Lauren Buglioli
In an industry that thrives on authenticity and passion, Lauren Buglioli shines with a luminous presence that’s both grounded and inspiring. With a career spanning television, film, and stage, Lauren’s dynamic performances are matched only by her compassion and unwavering dedication to her craft. best known for her standout roles in popular series like Florida Man, Bad Monkey, and currently on the new series
Beyond The Gates, which airs on CBS and Paramount+. No matter the role or the project, she brings depth, charm, and resilience to every character she portrays.
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Beyond the screen, Lauren is a fierce advocate for mental wellness, self-love, and embracing the beauty of imperfection. In this candid conversation, she opens up about the journey that shaped her, the lessons learned along the way, and how she continues to evolve both as an artist and a woman. Join us as we step into the world of Lauren Buglioli—an actress, a storyteller, and a radiant soul reminding us all of the power of being unapologetically yourself.
When did you first move to Atlanta? Was it for work? And what do you love about Atlanta that is truly unique and makes it feel like home?
I moved to Atlanta seven years ago. At the time, I was doing some theatre in Florida just before relocating to Atlanta. I saw the growth of the entertainment industry in Atlanta and thought, “I’ll give it a year, and it will be a new adventure. If it’s not a good fit after a year, I can always return to New York or Florida.” But instead, I fell in love with it. And I’m still here. My mom is from Atlanta, and my brothers were raised here, and growing up, I had only ever come to visit my grandparents.
Something unique to Atlanta is that while the entertainment industry is here, and I feel fortunate to be based here and have a great community of actors and friends outside of the industry, there’s a diverse population of people doing many different things. There’s a friendly environment both amongst actors and Atlanta residents. People talk to each other. It’s a community that I love very much. Also, you’re close to the mountains and the beach, making it the best of all worlds. I’ve been lucky enough to create a happy life here because the quality of life here is excellent. And thanks to the International airport, traveling to other places is easy.
You are on a new soap opera, Beyond the Gates. How does this show distinguish itself from other daytime dramas?
It’s the first new soap opera to premiere in 25 years and the first soap opera created by a woman of color. The incredible Michele Val Jean wrote and created this soap. She has a fantastic team of writers on board with her now. Sheila Ducksworth partnered with the NAACP and CBS to launch this soap, which is historic because it’s the first soap to be centered around an African American family. I’m grateful to be a part of the launch of a soap opera, especially one that prioritizes diversity and representation.
It’s exciting to see how viewers have been wanting a show like this. I’ve recently discovered that soap fans are unlike any other fan base. They are so passionate, and there’s something very nostalgic about soaps. I know, for me, I grew up watching them with my grandmother, so it’s a very nostalgic thing.
It was beautiful when we were getting ready to watch the first episode together as a cast. Sheila Ducksworth was talking about watching soaps when she was a little girl. She said, “I remember the 10-year-old version of myself longed to see herself represented.” To think about the impact she’s having by honoring that young version of herself so that today, people can see themselves represented and don’t have to long for that is a beautiful way to honor herself and her experience and make history.
That’s what’s so profound about being a part of this. It is making history, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it and see so many dreams coming true.
How did you prepare to embody the character Vanessa, the community’s go-to realtor?
I’m a theatre kid and a huge nerd. I love to do my research, create a rich backstory, and ensure that I’m doing everything I can to create a dynamic character, a high-end real estate agent who is also unhappily married. The funniest part is that I studied a lot about the Housewives franchise. That has been very entertaining and a guilty pleasure of mine now. I watched a lot of Selling Sunset. And I work with an incredible coach, and we go over the material and flesh out this character together.
What’s been so interesting about my character, Vanessa, is that she, on the surface, could be very easy to judge. Still, she is doing her best to both feel alive and fulfilled at a time in her life when her kids are no longer in her household, they’re off at college, and her husband isn’t around. What’s exciting about playing her is that we’ve got 200 episodes in season one.
