By Kenn Gold

Born in Ontario, Canada Megan Park is making a name for herself in Hollywood.  She starred in the feature film Charlie Bartlett opposite Robert Downey Jr, and had parts in the feature films Some Things That Stay, and Kaw.  She has also starred in the Canadian series Ace Lightening, Blobheads and Life With Derek and the Emmy-winning Dark Oracle, as well as several movies on Lifetime.  But her big break came last year when she was cast in a lead role as Grace Bowman in ABC Family’s most popular ever series, The Secret Life of The American Teenager.  Grace is the type-A personality perfectionist cheerleader, who is also a deeply devout Christian.  In the fist season, she was saving herself for her boyfriend and wearing his promise ring to remind her of their purity pledge.  When he cheated on her, Grace found comfort with bad-boy Ricky (Daren Kagasoff), the father of Amy’s baby,  and began a friendship with him that is growing into more.  It remains to be seen whether she will be able to truly change Ricky, or whether she is heading for a rude awakening.

Megan recently took time to talk about her role on the hit series, and about what we can expect from Grace now that the series has returned for it’s second season.

Question> The show is so wildly successful on ABC Family, what does it mean to you as an actor or as an actress having that kind of success?

Megan> I think it’s just every actor’s dream to not only be on a show that they’re really proud to be a part of, but have people actually see the show.  I mean we couldn’t be happier that people are responding the way they are and the numbers keep getting better every week, and it just gives us so much confidence and we’re just so glad kids are liking it and families are liking it and everybody is really understanding the show, and we just couldn’t be happier.

Question> In terms of the characters on the show, who would you say you’re the most like?  Are you anything at all like Grace or like maybe one of the other characters?  Who’s the most like you?

Megan> I’m probably a lot like Grace in real life.  I mean we’re both confident people, I think and bubbly and outgoing.  I think Grace and I both like to see the good in people.  But I’m very different than Grace in a lot of ways too.  I’m a little bit of Amy sometimes; I can be a little bit of Adrian sometimes.  You know I can definitely see myself in all the characters, which I think is one of the reasons why everybody responds so well in the show is you know there is a bit of everybody in every character, I think, so that’s really appealing to people.  But I think I’m probably the most like Grace, but there’s definitely a bit of me in everybody else too.

Question> Do you see yourself as a role model or do you think it’s important to have a strong Christian character on the show that’s really not portrayed as a caricature? 

Megan> Yes, exactly.  And it was so important to me that from the beginning Grace was more than just a Christian girl.  And I think it’s wonderful that there is a Christian character on a primetime show and that she isn’t just portrayed as that - that’s not just the main thing about her.  And I wanted from the very beginning to make sure that she was Christian but she made mistakes, and she struggled with her religion and she questioned it and she went through her teenage years with that at her side type thing.  So I think we’ve done a pretty good job of portraying that.  And Brenda Hampton, it’s so important to her too that she’s a normal teenage girl but she’s also Christian, and I think that has come across really well so far.

Question> Daren told us last week that Ricky would be moving towards the good side.  Are we going to see Grace maybe moving towards some shades of grey this season?

Megan> I think that definitely Grace isn’t as naïve as she once was and I think she’s dating Ricky now and there’s going to be temptations and there’s going to be questioning and stuff and she definitely struggles with some things this season.  But you know she’s a good girl at heart and she always does have good intentions.  But you do see Ricky kind of trying to be a good boy to be with Grace, but you also see Grace kind of struggling with being perfect and being good and the responsibility of that and maybe wanting to take some risks a little bit.  So you definitely see her struggle with that throughout the season.

Question> What made you want to be a part of the show originally?

Megan> You know I read the pilot episode, my manager sent it to me, and right away I was like “Oh my gosh, I really want to try out for this show.”  And I actually tried out for the role of Amy first and then they were like, “You’d be better as Grace.”  And I always kind of felt a connection to Grace, so I was really happy when they wanted me to read for her.  And I just really responded to the material, I thought it was so realistic and real life issues and I would want to watch it.  And I think when you read a script of something that you would want to watch, that’s a great sign of something that you should be involved with.  So I think I just instantly responded well to the material and connected with the character, especially.  So that’s what made me want to do it.

Question> What has been the most challenging aspect of the role for you?

