Since releasing her first single Stay in August last year, Dalila Bela has released Wishbone and Rope Burn, and her new single Girl In The Mirror is releasing February 2nd. Dalila is also a voiceover artist, and voiced Pil in the animated film Pil’s Adventures and Sydney in Ready Jet Go! for PBS Kids, and as an actor, she played Diana Barry across all three series of the worldwide release of Anne with an E. Further projects for Dalila have included playing Sandy Leeman in the feature film The Adventure Club, Agent Olive in Odd Squad and Odd Squad: The Movie, and she played Taylor Pringle in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. Alongside working in music and on screen, Dalila is studying for a Psychology degree at UCLA. We caught up with Dalila about what it’s like releasing her own music, voicing Pil in Pil’s Adventures and her time on set of Anne with an E as Diana Barry.
As a music artist, you have recently released the singles Stay, Wishbone and Rope Burn, can you tell us about the songs and what were they like to record?
Yeah, Stay was the first single I released, and I’m so happy to be able to release Wishbone and Rope Burn. Recording them was super fun, but I was also a little nervous to start really making my music real. I love working with my music producer, because he gets the vibes I’m going with in my songs, and he really helped when it came to my nervousness with recording my music. It’s funny because I’ve been acting for a long time, and putting thoughts and emotions out there for an audience is something I’m familiar with, but songwriting, even though it’s similar, is also a completely different ball game, and I’m having a great time exploring it.
Wishbone was actually the first song I recorded. Wishbone is about a friendship I had lost, and how in the immediate aftermath it felt like I was missing a piece of myself. Stay is about my biggest fear when it comes to love, and how I’m terrified I’ll hurt the person I love. And my single Rope Burn is about how I held on a little too tightly to someone I really shouldn’t have been holding on to from the start. I’m so grateful to my amazing team for helping me realise my music, and I’m really excited to continue making music and releasing it. Speaking of new releases, my newest single Girl In The Mirror is going to be out on February 2nd, and I can’t wait for you all to hear it!
How did you feel releasing your first single Stay and what was it like filming the music video?
I’ve always been passionate about songwriting and singing, and being able to make and release Stay felt so liberating. It felt like, by releasing Stay, I was becoming more connected with myself and my art, and also sharing that with others. The music video for Stay was really fun to film. I wrote the script for it, and then my family and I worked to film it. It makes me really happy to get comments about how much people loved the music video, and I’m going to be working on releasing more of them for my other songs!
Who do you think your music will appeal to and how has it been seeing the listeners’ response to your music so far?
I write my music for the ones who feel like their hurt should be hidden, and for those who are still working on liking who they see in the mirror. I started writing music as a way to release painful emotions, and I hope it appeals to people who want that kind of catharsis too. It’s been absolutely amazing seeing people listen to and like my music. I loved making the songs, and I’m so happy that others love them too!
Do you have a favourite aspect of working on your own songs and have you got plans for any additional releases or live shows?
My favourite part about working on my own songs is being able to craft lyrics that capture exactly what I’m feeling, and expressing those thoughts and emotions in a way that feels real and concrete. Sometimes I’ll just sit with my guitar and write, letting myself go and not worrying too much about making it perfect. Acting lets me connect to the emotions of my characters, and my music lets me connect to myself. I’ve got more music to be released, and I’m currently working on making more, so there’s definitely more songs coming, like my newest single Girl In The Mirror on February 2nd. For now, I’ve been doing TikTok and Instagram lives as a way to perform live, but my goal is to do tours, so I’ll keep you updated on that front.
Can you tell us about the animated film Pil’s Adventures, in which you voice the titled character of Pil, which was released in America in 2022?
Pil’s Adventures was really fun to record. I loved being able to embody this spitfire of a character, and show how she goes from being a relatively selfish person, to caring deeply about her friends and her home. It’s a wonderful story filled with magic, chickens, friendships, and cool fight scenes.
How was it getting into character and what did you enjoy about voicing Pil?
