Kelli Berglund & Alison Luff Interview: Heels

Heels, out on STARZ August 15, may be a series about the men who love wrestling – but it hasn’t forgotten about the women either. While the Spade brothers fight over their father’s league, Staci (Alison Luff) deals with her husband’s broken promises and valet Crystal (Kelli Berglund) cherishes her own dreams of entering the ring.

Berglund and Luff spoke to Screen Rant about the dynamics at play in the show’s first season, as well as the burgeoning and unexpected friendships.

Screen Rant: Kelli, the higher-ups in the DWL consider Crystal just to be a valet, nothing more than that. But she probably has more knowledge than a lot of the people that are running the show there. What is Crystal’s ultimate goal in the DWL?

Kelli Berglund: Yeah, it’s like she says in the trailer, “I’m not just a valet. I can wrestle.” And I think she can. She grew up watching all these matches at the dome when she was younger, and clearly found such a love and a passion that she just wanted to be a part of this world in any way, shape, or form. 

I think she’s happy with the idea that she’s a valet and that she’s put her foot in the door. But Crystal has a big dream, and Crystal sees herself in the ring. I’m glad that we get to see a little glimpse of it in episode 2 when she takes that guy down outside the bar. Crystal’s not all talk, and she’s not just Ace’s [Alexander Ludwig] arm candy. I think she could hold her own in a ring.

Alison, Jack (Stephen Amell) puts the business ahead of his family at times. Can you talk to me about how Staci views the DWL and Jack’s whole band of wrestlers?

Alison Luff: I think one thing that makes their relationship super relatable is that a lot of times in a marriage or in a partnership, there is someone who is – if someone’s lucky – passionate about what they get to do. But with that, comes a lot of hardship. 

I’m an actor and I’m married to an actor, so I can draw a lot of comparisons here. It is awesome when you get to see your partner thrive and be in their element and do what they love, but it’s also really hard when you are watching your partner go through the hardships that come along with being passionate about what you get to do. Because it’s not just a nine-to-five desk job that you’re not passionate about but brings home the bacon and is consistent. It’s got its own purpose. 

When you have emotional stakes involved in what you do – I always talk about it [from] an acting standpoint, which is that people ask actors to wear their emotions on their sleeves, be as emotionally available as possible, and then have the thickest skin. Staci navigates that with her husband, Jack, a lot.

Bobby Pin (Trey Tucker) might be the only one that knows that Crystal has the wrestling knowledge that she does. Can you talk to me about the relationship with Bobby, how we see that progress throughout the show, and how Ace feels about it?

Kelli Berglund: I’m so glad that you bring this up because I love the relationship between Crystal and Bobby. You not only root for Crystal, you just want to see her do well. But then you see this friendship form between Bobby and Crystal, who are both kind of the underdogs in this show. And you’re like, “This is amazing. I love them together.” 

I think, for them, it really is such a platonic friendship that involves two people feeling like they have this huge dream and no one’s really recognizing it. They bond instantly over that, and it’s kind of this unexpected friendship. And she finds so much comfort in that because, while she loves Ace and loves being his valet, it’s a very complicated and tumultuous relationship. 

While it is innocent between Bobby and Crystal, Ace is instantly threatened by something like that. Because Crystal is his girl, and he thinks that Crystal needs him. But she doesn’t. Crystal is Crystal, and she has this friendship that makes her thrive and makes her feel like she’s good enough. So, that’s something that she’s going to dedicate her time to.

Heels premieres on August 15 at 9 PM on Starz.