I filmed episodes 100 and 105 this coming week and having been with the character for that long now is such a gift. I did my research and built the character going into it, but now I get to get to embody Vanessa. It’s funny that you become almost protective over the character because you feel like you get to steward them, which is an honor. The great thing about soaps is they move very fast, so the creative team gives us a lot of trust. They give us the material, and we’re expected to show up and deliver.
It’s been a great opportunity for me to trust the work I’ve put in, that I know her, and that I can trust all that research on Housewives and Selling Sunset and all the life experiences I can pour into her. Everything I could do to gather inspiration and create her as a fully dynamic, fleshed-out human being, I tried to do, including interviewing a couple of high-end real estate agents. I hope people enjoy her as much as I do.
How do you handle the fast pace of shooting a soap opera?
I keep thanking my theatre professor, Buck Haron. I was raised in London, where I attended The American School. He instilled a work ethic in us through our training, and I always thank him. When you love what you do, and you love the process, while it is a lot of work, I’m getting to do what I love. And I’m always returning to the fact that if you love what you do, you won’t work a day. While it’s intense, fast-paced, and it’s a lot of memorization, it’s what I love, so I feel very lucky.
Do you have a dream role or a genre that you’d like to explore in the future? Vanessa, the character I play on Beyond The Gates, is a dream role. She is a tricky lady and quite complex, and I love complex women. What I love about playing this character is I get to do comedy and drama. She is very well-rounded, and that’s the gift this writing team has given, not only me, but all of us working on it.
In the future, I would like to go back and do more theatre and a bucket list role. I played Elvira in Blithe Spirit and would like to revisit that role. I’d love to do more theatre on Broadway and the West End. That’s a definite bucket list experience for me.
If you were to revisit the character of Elvira, what would you bring to the role this time that you didn’t the first time?
It’s a role that is so much fun to play. I’ve seen over time that the more life experience you get, the richer your characters become. I appreciate that my career has taken the time it’s taken because I don’t think I could have played a character like Vanessa 10 years ago. I’m fascinated by psychology and what makes people tick.
Mental illness is an important issue for you. When did you first start speaking out about it, and why?
I went through some health challenges in my early twenties. I had bilateral pneumonia and almost passed away. I was in ICU for an extended period, and my body wasn’t responding to treatment, so I ended up being hospitalized for a while. Even with all the medication I was on, it took a long time for me to get my health back. At the time that it first happened, I thought I would be in college, and instead, I was bedridden and started experiencing depression.
Understandably, my brain chemistry was completely out of whack going through that trauma, and no one had talked about it openly, so I didn’t understand what I was experiencing. I felt a lot of shame for what I was feeling. I started to come to terms with the fact that if someone had a heart condition, they would get treatment for a heart condition and that if someone has an imbalance in their brain, they can get help for that and move on with their life. Back then, it wasn’t something that was normalized and talked about. However, I have found that the more I owned that part of my story and felt comfortable sharing it with people who might be going through it, the better it made me feel.
It feels like people know when to find me because if someone’s going through it, it’s almost like we have a connection and a bond that I can say, “You’re not alone. There is nothing wrong with you, and there is another side to this.” All the best parts of me were born in those moments that I had to fight through to get my health back, and I am proud of that and grateful for that version of myself who fought for her life in so many ways. It was something that, at the time, I used to be ashamed of, and now, for me, it feels like a badge of honor. I have so much admiration for anyone who’s fighting through any adversity or any mental health or physical health challenge.
I’ve seen more people come forward and say, “Yes. This is normalized, and this isn’t actually a big deal, and it’s not something anyone needs to be ashamed of.” To me, that’s a beautiful thing. Actress Kristen Bell was one of the first people I saw who came out and spoke openly about what she was going through, and I thought, “She experiences depression and anxiety?” That was such a huge moment for me to look at someone I admire and say, “What a beautiful thing to feel less alone.” The most important thing for me to say is that it doesn’t last forever. There’s another side to it, and we must keep putting one foot in front of the other, trust that we can get the help we need, and move forward.