Megan> I guess as an actor I really want to make sure that Grace comes across as a real person and not just super bubbly and not just a cheerleader, and she is bubbly and she is a cheerleader, but I wanted her to be real and have depth and stuff.  So it is trying to take her naiveness and her bubbliness, but ground it a little and also show her troubles and her dark side a little bit.  So I guess that’s been the biggest struggle so far.

Question> What has been your most memorable moment you’ve had from filming the show?

Megan> Oh, that’s a good question.  I think the most memorable was in the pilot episode of the first season we shot all of this stuff at the school dance first, which is when I see Jack kissing Adrian and we’re having the little dance sequence and stuff.  So we shot that the first two days of filming, and none of us knew each other and we were all really nervous and shy around each other, but we were all just so excited to be there and we had a blast and we were all playing our guitars in the trailer in between takes.  Basically it was like the first day of school and the first day in the cafeteria when we all had lunch, like who was sitting together and stuff.  So it was just really fun to look back, because now we’re like a family and it’s so funny to think of us those first couple of days.  And it was also so surreal, because it was so exciting.  So that’s probably my fondest memory.

Question> If you were a fan watching this show, who would you want Grace to end up with?

Megan> That’s a good question.  If I was a fan and I was watching, I think I’d be tempted to see her end up with Ricky, because I think there’s just a connection with them and they do have so many differences and they are kind of going to struggle and stuff, but I think ultimately they have a connection that maybe Jack and Grace don’t have.  So I think there’s that passion there and I think it would be interesting to see that play out.  So that’s who I’d pick.

Question> And Francia said in the past that you both wanted to start an advice Web site of some sort, is that something that you are still planning on trying to do?

Megan> Yes, you know it’s something that we’ve thrown around, we haven’t really solidified anything yet, but we were talking, we always have these great girl chats in our trailers, you know me and Francia and Shae and Renee and Camille and we get talking about these great issues and stuff, a lot of times that are brought up by what we’re filming, and so one of us, one day, we were like, we should totally do a Web site where we can talk about these things to kids who are probably going through the same thing that we’re going through or we’ve gone through. 

 So it’s something that we really hope to do, kind of setup a site where we can maybe have some professional people onboard helping us out as well, but maybe once a week or something we could do a response to a question that we’ve gone through or something.  And I just think we’re in a great position with the show to help kids out.  And I already get so many letters from kids already asking me questions on things they’re going through and stuff, so it would be a great way to kind of help kids out.  So it’s definitely something we hope to do, I’ll definitely keep you updated on that.

Question> How does LA compare to Canada?

Megan> It is so different.  I’m actually like totally jet lagged right now, because I flew in yesterday from the East Coast.  But I love LA, I love the weather, I come from a place where it snows like ten months of the year.  So I definitely love the heat.  And it’s just so nice to be close to where there is so much opportunity for work.  And I’ve made some amazing friends out here and I live in a nice little apartment and I’m really settling down, I love it here.  I can definitely see myself staying here for a long time.

Question> What would you like to see happen for Grace in the course of season two?

Megan> You know I’d like to see Grace kind of come out of her shell a little bit and take some risks.  You know she’s been known to kind of play it safe in the past.  And she’s such a good girl, and I think that’s great, but I’d love to see her kind of just come out of her shell a little bit and take some chances and see what happens, especially just with her boy situation, with Ricky and Jack and all that.  She deserves a good guy who treats her really well, so I hope that she finds somebody who does and I hope that she just makes some good friends, because she struggled with that in the past and just really comes into her own.

Question> Why is Grace with Ricky, from your perspective?

Megan> I don’t know, you know I think it has definitely been a struggle with her relationship with Ricky because I think they are so different in their upbringing and their past.  And I think she definitely has a tendency to see the good in people, which I think is wonderful.  But I think she definitely wants to try to help Ricky and her religion has been such a great thing in her life and she wants to open that door for Ricky and see if he’ll take it.  So I think definitely it has something to do with her wanting to try to help him and stuff.

Question> What would you say to the bloggers out there who call this show a Juno knockoff?