It was interesting because Pil was supposed to be roughly 14 years old, so I had to pitch my voice up a bit, but also give it a little grit because Pil is a rather rough-and-tumble kind of girl. I adored being able to go through her arc, and showing a character who is a princess, not because of any status she was born into, but because of her care and loyalty to her friends and her home.
You played the regular role of Diana Barry in Anne with an E throughout all three series, what was the show like to be part of and what was Diana like to play?
Anne with an E will always hold a special place in my heart. The fact that it was set in the 1800s was one of my favourite aspects of it, and the costumes and set decorations departments really went all out to bring this time period to life. Being able to work with Moira Walley-Beckett, the amazing cast, and the spectacular crew was fantastic, because it really allowed me to explore Diana as a character. Speaking of Diana Barry, she and I are rather similar. We both care deeply for our friends, and we are determined to do anything for the people we love. I really enjoyed portraying Diana’s arc from being relatively naive and closed off from possibilities, to her trying to figure who she wants to be and fighting to be able to achieve that.
What are some of your stand-out memories from your time working on Anne with an E and filming with the rest of the cast?
A favourite memory of mine is from Season 1 Episode 5, where Anne and Diana get very drunk on what they thought was cherry cordial, but was actually currant wine. On the day of filming, Amybeth McNulty and I were drinking blueberry juice to imitate the look of wine, and we both ended up drinking so much of it during filming that we got a little sick from it. But the day was filled with laughter, silliness, improvisation, and overall is a memory I’ll cherish for a long while.
How was it seeing the worldwide success to the release of the series, and is there anything you miss most about filming as Diana?
Honestly, I was a little stunned with the success of the series. I knew the show was good, and I had no doubt that it would be well received. To my huge and happy surprise, we ended up becoming a worldwide success, and to this day I have several fans from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Germany, and many more.
The thing I miss most about filming as Diana was being able to portray the perspective of a young woman during that time who was pressured by her family to conform to a certain path, and yet she decided to forge her own.
What was it like voicing Sydney in Series 1 of Ready Jet Go! for PBS Kids?
Sydney was a lot of fun to voice. She was energetic, but also the voice of reason a lot of the time when Jet wanted to do some crazy stunts. We actually had a real-life NASA astrophysicist, Amy Mainzer, as our science consultant on the show. I really loved portraying Sydney and teaching science to kids through the show.
In the feature film The Adventure Club, you played Sandy Leeman, can you tell us about this?
Sandy was a blast to play. She was the tomboy in the trio, and was incredibly smart and crafty. Filming The Adventure Club was one of my most favourite on-set experiences, largely because I got really close with my other two cast members Sam Ashe Arnold and Jakob Davies, and the crew were all so kind and so hardworking. A lovely experience, and a great movie. It’s currently on Paramount+ (US) if you want to watch it.
Do you have any favourite highlights from playing Agent Olive in Odd Squad and Odd Squad: The Movie?
Agent Olive is another very dear character to me. A highlight from my time playing Olive has got to be when I was filming an episode called Training Day where we go into Olive’s past and see her beginnings as an agent. There’s a scene where I’m doing parkour all over headquarters while dodging pies from a pie-nado and trying to use math to fix it. That scene was so fun to film! And Odd Squad: The Movie was such an amazing project to film, because it combined the old and new agents as they fought the oddness! I adored being able to have the opportunity to not only play Agent Olive again, but also reunite with my old cast and crew!
What was it like on set of Odd Squad and do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the role of Agent Olive?
Working on Odd Squad was lovely. My cast members were great to work with, the crew and writing team were creative and dynamic, and playing the stoic yet caring character of Agent Olive was wonderful. One of the great things about working on Odd Squad was working with one of the creators/executive producers/directors, J.J. Johnson. He really gave me the chance to explore Olive and make her my own, and at such a young age it felt great to be able to have that kind of experience and trust. I remember when I booked the role of Agent Olive, I was 12 years old and just started jumping up and down while crying and hugging my family.