I wish it was something that was normalized and talked about in schools. It’s important to remove any stigma from any type of health challenge. I consider myself a very happy, passionate, fulfilled human being. If anyone can look at me and say, “I would have no idea that she went through something like that.” Then, that feels like part of my purpose.
Many young teens and adults struggle with self-acceptance. What advice would you give to parents and to those who struggle?
I was a teacher and loved working with families. The thing I said to parents is to trust that resiliency is something that’s built through adversity. The most important thing we can do is unconditionally love people at every stage of their lives. We’re trusting that people are on their own path, doing the best they can. I know, for me, it was painful for my parents to watch me go through what I went through, and they loved me through it. That was such a gift—that unconditional love and support and faith and belief in me.
They would say, “Nothing is worth more than this day. We’re just going to take it one day at a time, and we’re going to get to the other side of this.” That’s such an important part of life. We can’t be at the mountaintop all the time. Whenever you think you’re being broken, you’re being built. It’s a meaningful way to reframe. Sometimes, we are so scared of those tough moments, but trusting that we can get through, move past obstacles, and get to the other side makes life’s joys so rich.
I skip down the hallways at work because I know what it means to have my health taken from me. If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. To have my health now, to be able to do what I love, feels like my mission is to say that not only is there another side to whatever it is you’re facing and going through that other people don’t know about, but there’s a life of beyond your wildest dreams on the other side of it.
It took me some time to feel comfortable talking about it because, sadly, there is a stigma, but again, it’s just part of the human experience. We wouldn’t judge someone with a heart condition, and the brain is just another organ. It is a lot to be alive. We’re all just doing the best we can. I think having compassion for people, having empathy, recognizing that the best thing we can do is just encourage one another to do the best we can and to play the cards we’ve been dealt to the best of our ability. Ultimately, I look at it now and draw on so much of what I went through and darker times in my life in my art.
That’s part of what calls certain people to be artists. We all contain multitudes and want to tell stories; it’s the authentic human experience. It’s not always rainbows and sunshine and butterflies.
You previously worked in the field of Early Childhood Education. What did your work with children teach you about yourself? What was the most rewarding thing about that job?
I was teaching full-time after going through that health scare and those challenges, and it was so easy for me to pour the love, empathy, and compassion for children, into them in a way that I wasn’t able to pour into myself. It was an interesting experience to say we can recognize in others that everybody deserves the love that we sometimes withhold from ourselves. It was so meaningful to feel that I could show up and be of service every day.
Something that I love to think about now is that if I wouldn’t say it to a child or a friend, I’m not going to say it to myself. I’m not going to be a bully to myself anymore. That’s a hard line for me. I encourage that in my friends and loved ones, too, that if you wouldn’t say it to a child or friend, why say it to yourself? Also, with kids, we recognize that they need structure, boundaries, and love poured into them. And they need encouragement.
We forget that adults need that too. I have a lot of corny little things that I say to myself. One of them is “Don’t forget that who you are can be an act of service.” When I went back to acting, I thought, “Is it selfish for me to go act?” I knew what it meant to show up and be in a classroom every day and give and pour into those kids, and I wanted to make a difference.
And then I realized that if we’re all just large kids, we need encouragement and love poured into us. I can pour into people when I stop at the grocery store, on set, or in a classroom.
I like to remind people that, especially in an industry like the entertainment industry that can be so self-focused, if we show up to set with the intention of contributing to the writers by hopefully making them look good, by pouring into our work and serving the story and giving 150%, by being a kind human being that cares about others and is easy to work with, hopefully, we’re being of service.
That pertains to any job. You never know what someone’s going through. I remember every human being who cared about me, checked on me, and shared their light with me during a dark time. You never know what someone’s going through and how caring about another human being can impact them. It made me realize that you don’t get to a certain age and stop needing the things teachers pour into children. We all need that as adults, too.