Megan> You know there’s always going to be that, because Juno was such a big success and it was a similar theme, but I think that really Juno maybe opened up some doors for our show in terms of the interest in that topic, but I think they’re so different and I think that there’s always going to be comparisons to something, but I think people who actually watch it and stuff will see that it’s very different.  And it’s not just about a girl who is pregnant, I mean it’s about what’s going to happen after she has it, what’s happening before, it’s about how it affects her family and it’s about all these other kids as well.  And I think there’s just so much going on that it’s hard to really compare it to Juno, in my opinion.

Question> How close is it in realism to when you were in high school, as a teenager?

Megan> Frighteningly close.  There are so many storylines that I read when I get the scripts and I’m like, oh my gosh I totally went through that.  And I think that’s why everybody loves it so much.  I think that there is a storyline that everybody has gone through and knows somebody who has gone through.  And the way they deal with it on the show is just so true to life, nothing is buttered up or anything, it’s very true. 

 And I love too that there are so many storylines with the parents and the family, because you don’t really often see that on a lot of shows.  And I love that they show the struggles that the parents’ relationships are going through and kids finding out things about their parents’ past.  Like my character in the first season finds out some things about her parents, you know she thought that they saved stuff for marriage that they didn’t and then it kind of shatters a little bit of this picture that she had about her parents.  And so it’s interesting to see how that affects teenagers’ lives too, because I think it does, more so than people think.

Question> Okay.  Actually I wanted to know, what is it like having Josie Bissett and John Schneider as parents?

Megan> It’s really cool, I mean they are so sweet and John is actually directing the next episode that we start filming on Monday, so I’m really excited, because he’s never directed our show before.  So it will be kind of cool to act with him and direct.  I don’t know how that’s going to work out, so that will be fun.  And Josie is just the sweetest woman and I get along with her so well, and we have great talks about things and she has so much great advice, because she’s been through doing a show before on Melrose Place and stuff, so I really love them and I’m learning from them and they’re great.

Question> What is a typical day in your life like?

Megan> A typical day in my life.  Well if I’m filming, usually I have to get up at like 5:30 in the morning and then I go to set and I sit in hair and makeup for about two hours.  And usually there are lots of other girls in there with me getting ready and stuff, so we gossip and we talk and we listen to music and dance around and we go over our lines together.  And then we film all morning and then at 1 o’clock we have a lunch break, usually for an hour and then we film until about four or five at night and then usually I come home and I’ve got a bunch of phone calls to make and I call my family back home and say hi. 

 And then actually a lot of the times I end up hanging out with my friend Cody and writing some music, because I love to write music and I play guitar, so I like to spend some time on that or I go to see a movie sometimes with my friends.  So I have a few hours in the night where I get to hang out and do some fun stuff and then I have to come home and look over my lines for the next day and then get to bed pretty early.  So it’s not that exciting, really, but that’s usually a typical day.

Question> How has your life changed now that you’re a star on a hit TV show?

Megan> It’s kind of bizarre, I mean I didn’t really realize how huge the show was until I went to the mall after the show started airing and I couldn’t go into a store without somebody coming up to me and saying how much they loved the show.  So it’s very surreal and you kind of are in a bubble when you’re on a set, because you don’t really get out that much, because you’re so busy working.  So when I do go out to a movie theater or a mall or something or an airport even, I was just in the airport yesterday and it was pretty crazy.  But it’s great, because nobody ever has anything negative to say, it’s just people telling me that they love the show, and that’s awesome, I couldn’t be happier about that.

Question> Do you have any input to the clothes that your character wears?

Megan> You know I do actually.  They are so awesome, the wardrobe people, they really want us to feel comfortable and have a say in how our character looks and they love to hear about where we like to shop.  And a lot of times I’ll come to set wearing a shirt or something, and they’ll go, “Where did you get that?”  And they’ll go out and get the same thing for my character, which is kind of cool. 

 But it has been interesting, because my character started out wearing a lot of sweaters and very conservative things and it was great, because that was kind of the place she was at in her life - that very kind of naïve place.  But then since the show has been going on and especially in season two she kind of gets a bit more edgy with her clothes, which I really like.  And she has an awesome leather jacket this season, which I don’t think anyone has seen yet, but it’s really cool.  Definitely as her character is changing, the clothes are changing too, which I think is really cool.

Question> Do you think the show is discouraging or encouraging teenagers to have sex?

