By Joe Puccio

While there are certainly a number of entertainers known for their academia almost as much as their artistry (Jodie Foster, Brian May, Mayim Bialik, to name a few), the list of those who have written a novel at age 12 (!) and graduated from Harvard University is undoubtedly much scarcer. Artemis, however, ticks both boxes.     

“My writing is actually how I got into acting. Middle school age is when I fell in love with it,” the Georgia native shared, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “In addition to my schoolwork, each time I finished my homework, I’d work on the book – and I finished it when I was 12.” Although the chances that the completed product will ever be released to the public are slim, Artemis feels that the act of penning a long form narrative at such an impressionable age was immeasurable to her growth and maturity. “At that age, you’re progressing so quickly mentally. I took a lot away from it and I’m proud of it but it’s not really the project that I wanted to put out into the world as my first piece. It was someone who was very much inspired by Harry Potter and X-Men” she laughed.

Clearly an intelligent individual with her priorities in order, the ambitious actress has proven to be quite the Renaissance woman, obtaining a degree in economics with a minor in creative writing/English just last month from the aforementioned prestigious Ivy League institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts – a feat she accomplished while simultaneously starring in Netflix’s hit romantic drama, Sweet Magnolias. The feel-good series, about to drop all ten episodes of its fifth season on June 11, is based on the identically named novels by acclaimed author Sherryl Woods.

“My character joined the show in season two and I initially thought it would only be for two back-to-back episodes and that’d be it,” she conceded. “It was so exciting when I found out it was going to be a much larger thing. The feeling was amazing.” Artemis portrays Lily Song, Annie’s (Anneliese Judge) friend and Kyle’s (Logan Allen) girlfriend, a role she has fully embraced due to its progression over the years. “When we first meet Lily, she had just moved to town and had a longing for belonging. And I feel like she’s really come out of her shell since then,” she explained. “It’s been beautiful playing somebody who started out so unsure of herself who is now her true authentic self. It’s been so inspiring and such a fun journey.”

As for her notable college achievement, earning a diploma was obviously one of the most satisfying coups in her life, a deed even more exceptional considering she attained it in the midst of her show business career. “It was quite challenging at times,” she admitted. “I was lucky that we filmed Sweet Magnolias for only four months out of the year so there would typically be one semester that’d be really stressful and one that’d be more relaxed. But there were definitely some crazy days and weeks for me.” One particular obstacle occurred when the thespian/student had an online midterm due the morning after a late night of shooting. “It was a pivotal scene, which was Lily revealing her feelings to Kyle. It went really late and as soon as I got home, at about 2am, I started the test. When I finished it, I had about an hour left before it had to be tuned in, so I set a set an alarm for 30 minutes, took a nap at my desk, woke up, checked my answers, and submitted it,” she offered. “All of my castmates knew that I was the person who always had my laptop, watching lectures and studying, in between filming. As soon as I graduated, I texted Logan and said, ‘I’m free!’ If we get renewed for a sixth season, I can be fully present with everyone. Education has always been one of the most important things for me, so I dedicated a lot of time and effort to it,” she continued. “And now that I graduated, I feel it was worth it.”

Artemis, a devoted cat mom to Atlas, Celeste, and Pumpkin (“Whenever somebody tells me they’re not a cat person, I tell them they wouldn’t feel that way if they met mine”), landed her first acting gig at 16 in the HBO dark comedy series Vice Principals, starring Danny McBride and Walton Goggins. “It was a small part, and I was only there for one day, but it was still the moment that I realized I had chosen the right thing to do,” she recalled. “I wished I could have been there longer because I finally got to experience it.”

Three years ago, she appeared in a distinctly different program from anything else she’s worked on, in the form of Starz’ professional wrestling production, Heels. Despite its cult status as an authentic depiction of the intricate artistic sport, it only lasted a pair of seasons. But for Artemis, the opportunity opened her eyes to a profession loaded with talented players. “Honestly, I was a little bit familiar with that world before I was on Heels since I had done on camera stunt training and many of the performers in wrestling have a background in that. But the show taught me a lot. I remember an announcement right before we filmed the series finale that this specific stunt in the ring would only be filmed once, no matter how it looked, because it was so dangerous,” she revealed. “It really showed me the degree to which these performers are pushed on a daily basis.”

As if her resume isn’t impressive enough, the stunning scholar can add singing to her extensive list of talents. Originally immersing herself in the auditory arts to enhance her chances for musical roles, Artemis eventually became enamored with the skill. “I’d seen it help so many actors in securing parts. But then I fell in love with the classical style of singing,” she clarified. “I grew up listening to Broadway soundtracks and opera. So, I decided to train in it. At the very least, I’d like to integrate that with my acting, and at most, would love to make music of my own.”

Artemis names both screenwriting and directing as future goals but for now, she is focused on Sweet Magnolias. “I actually avoided learning about writing scripts until my last year of college because I was opposed to combining acting and writing. But Sheryl Anderson, our showrunner, has been so gracious to host events for the cast and crew where we can ask questions about writing and directing,” she stated. “And our wonderful executive producer and director, Norman Buckley, would take people who are interested into a room for a Q&A session. I sat in on a bunch of them and learned so much.”

Although its future beyond season five remains to be seen, Artemis is hopeful for many more years of the beloved program to come. “The show’s fans are so invested in the characters, and they continually display an outpouring of love through social media. Each year, I’m confident we’ll come back for another,” she added. “Fingers crossed.”

Sweet Magnolias (seasons one through four) is currently streaming on Netflix. Season five premieres on Thursday, June 11.

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