Tell us about the joy your two dogs bring you. What do you miss the most when you are not around them? What are their names? How long have you had them?
I love my dogs. I adopted both of my dogs from Lifeline Animal Shelter in Atlanta. They’re an incredible organization. Their names are Vixen, whom I adopted in 2020, and Beverly Hills Cop II. Lifeline named both, and I’m forever grateful because I just thought Beverly Hills Cop II is too funny not to change, and Vixen looks like a little fox, so it’s perfect. I call her Beverly for short.
They bring me so much joy. My favorite part of every day is when I wake up in the morning and get them up and ready to take them for a walk. They’re so happy to be alive. They’re pure love, and they are content with next to nothing. They have two meals a day and some toys, and it’s a very simple life, and they are the happiest girls I’ve ever seen.
We’re conditioned in our society to look to the next thing and to look to the external, and they’re just happy, content, and living their very best life. It reminds me to slow down and focus on what’s important – be present and grateful for what we have and for today. Also, they’re very snugly and attached to me, which I appreciate. No complaints. We’re very codependent, and I love it.
You have volunteered for so many causes and continue to do so. Did someone in your family inspire you at a young age to get involved, or did this come to you on your own?
The brother of my best friend in high school, Matthew, was born with Down Syndrome.
In ninth grade, we both started volunteering at a school in London called the Jack Taylor School. It was a school for children with disabilities. I fell in love with it. Matthew is the reason I went into special education. He was such a huge part of our childhood, so from 9th grade to 12th grade, we spent all our weekends hanging out with him. He’s an absolute light who is now in college and thriving. Anyone who’s loved someone with any special needs knows the impact that it has on you. He’s phenomenal and really shaped my life.
You see that when you are in a position to need a helping hand and someone takes time out of their day and their busy schedule to show up for you, it’s been essential to me to maintain that so that I don’t forget what’s really important.
It’s very easy when life gets busy to lose perspective. I want to show up and support organizations like Chastain Horse Park, which teaches horseback riding to children and adults of all abilities. It’s an adaptive horseback riding program. Then there is Heart Gallery Tampa, which helps children in foster care find their forever homes, and Shine, which works with children with special needs, keeps me grounded in how far I’ve come and in what ultimately matters.
When did you begin riding horses? Do you still ride today? What qualities do horses possess that humans lack?
I started riding horses when I was four and taught horseback riding at Hyde Park Stables in London. I was a competitive horseback rider and Hunter jumper. I would travel back and forth from London to the United States doing that. I fell in love with Chastain Horse Park because they teach children and adults of all abilities.
What horses possess that humans don’t is an almost a sixth sense around them, like a gentleness that they know who needs them.
Something about this majestic, huge animal with the gentleness and sixth sense around a human’s needs feels like magic. I see it with the children. The horses know how to interact with humans and provide this therapeutic experience. It’s a special thing to witness because you see at a therapeutic horseback riding program like Chastain that it transforms both the lives of these kids and adults. They’re unique and gifted animals. It’s exciting to witness them and be lucky enough to experience them.
Please tell us more about Heart Gallery Tampa and how you got involved.
I was doing theatre in Tampa, Florida and their organization did a presentation before a show that I was in, called The Great Gatsby. They partnered with photographers to highlight and showcase children in the foster care system, many of whom have disabilities.
They put portraits all over different locations, like the theatre, to raise awareness among these kids in the foster system and their need to find forever homes. They do such phenomenal work for these kids. I used to teach cycling. I would do spin classes to help fundraise for them and bring awareness to their organization because they do very important work. There are so many kids in the foster care system who need loving homes.
How do you stay grounded and mentally and physically sound while working as a full-time actress?
I’m fortunate that I love what I do, and I’ve been able to find a balance to take time to rest and practice self-care, snuggle with my pups, and watch whatever TV show I’m into at any given time. It’s essential to make sure I’m maintaining my friendships, having fun, and seeing my friends. Then also learning to say no has been big for me because I do not want to let anyone down. Still, I’ve learned over the last six months that people understand when you need to take time for yourself and make sure you’re resting and taking care of your physical health to be able to show up and do your job.