Megan> I don’t know that’s it’s doing either, really.  I think, hopefully, kids will just see what happens when you make either decision and they’ll see the consequences of both sides of it, and maybe that will help them make a decision that is best for them.  I think obviously teen pregnancy will scare some people away from having sex, which is a good thing.

 But I think that it shows that there are characters, like my character, Grace, who is a very sweet girl and very confident and well-liked and she doesn’t have sex, and maybe that will influence some kids to say, “Well, she doesn’t do it and she’s saving herself for marriage, so I can do that too.”  And then there are characters who have made mistakes and are dealing with the consequences and so kids will see, if I make a mistake there could be really, really big consequences.  So hopefully it will just open up their eyes to the reality of that.

Question> There are a lot of actors who have like dream roles, whether they’re on stage or in film or even musicals.  Do you have a character like that, that you would just love to play?

Megan> Well actually, I think right now I’m obsessed with the movie Mamma Mia, because I really want to do a musical, because I love music so much.  So I would have loved to be in Mamma Mia, either onstage or the movie version, I think that would be really fun and something I’d love to do.  But Grace is a great character to play and it’s a dream role for me.  I mean, I love the character, I think she’s very sweet and a good person and she’s funny and I love playing her.  So I really feel like I’m playing a dream character right now.

Question> Do you ever think that they’ll incorporate your music into your character?

Megan> I don’t know.  Brenda said maybe we’ll get you playing the guitar or singing a song or something at some point.  But you know I don’t mind keeping them as two separate things, because I don’t know, acting is just something that’s very close to my heart and I love it and I never want to really — I don’t know if I want to be seen as the actress/crossover musician, I don’t mind keeping them separate for right now.  But eventually I think it would be really cool, or it would be cool to do maybe a movie musical or something.  So we’ll see what happens, I don’t know.

Question> If you could work with any other actor or actress on a project, who would it be and why?

Megan> I would work with Seth Rogen, I think, my fellow Canadian.  I think he’s so talented and hilarious.  And Michael Cera, I love that whole like Jed Apatow crew, it would be my dream to work with those people, because I love comedy and it’s something I really want to explore and maybe do a comedy movie like that would be amazing.  I just think they’re so funny and it’s so different from some of the stuff that’s out there right now.  I’m just big fans of theirs, so I would love to work with them.  It would be so cool if they did something on the show.

Question> On other teenage shows you always hear about backstage drama and this person is fighting, and I never hear about that with you guys.  What is your relationship like with Shailene and Francia?

Megan> You never hear about it because it just isn’t there, to be honest, I mean we’re so lucky.  Shae, I was just talking to Shae like 20 minutes before I got on this call and Francia, I was talking to her last night, we were going to watch Grey’s Anatomy together.  And we really all just love each other and we’re all friends, there’s no drama, there’s just no jealousy or anything.  And I think it just comes with everybody being happy to be there and nobody having egos.  We’re just so lucky that we don’t have a cast full of egos, because I’ve definitely worked on movies and shows like that and it just changes the whole experience. 

 And we just all love hanging out together.  Seriously when we’re not filming, we’re all sitting in our chairs laughing and joking around or we’re all in a trailer, especially the girls, we all just like love each other.  And I don’t see that changing, to be honest, I think we’re all just so happy to be there and so proud to be on the show and stuff.  So we love each other, we’re sisters.

Question> How rewarding is it to know that the show is right up there, keeping pace with Gossip Girl and 90210?

Megan> It’s beyond anyone’s expectations, I think.  It beat Gossip Girl by I think like 47%, I was told, in the ratings on Monday.  I mean it has just been insane and I think that those shows are wonderful too, but I think people are really watching Secret Life and that’s exciting for us.  And we just hope that kids keep watching and that it keeps its pace, and everyone is just really excited.

Question> Do you ever go into like the forums and blogs look at what people are speculating about with upcoming episodes?  Do you get a kick out of that?

Megan> To be honest, when the show first stared airing, I did, I went on a couple of times and just read, but sometimes you read things that you don’t want to hear and sometimes it kind of messes with your head a little bit.  So I try not to read them any more, just because — you know there are negative things on there that sometimes aren’t great to hear.  So I just kind of, I love when people come up to me on the street and say something and I love when people send me really nice letters about the show, and I know there are always going to be positive and negative things about everything, but I just try to focus on the positive part of it and not to let it affect me, the other part of it.