Madison Bailey Disagrees With the Internet: Time Cut ‘Nailed’ 2003 Fashion

TV: We’re going to return to music a little bit later in the interview, but first, I want to talk about Time Cut. You’ve played a teen a few times now, are the teens that you play anything like the teenager you were in high school?

MB: Absolutely. I tend to play these very strong, independent, and very decisive teenagers, which I think is also a really solid representation of Gen Z. The teenagers now are very independent in a different way. I probably would’ve done better in high school if I was in this current age [group], but I was doing a lot.

TV: You guys filmed Time Cut back in 2021, and it was your first direct role offer without auditioning. Tell me a little bit about that experience.

MB: I’ve done smaller roles in movies in the past, this is my first time ever leading a film. It was several years ago 1730551364, it was after we had filmed season two of OBX. So I was really just getting a footing and getting that offer was insane. I was mind blown at the amount of trust that the producers and the team had in me. I felt ready and really excited to step up and lead a movie and lead a cast… and it was such a fun movie to film. It was such a great first real experience. I know it was also Toni’s first big movie — it was a really big moment for both of us.

TV: Being number one on the call sheet, that’s something actors dream about. Did the reality live up to your expectations?

MB: Yeah, it absolutely lived up to my expectations. It’s a different sense of energy when you are leading the movie. I really appreciated how much creative say that I had, and I really felt like I had a voice on set and that my feelings towards the scenes and where the whole story was going really, really mattered. I’m also a co-producer on the movie, which was a huge opportunity. Didn’t even know what that really meant at the time, [but] it just means you get a little more say in certain things. I really enjoyed that.

TV: Being a producer on something you’re acting in does change and reshape the way you’d approach a story. How did that affect your performance as Lucy? What parts of the film did you get to collaborate on with [director] Hannah Macpherson and the rest of the team?

MB: I think Hannah was so interested in hearing what me and Toni wanted to do as far as grounding the characters in a very specific way. You have this camp world happening. The character work feels pretty personal, we really had a big say in that. For me, I had a little say in casting, a little say in wardrobe, which I was really excited about. I thought that the wardrobe department freaking nailed it for both 2024 and 2003.

MB: I appreciated how the priority wasn’t logic. I mean, you’re time traveling. [Laughing] You get a lot of slack in there to just make whatever decisions in the movie you want. When I come back and stay in the end… it probably logistically is not making sense. I don’t know anything about time travel. I don’t know if anybody really, really does, but I think I just enjoyed that we got to play in that space, because the logic aspect was neither here nor there.

TV: It’s definitely a fun movie, and the sisterhood is the beating heart of the story. Before this, had you seen Ginny and Georgia at all? Do you know if Antonia had seen OBX?

MB: I did. I think we had both seen each other’s shows before we started filming. I know when it was brought up to me for casting and approvals, I was so excited that Toni was top of the list and was interested in the role. It’s always great when Plan A just works out. Meeting her, I was like, “Oh, my gosh. Wait, you’re so tiny.”

TV: My next question was literally about your height difference.

MB: Hey, speaking of logic not being the priority! There were a lot of jokes. I was just like, “This is what would happen. This is like 2024 food, not 2003 food.” I don’t know what’s in there, but I’m big now. Yeah, we’re going to assume something happened in IVF. I don’t know.