I’m lucky to have supportive friends and family who say, “No, we understand that you can’t attend this event. You’ve got to rest. You’ve got to take care of yourself.” It’s been a good lesson that sometimes we’re afraid to say no and to let people down, but ultimately, people want what’s best for us. We’ve got to want what’s best for ourselves because how can you pour into other people if you’re not taking care of yourself, ultimately?
You have lived in several different places, how has this moving around enriched your life? And if you could move to another city, where would it be and why?
I credit the American School in London because it was a school that primarily had expatriate kids attending. Some would be there for six months, and some for eight years, like me. The amount of time that kids would spend studying there was varied. You had to make friends quickly. I joked that I’d introduce myself to the wall. You learn very quickly that in order to make friends in a transient community, you’ve got to be open, you’ve got to be willing to introduce yourself to people and recognize everybody wants to be seen and have friends, and that it’s a good thing to be brave put yourself out there and be friendly. I credit that school experience to that. It made me overly friendly. I would love to go back to London one day and do or work on a TV show or film there because it was such a transformative experience, and it’s so easy to travel to other places in Europe from London. I’d love to go back and experience it as an adult.
What’s next for you? Any travel plans? Are you taking up a new hobby or learning a new skill?
I love Masterclass, and I’m currently taking a flower-raising class. I enjoy going to Trader Joe’s and getting myself a little bouquet of flowers. But I want to know how to do flower arrangements to give them to people. I want to have that skill because I’ve always loved flowers. I went to Lake Como last summer, and one of my favorite things about Italy is the little touches of flowers everywhere. They are the little things that can make life so much more beautiful and romanticized.
If it’s as simple as going and spending $10 on flowers and putting them together beautifully, then that elevates my life a little bit. It’s the little things that matter because the little things are the big things. During my time off from work, I will visit some family. I’ll be going to Florida to meet my friend’s new baby soon, and then having friends come to visit me here in Atlanta and going to a soccer game with my godchildren.
There is a lot to look forward to. I’ll be filming through August, and then, if we’re lucky enough to get another season, in between seasons, I’ll go to the beach for a week and decompress and get a little R&R.
The Assembly Atlanta Studios, where you are currently filming, is quite an impressive facility.
We are so lucky to be there. I’m very grateful to CBS. They have, in every way, made this show an absolute dream. The press has been incredible. The facilities, the stage where we’re filming, are beautiful, and there’s an incredible team. Across the board, it’s just been a dream experience.
I must ask you about the pronunciation of your last name. Is it an Italian last name?
Yes, it is. I was encouraged to change my last name because it’s difficult to say. One of my favorite things to share with people is that many kids called me Ms. Ravioli when I was a teacher, and I loved it.
My grandfather fought to keep his last name at a time when his parents immigrated from Italy. Employers discouraged my grandfather from “sounding so Italian.” In fact, he almost lost a job over it. Then his boss found out he was a man of integrity who wanted to honor his family and his heritage and keep his last name. It’s hard to believe such a thing happened, but it did. Many Italian immigrants anglicized their names so they would not be discriminated against. If my grandfather could do what he did in the face of discrimination, I can, in 2025, be a very proud Italian American and celebrate everything that he did to fight for that name. He said, “You will never lose your job when that’s your character.” Hearing those stories about how much my grandfather appreciated his heritage feels like an homage to him to hold on to my last name. I’m never offended if someone doesn’t know how to pronounce it. It’s a great icebreaker because you get some funny renditions of it, as you can imagine. I want to represent my grandfather, honor him, and make him proud of me because he was very special to me.
by Dina Morrone
Special Thanks to:
Lauren Buglioli
Photography by Ben Cope
Hair and Makeup by Anne Marie Kennedy
Stylist: Chelsea Lunceford
All Beyond The Gates Images
Courtesy of CBS
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