Who Is Hilliary Begeley? New Details On The Actress Who Plays Lucy In 'Dumplin' On Netflix
Last year, Hilliary Begely was hosting an open mic night in her hometown. Now she stars in Dumplin'.
Instagram Who is Hilliary Begely? Dumplin’ has been making a splash on Netflix since it was released in early December. The Jennifer Aniston-financed film adaptation of the book of the same name tells the story of a plus-sized girl who enters the beauty pageant her moms runs to prove a point about beauty and self-acceptance.
The main character, Willowdean, has a tempestuous relationship with her mother but relies strongly on her Aunt Lucy for advice and support. Lucy is a standout character made even better by the standout performance by Hollywood newcomer Hilliary Begeley.
What should you know about Hilliary Begley? Read on for more.
1. Early promise
Begely grew up in Asheville, NC and started performing early. “My mom used to make me stand in front of our television and recite nursery rhymes, and send them to my grandmother on video,” she told the local ABC affiliate. When she got older, a teacher encouraged her after hearing her read aloud in class. “I read it out loud, and she was like, 'Oh my God! You're a natural projector!' And from that moment on, it's just like this is all I've wanted to do,” she said.
2. Hollywood or bust
Begley made an attempt to break into movies or television by moving out to LA with friends. However, nothing worked out for her on the west coast and she made her way back to North Carolina.
3. Heartbreak at home
When Begley went out to California, she left her then-toddler daughter with her mother. Her mother had Begley sign custody of the child over to her so she could be on her insurance. Once Begley got toe California, her mother cut her off from her own child. “I had already signed the papers because I was young and ignorant and I didn’t know what I was signing. So I have no legal rights to anything. (My daughter) doesn’t know I exist as a person on the planet,” Begley tells Blue Ridge Public Radio.
4. Stand up
In 2012, Begley started doing stand-up comedy. She began doing open mic nights, then graduated to paid gigs. Two years ago, she started hosting the weekly open mic night at the Fair View Tavern in Asheville.
5. Lucky break
It was a video of her stand up that led to her role in Dumplin’. A casting director she a video of her and contacted her through a friend for an audition. She read for the part and was cast shortly after.
6. Bright future
After Dumplin’, Begley landed a role in another film. When We Last Spoke, starring Cloris Leachman and Corbin Bernsen, will run on the Hallmark channel later this year.
Begley hopes to keep working in movies and film, though she's happily back in Asheville now, doing stand-up again.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.