of service that we have provided is raising awareness for the disease and raising money towards research. By raising awareness, we are able to get more women diagnosed sooner. On average, it takes 4-6 years for women to get diagnosed, and that is purely because of the lack of awareness surrounding Endometriosis. We are also in charge of patient day and other events that have guest speakers, doctors, and other professionals, who come and speak about ways to cope with Endo. If any viewers would like to donate, this is the link to the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s donation page: endofound.org/donation. Even $10 will provide critical Endometriosis education materials for one student and their family, reducing delays in diagnosis.
You’ve worked in musical theatre at a very young age, how was your experience and how do you compare musical theatre to working on a TV series ?
The biggest difference between musical theater and being on a tv series for me was the volume I needed to have my voice at. In theater, you are taught to project, and there’s no such thing as too loud. Once I was on The Young and the Restless, I quickly realized that there was no need to project. The set microphones can only handle so much noise, so you can’t be too loud. It took me a minute to remember to be a little quieter, but I’ve got the hang of it now, lol.
How did you cope with the change of moving from Maine to Los Angeles at such a young age?
For me, there wasn’t much to cope with when it came to moving away from home at a young age. I was very excited to move to Los Angeles, and there was nothing holding me back. My parents were very supportive, and even to this day, my dad always tells me how impressed he is that I had the courage to go full steam ahead and move out here. I definitely got homesick a few times, but I lived with my aunt and uncle when I first moved here, and they had a hand in raising me, so it wasn’t scary at all.
Apart from being an actress, you are also an athlete and have also competed in the junior Olympics, did you ever consider sports as an alternative career option ?
I love swimming but pursuing it as a career was never an option for me. I really just decided to do it to stay in shape and happened to be good at it, and by the time I started swimming, I already knew acting was what I wanted to do in life.
How did moving to LA open up opportunities for you when it came to acting?
Moving to LA opened so many opportunities that helped me get into acting. The biggest was networking. Moving here led me to my current agent and manager. It has also led me to meet numerous talented actors, musicians, and models who have all been able to teach me something.
Since you’re always up to something, do you have any upcoming projects for us to be excited about ?
I can say I am waiting to hear back on a few things, but nothing is set in stone yet.
