Exclusive! Greer Grammer On Her Famous Dad & Growing Up Grammer

Best known for playing Lissa in MTV's Awkward, which returns for its fourth season April 15, Greer Grammer is carrying on her family’s showbiz legacy — yep, her dad is Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) and her older sister is Spencer Grammer (Greek) — with her TV role and a couple of upcoming movies. She had a lot to say about her famous family, love life, and a couple of celebrity newlywed pals.

YourTango: What can you share about the new season of Awkward?
Greer Grammer: It’s senior year and the class rankings come out. There are college visits and Spirit Week and drama with the different characters. You get to see more of my character Lissa’s family and the way she interacts with her mom.

YourTango: Growing up in an acting family, did you always want to act? Did dad encourage or discourage you?
Greer Grammer: I did always want to act. As a little kid, I was a different Disney princess every day. I’d run around the house in my costume and fully embody the character I was playing. My Fair Lady was my favorite movie. My parents didn’t encourage or discourage it. They encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do.

YourTango: Your older half-sister Spencer also acts. Have you competed for roles?
Greer Grammer: Luckily, no. There’s only been a couple of times when we’ve gone out for the same roles. She’s like nine years older. She goes out for college students and I go out for high school kids.
 
YourTango: Were you close growing up?
Greer Grammer: I grew up with my mom and she grew up with her mom so we saw each other on holidays and occasions, but we didn’t grow up together like normal sisters do. We didn’t become closer till I was about 15 and she was 23 when the age difference seemed like less of a gap.

YourTango: What about dad’s younger kids? What kind of relationships do you have with them?
Greer Grammer: There’s a bit of an age difference but Mason, my younger sister, is 12 now and my little brother Jude is nine and Faith is going to be two in July. When I see Mason, we’re very close. I love spending time with her. She’s such a cool kid.

YourTango: Now dad is expecting a new baby with Kayte.
Greer Grammer: It’s exciting! My dad loves babies and creating a family with Kayte. Faith is beautiful. So I think it’s awesome for them.

YourTango: Have they told you the sex of the baby?
Greer Grammer: I don’t know. Maybe they know but when I talked to my dad, he only said, 'We’re having another baby.'

YourTango: Do you get along with Kayte?
Greer Grammer: Yes, of course. Kayte’s great. She’s sweet and cool and awesome. I’ve always really liked her.

YourTango: Must be a lot less family drama than when he was married to Camille.
Greer Grammer: Camille was always really nice to me, so I can’t say anything about her and my dad’s relationship because I really only saw them at holidays and birthdays and things like that; I didn’t know anything about what was happening. I’ve seen her since and she’s always been kind to me, so I have nothing bad to say about her.

YourTango: Are you dating anyone?
Greer Grammer: I have a boyfriend, for about a year and a half. He’s in finance at 20th Century Fox. He’s dealing with movies and TV but on the corporate side, doing the numbers side with digital media. We met at USC. He graduated last year. I’m graduating in May.

YourTango: How do you juggle school and work?
Greer Grammer: I don’t know!  It’s very difficult. It’s just something that I do. Time management really comes into play. I set aside time to do homework and when I’m at work and not filming, I’m in my trailer reading or writing a paper. It’s hard but it’s really rewarding. And I’ve learned so much. I’m really interested in creating and directing. I have so many good ideas for TV shows.

YourTango: Is there anything you’ve learned from your dad’s relationships about what to do or not do in your own?
Greer Grammer: Yeah. I think that my dad is always really good at listening to his heart and I think that’s a really important part about life.

YourTango: Has he given you romantic advice?
Greer Grammer: Not really, it’s not something we talk about. He says as long as you’re happy, it’s good.

YourTango: What’s the secret to keeping a relationship solid and happy?
Greer Grammer: Being open with each other and being able to communicate. If you feel like something is wrong or you’re hurt by something your partner has done, you have to be able to communicate that right away. If it gets pent up, which doesn’t happen very much with us because we do communicate well, it just explodes. And that’s never good.

YourTango: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Greer Grammer: I do, but it wasn’t love at first sight for us, it wasn’t lust either. He walked me home one night from a friend’s barbecue because he lived close to me. It wasn’t anything romantic but I remember looking at him and thinking I could see myself with him. But we didn’t end up dating for another year.

YourTango: And do you believe in 'The One'?
Greer Grammer: I go back and forth with that all the time. I do believe that there’s one person that you’re meant to be with but I also believe that there are many people you’re supposed to be with at different times of your life. So you can have The One for your 20s, and The One for your 30s. I do think you’re brought to who will help you grow the most.

YourTango: I’m a sucker for a man who …
Greer Grammer: Loves country music. It’s my favorite. I love Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton.

YourTango: Do you sing?
Greer Grammer: Yes. I grew up doing musical theater. I’d love to be on Broadway or do a musical movie, maybe take it from there. I love singing.

YourTango: Tell me about your upcoming movies, Life Partners and Balsam Falls.
Greer Grammer: Balsam Falls is a Christmas-y movie, set in a little town in Tennessee. The main character is trying to make it as a musician and faces a loss in her family so she has to go home. My character helps on the family’s farm. She has an abusive father so she likes to spend a lot of her time there. It has Naomi Judd and Robert Loggia and a lot of up and coming actors. I think it’s coming out in November. Life Partners has a great cast including Adam Brody, Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs. It deals with how your friendships change as you get older. Leighton and Gillian play best friends. I play Leighton’s friend. I don’t know when it’s coming out but maybe at Sundance next year. We missed the cutoff this year.

YourTango: They’re married now, but were Adam and Leighton engaged while you were on set?
Greer Grammer: They were dating at the time we were filming. There was a screening of it in November and she showed up with a ring on her finger and we were all so excited. I was surprised. They’d been dating for a fairly short period of time, but they love each other so much — you can see that when they’re together. I’m very happy for them.

YourTango: What would you tell your younger self about love and relationships?
Greer Grammer: To not settle. I was such a hopeless romantic and fell in love with so many boys when I was in high school, and I would always cry and be upset when they didn’t like me back. So just understand that there’s more and go for somebody who’s going to treat you right.