Coquitlam's Jennifer Gillis was the youngest and only West Coast contestant in the Top 10 on CBC-TV's Over the Rainbow, a live national competition that wraps up on Monday. Gillis was eliminated two weeks ago, in the seventh round, and last Friday the Grade 11 student at Gleneagle secondary gave a candid interview to The Tri-City News about what she calls the "non-reality reality show." Here's an edited version of what she said:
Tri-City News: What's it like being back home after four months of working on Over the Rainbow?
Jennifer Gillis: When I was in Toronto, there was a lot of attention on the other girls because they're from Ontario. Just coming back to all the love and all the things I didn't have back there was just the most amazing feeling. There really is no place like home.
TCN: Did you feel neglected because you are from the West Coast?
JG: Not so much that. The directors would have Danielle or A.J. be in the middle and they would get the better end of it, a bit. They were very much favoured. But I was there to do my job and have fun and I didn't really care about the other girls so much because this is my dream. I have worked my entire life for this. I saw it. I could just picture me being Dorothy. I just wanted to focus on myself. We didn't get to choose the songs. I didn't have a lot of control over anything so I just did my best to perform as well as I could with what I was given.
TCN: Were you able to keep the dress?
JG: No. In a way, when I wore that dress, it was the blue dress. It was Dorothy's dress. I felt that it was meant to be.
TCN: How do you feel your last performance of Crazy Little Thing Called Love was?
JG: It was out of my range and vocally it wasn't sitting at a good place for me. I got a blood infection that day and my hand got swollen. There was this huge line up my [left] arm, probably because of all of the stress and everything else. The way we were living wasn't healthy. For Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I had two hours sleep.
TCN: Were you surprised you were eliminated at that point?
JG: Because there were people who were so favoured, I wasn't expecting it but I had faith in Canada and in myself.
TCN: Was your family in the audience?
JG: Yes and having them was so comforting to me. They believe in me. They knew how much I wanted this. I had so much negativity from the judges. It was my first time away from home. I was gone for four months. Being 16 and getting this exposure at such a young age, I feel that I have four years on the other girls now. I'm just so thankful that I got to do this because it just makes me even more determined to chase my dream.
TCN: You were in a real pressure cooker.
JG: It was. I felt like I grew up a lot, too. I know this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I know it. For sure, I know I had the biggest passion there and I may have been the youngest but I probably would say I have the most experience: I've done TV work. I've done film work. I've done voice-overs and countless musicals. I know I was born to be on stage.
TCN: What was it like during the week, to be in a house full of girls wanting the same job?
JG: I was in heaven. Every day, I just soaked it all up. I got to do what I love every single day. I didn't let the other girls get to me because I felt like that wasn't important in the competition at all. I was focused on myself. I believed in myself so much. Every time I perform, I'm just in this world of the song and I share my heart out with the audience.
TCN: At the Dorothy Farm, you were called a Barbie. Did that follow you?
JG: Yes. They definitely wanted some characters in the show and stereotypes. I haven't seen the show because I wanted to live in the moment. Every girl watched the show except me because, as a person, I just want to be
Gillis hasn't seen the show
the best that I can be. In this business, you're being judged all the time. I didn't want to let that get to me and ruin my mentality through the whole competition.
TCN: Are you planning to watch any of the shows?
JG: I want to unwind first and get back to reality. I'm proud of what I did.... I have no regrets.
The finale for Over the Rainbow will be aired on CBC-TV on Monday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. The winner will go on to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of The Wizard of Oz, which is scheduled to open in Toronto in December. Gillis can be seen next spring in Gleneagle secondary's Thoroughly Modern Millie, playing the lead role of Millie.
