Ryan Destiny is back as Alexandra Crane on Season 2 of “Star,” Fox’s drama about a girl group trying to make it despite overwhelming odds.
Destiny, 22, is no stranger to the music scene, having first entered the business as part of Detroit-area R&B group Love DollHouse, who were signed to Russell Simmon’s All Def label (the group disbanded in 2015). And, along with her singing, she says she’s been acting since she was 12 years old.
“Singing came first for me, and, naturally, I was dramatic,” Destiny says. “I would watch a lot of Disney movies and I would act out every single line of every character and sing every song. I had originally gotten a part on ‘Empire’ to play Tianna, but because of previous [contractual commitments] it didn’t go through,” she says. “I was devastated, because when [‘Empire’] came out and broke all those [ratings] records, it hurt. That was supposed to be me, but it was all in God’s timing.
“Serayah McNeill was definitely the perfect person for that role.”
On this season of “Star” — executive-produced by Lee Daniels and co-starring Jude Demorest, Brittany O’Grady, Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt — Alexandra will be dealing with her rollercoaster relationship with Derek (Quincy Brown) and with her mother, Rose (Naomi Campbell). “You can expect a lot of growth from all the characters,” Destiny says. “I can’t say too much about [Alexandra’s] pregnancy but you will definitely see how it takes a toll on her, mentally. Her relationship with Derek … gets tested a lot this season.
‘I want to sing, dance and act. So the fact that I am doing a show that’s incorporating everything I love, I just have fun with it.’
“I think Alexandra is more reckless now because of how much she’s mentally going through — she’s frustrated with a lot of things and she gets a little rowdy.”
Destiny says that Alexandra’s on-screen frustration mirrors her real life in many ways. “I had times where I was discouraged, especially in high school,” she says. “I started realizing that the color I am was not really appreciated in society, film, music and in the world in general. I did not like myself. I didn’t feel beautiful and I wasn’t loving myself like I should [have been] at the time.
“But I wasn’t the only one going through that,” she says. “I felt like I had to come into this industry with a bigger purpose — and I knew it was not just about me.”
Her turning point came in 2011, when she watched the Oprah Winfrey documentary “Dark Girls.”
“I didn’t realize how much it was affecting the rest of the world,” she says. “Even in my group of friends I was the only dark one, and hearing that ‘You’re pretty for a dark-skinned girl’ and taking that as a compliment … everything was so screwed up in my head. Just watching that documentary made me cry.”
But Destiny says she’s now in a much better place.
“I want to sing, dance and act. So the fact that I am doing a show that’s incorporating everything I love, I just have fun with it,” she says. “You can get tired mentally but physically I’m always ready to go.
“It doesn’t feel like work.”
“Star” 9 p.m. Wednesday on Fox