What do you remember most from filming for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days as Taylor Pringle?
I was really young, I think around eight years old, so my memory from that time isn’t too clear, but I do remember how fun it was to be on top of the high diving board in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. After filming that scene, I dove off of the board, and it was so scary and fun. It was also great to film that scene in the church where I pointed out how it looked like Greg pooped his pants in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. And the scene in that same movie where Greg falls into my birthday cake was hilarious, and being in that skating rink was a lot of fun! It was so great to be able to work with that spectacular cast and crew!
Can you tell us about some of the other projects you’ve been part of over your acting career so far, which have included Scordatura, Once Upon a Time, Mr. Young and R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour?
Once Upon a Time was where I played the role of Young Guinevere, and I had a more Spanish/Portuguese accent, which was fun to do, since I speak Spanish and Portuguese and was able to pull from my experience in both of those languages while doing Guinevere’s accent.
In Scordatura, I played a music student who was concerned about the main character. It was a project that my younger brother, Bruce Salomon, was the cinematographer for, so it was great not only to be part of the project that was working to visualise the detrimental effects of anxiety, but it was also wonderful to be able to work with my younger brother in this short film.
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour was a TV show I guest-starred in when I was eight years old, I believe? It was incredibly fun to work with Bailee Madison, and I got to keep the doll replica of myself after I finished filming, which is simultaneously really cool, and very creepy!
And Mr. Young was a really cool project to be in, not only because of the awesome cast and crew, but it was also my first time performing in front of a live audience, which was an absolute blast! And I got to play a super strong robot, which was also pretty cool!
Where does your love of acting and music come from and how did you get into both?
I’ve always adored seeing life through different perspectives, and losing myself in the world of imagination, so that’s what mainly drew me to acting. Analysing characters, breaking down stories and arcs, and being able to embody these different elements makes me feel whole, and happy. When it comes to music, a similar aspect of it drew me to it. With music, I can strip my thoughts and emotions down to their very core, and put words to them. With music, I can express anything I want, from my 3am thoughts, to the way I fell in love with someone’s smile, to how I see myself in the mirror. I got into acting when I was five years old after competing in an acting competition. I got into music on a professional basis more recently. I’ve been writing my songs for several years, but two years ago I reconnected with this music producer I’d met a couple of years ago, Sam Welch, and we’ve been making music ever since. Music and acting feel liberating, and I want to continue expressing myself through them for a long, long time.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch and music artists to listen to, and how do you like to spend your free time?
Some personal favourite TV shows of mine are currently Young Royals, Daredevil and The Bear. Young Royals is about what it means to love, to be human, and make mistakes along the way. The Daredevil TV show is action-packed all while having a lovely character arc. The Bear is a show I’ve started watching recently, and I’m already in love. I adore anything that has to do with cooking, although I’m more of a baker myself, and the gritty way The Bear captured the passion of the protagonist when it comes to his food, his restaurant, and his coworkers, it leaves you eager to watch more. Some of my favourite films are Seven and The Hundred-Foot Journey. Seven is a personal favourite due to how it leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and The Hundred-Foot Journey is such a heartwarming story that I love to put on when I want to relax.
I’m currently listening to artists like MICO, Chappell Roan, Stray Kids, and Joel Sunny. MICO captures such an angsty and yet energetic vibe with his music, Chappell Roan feels incredibly campy and electric, Stray Kids are fast-paced and yet can be melancholic, and Joel Sunny utilises instruments such as the violin to either cover popular songs, or invoke such strong emotions and imagery with his music.
I largely spend my time either reading books, watching TV shows/movies with my family, hanging out with my best friend, or, more recently, studying and working toward a Psychology degree at UCLA, as well as constantly writing and producing new music.
What are you hoping the next year brings for you and do you have any acting projects coming up that you can tell us about?
I’m hoping next year brings many more of my songs, many more memories to make with my family and best friend, and many more opportunities to act on screen. I don’t currently have any acting projects that are coming up, but I’ll make sure to keep you posted!
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