The art of going viral, as explained by Teala Dunn! The actress, 25, reflected on her October 2020 TikTok video in which she and Bella Thorne shared a sweet smooch.
“That was a TikTok Bella I made a year and a half ago that blew up. I think it’s at 40 million views or 35 million views. We’re both actors at the end of the day, so it’s nothing. I mean, she’s literally engaged. … But people thought we were dating for a while,” Teala told J-14 exclusively while promoting her new movie Crush, which is now streaming on Hulu. “I love Bella. I mean, I grew up with her. I probably met Bella Thorne when I was 13 years old. I mean, that girl is a hard worker, her and Zendaya are just incredible. I guest-starred on Shake It Up back in the day when I was 15 years old, and they’ve just been nothing but so kind to me, and I just love Bella.”
Together, Teala and Bella decided to make the “silly TikTok.” Initially, neither of them thought it would go anywhere, however, “it broke the internet.” After the video went viral, the YouTube star-turned-actress remembered being asked about her “girlfriend Bella.”
“I’m like, ‘I’m not dating Bella.’ It’s hysterical. So funny,” Teala gushed. “It’s everywhere still.”
Just like the dating rumors surrounding her and Bella following the TikTok, Teala had faced her fair share of misconceptions throughout her time in the spotlight.
“People might think I’m stuck-up because of some of my vlogs. [They think] that I live this Hollywood glamorous lifestyle, which sometimes it is that way, but I am so not stuck-up,” she shared. “If you meet me in person, I will talk to you. I wanna get to know you. I wanna know your Zodiac sign. … I’m just the type of person, I don’t ever wear my success on my sleeve. I think I was raised this way. Shout-out to Momma Dunn.”
Teala continued, “You should just treat everybody with respect. I feel like if you have that mindset, you’ll go so far. I think that’s why my career has been as long as it is because I’ve been bullied on social media so many times by a lot of influencers, honestly. You know, it’s funny because they’re not doing anything now. … To have longevity in this industry, you do have to be a good person because, at the end of the day, people will find things out. So, I just think it’s important to just have respect for others and just be kind.”
When it comes to continuing her career, Teala is “happy” to be reprising her role as Zelda on Good Trouble season 4.
“Good Trouble is such an incredible show,” the Freeform star told J-14. “So, to be a part of that is amazing. I’m so happy that my character is recurring now and I’m gonna be in a lot more episodes this next season. So I’m so excited.”
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