Known for The Daughter of Zeus, The Extinction Rule, and Prehistoric Piranhas, Gabrielle Faith Brown started her career at a young age. She has built a reputation for leading roles that showcase both emotional range and on-screen presence. On the short-form series. ReelShort, she starred in Love Is a Dangerous Dance, I Hate to Love My British Bad Boy, and True Heiress Saves High School. In these roles, she plays a complex, determined lead, navigating high-stakes romance and drama. She has also appeared in The Wrong Twin Got Me Pregnant and Love Blooms Under the Moon. Beyond ReelShort, Gabrielle continues to expand her portfolio with projects like The Daughter of Zeus and The Extinction Rule, positioning her as a versatile talent in both digital and traditional formats.
In My Dark Romeo, Gabrielle is Dallas Townsend, whose reputation is shattered by Romeo Costa at a debutante ball, forcing her into an unexpected marriage. Determined to reclaim control of her life, Dallas sets out to outplay Romeo with a bold plan but quickly learns he’s not easily broken, and neither is she. Based on the bestselling novel by L.J. Shen and Parker S. Huntington, My Dark Romeo is a standalone enemies-to-lovers, arranged-marriage story set within the Dark Prince Road universe.
What attracted you to this enemies-to-lovers thriller?
Gabrielle: It’s the connection. I feel like Dallas and I are very similar. I grew up in a smaller farm town with a Southern vibe. I love Dallas’ fierceness. She rebels against authority and won’t put up with anything. She does things for herself. I always pick characters that I know and can relate to so I can bring that story to life.
What’s the biggest challenge you faced in this film?
Gabrielle: This was the most intimate I’d ever gone with a film. I wasn’t used to being that intimate, but it was great because it’s all about who you feel comfortable with. They made it a safe and comfortable set. It’s somewhat of a scandalous story. But I thought the intimacy was necessary to create the tension that Romeo and Dallas have with each other. That said, the intimacy was definitely a new challenge for me. Though I did set down some boundaries because this is my face on film forever, so I had to make sure I was comfortable with it.
What is it like, as an actor, to transition from enemies to lovers?
Gabrielle: I feel it’s fun to be able to play with both emotions when you’re filming a story like this. J.J. Michaels played Romeo, who was such an incredibly wonderful human. It helps so much to have such a great scene partner that you can improv with and get out of a boundary and just have fun with the scene. Especially if he’s an enemy at first and you have to be mean to each other.
What film or actor influenced you to become an actor?
Gabrielle: I wouldn’t say any specific film. I was in the industry on the modeling side since I was eight years old—so about 15 years. I transitioned into acting because I grew bored with modeling. I wanted to show more emotion than just smiling for photos; I wanted to show off my acting ability. I felt it was time for something new. Things lined up for me, and I got my first audition.
What have you learned about working in this business that truly surprised you?
Gabrielle: I learned that as an actor, you always have to look out for yourself. It’s a great industry to be a part of, and I’m very thankful to be in it. But people are in it for financial benefits and a lot of other reasons. They will push and push, but you have to stay true to yourself and know your boundaries. So I think that a lot of people forget that, and they end up doing things that are out of their character or becoming not themselves anymore.
Were you ever discouraged and said to yourself, I don’t know if this is going to work?
Gabrielle: Oh my goodness. Yes. Employment in this industry is very unreliable. You could be working for two or three years and then not get a single job for a whole year. I’ll ask myself, is this truly what I should be doing? I’m not making any money. That said, I feel a calling to this. I enjoy it. People go through things, and stuff happens. There are a lot of things that can drag you down. But I’m a big optimist. I think I was born that way. So I say to myself, you’ve been through so much already, and this is only going to make you stronger. So you can use all that to help you grow and learn valuable lessons. It’s important to realize that a “no” could lead to a bigger “yes.” I’ve been declined so many times over the last 18 years. So if you remain stuck on all those “no’s,” that’s all you’ll stay focused on. We are what we think, so it’s important to believe in the work that you’re doing. You never know what’s going to happen, but that one “yes” could change your life.
Any advice for young actors trying to break into the business?
Gabrielle: I just tell them to go for it. There are so many opportunities out there now that we didn’t have earlier. There’s social media now, where you can get your voice and face out there. Everything you can do now, you can do in a self-sufficient way. You can learn how to do auditions on YouTube. There are so many sources you can use to teach you the skills that you need. If you have a passion for it, do everything in your power to set yourself up to make it happen. You can do things like posting every day or making fun videos to show people who you are, your personality.
What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to…?
Gabrielle: (laughs) I actually put down “to be famous” in my senior yearbook. My goal is not necessarily to be famous now, just financially stable. I was a student council president, in the diversity club, in every club they had. I was like a nerd in high school. I was also varsity volleyball captain. I got straight A’s and wanted to go to college. I was a go-getter, and I have my parents to thank. They were always supporting me.
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" and "The Search for Dr. Noble"—both now available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
