While 2025 resolutions roll forward and fresh notebooks meet their pens, Troian Bellisario is the first to admit she’s still navigating the tricky dance of work-life balance. Her recipe calls for moments of self-care, walks in the sun with her dog and steady support from her husband, Patrick J. Adams. (The Suits actor even shot these photos in their home office.) This small but mighty lineup of essentials keeps the trains running for 39-year-old Bellisario, who will next star as Traci Harmon in Amazon Prime’s On Call series. The character-driven and adrenalized 30-minute drama is set in Long Beach and, as the multi-hyphenated actor, writer, director, producer and podcast writer best known for her role as Spencer Hastings in Pretty Little Liars shares, it’s a project that has forced her to shift perspective.
I’d love to hear what you’re thinking as the show comes out. We all wait for the new shows to stream.
I’m just really excited. It’s been quite a long process. We were cast, and we started filming in the spring of 2023. Then, we paused for the strike. We were very fortunate to come back after the strike, but then we had the holidays. So, we ended up finishing in January of last year. I’m super excited for it to come out because it felt like everyone I know kept asking: “What’s happening with your show?” I’m like, “I don’t know. I think it’s coming out at some point in the future.” To actually have it here is really great.
That’s amazing. The show is pretty fast-paced. What was that like to film? Could you leave the adrenaline at work when you left for the day?
I really enjoyed it because it was such an amazing group of people. Yes, it was difficult because, like you said, it is a lot of action, and we were filming mostly nights. We ended up shooting it in winter. It’s not like we were in the snow or anything, but we had a lot of cold, wet nights by the beach in Long Beach. It was hard because you’re also running with a bunch of gear on and doing all this action.
I was very fortunate that it shot in Long Beach, so I could live at home [in Los Angeles]. Some nights, I would wrap work and be able to be home for my kids’ bath time—or even dinner—and then drop them off at school in the morning on the days we were shooting at night. I also had this hour-plus ride where I could mentally say: “OK, I’m going to work. Let’s get ready for work.” It was very helpful to have that time to leave home but also to have it to come back. After doing something very intense, I had an hour to leave that all behind and get ready to read fairy tales instead of be a cop.
Are you typically good at leaving work at work and letting your personal life be your personal life?
I don’t think I’m good at it. I think that the great thing about kids is they don’t care. I couldn’t tell them: “Mommy was up all night. And she was running back and forth on the concrete. And she had to roll around. And now she has a headache because she didn’t drink enough water.” The kids are pretty much like: “Great. Are we playing blocks, or are you taking me to gymnastics? Because I didn’t really listen to anything you just said.”
I might not be good at leaving work at work, but it was sort of not an option not to. I definitely got a bit better at compartmentalizing things during the filming of this one.
You’re in a unique position where your husband is in the same industry as you. Is that good or bad? I’m sure you can share similar experiences about work, but how does that dynamic work?
It’s so interesting…I feel like our great fortune in both being working actors is why we have such a good relationship. In the beginning, when we first got together, we were both on shows at the same time of the year and had similar schedules. It just happened to be that they were in different cities. But we understood what the other was going through. We had endless amounts of empathy, and while we felt frustrated that we couldn’t be with each other as much as we wanted to, we both knew that it was for good reasons: We both wanted the other to work.
Since we’ve had kids, it’s worked out pretty nicely with our jobs. When I went to work on this show, Patrick was not working, and then, like clockwork, as soon as I wrapped On Call, he booked a show. I was like, “OK, your turn. Get out of here.” It was very fortunate. He did this show in Scotland, Toronto, Montana and Texas.
It was amazing because I was on hold for On Call, so I really got the time just to be a mom for the year before the show was released. I was able to say, “Go! Let your work take you places because I’m not being taken anywhere. I can be here with our girls and bring them to see you on set and all of these incredible places.” We’re very fortunate that it’s worked out. We’ve made a good routine.
It sounds like a good balance. You’ve done a ton of things in the industry with directing, producing, acting and your podcast. Is there anything you can share coming in the new year or anything you want to do next?
I can’t share that anything else is happening quite yet, but I feel very fortunate that when I’m not acting, I am writing and also beginning to produce. I’m very much looking forward to a couple of projects that are very near final stages. There’s a T.V. show I’m excited to take out that I’ve been working on for many years. My fingers are crossed that once On Call comes out, there will be a bit more momentum for me to get my foot in the door for a couple of other projects I’ve wanted to get off the ground for a while.
Photos by Patrick J. Adams
Amazing, well, good luck. I love how openly you’ve spoken about self-care and mental health. We don’t have to get super deep, but what does your wellness and self-care and just your time for yourself look like right now?
Wow, that is a great question. Being a mom, it is minimal. It is mostly when I put the girls down for their sleep that I get some self-care. It’s really small right now. But I make sure that after I get them out the door and drop them off at school, I eat breakfast too—not just the scraps of the pancakes they didn’t eat on their plates. It’s little stuff like that. Then, there is a little bit of, “They went to sleep, and I have 30 minutes before I’m going to bed. Why don’t I do a face mask for me and just be quiet?”
It’s also taking my dog out for a hike—because I know it’s not going to stop. The day isn’t going to slow down. Even if I have a bunch of errands to do after I drop them off at school, I want to make sure to get us both out and walk in the sunshine. Self-care for me isn’t “fun” things…I’d say it’s little things to make sure I’m taking care of myself as I’m taking care of my family.
That’s important. Are there any products you’ve used forever since you have been acting for a bit? Anything you swear by beauty-wise?
Excellent question. I have zero brand loyalty because what I do is I get on a show, and they’re wonderful, and they’re like, “What do you like to use?” I’m like, “I have no idea!” I’m very fortunate that I’m not allergic to anything, so I’m on board with whatever they think is great. I’ll get on the show, and then, all of a sudden, I’m using these products, and I’m saying: “These are great. I want to use these forever!” Then, I completely run out of them and forget them, and I don’t know what to use.
I will say…I just got a couple of Evanhealy products. Do you know them? Those are lovely. Then, I got a Ziip Halo. It was actually a Christmas present to myself because the woman, Rebecca Wachtel, who’s done my makeup since Pretty Little Liars swears by it. I’m obsessed. I’m doing it every night. I’ll check in with you soon to see how I feel about it and if it works. I’m also using the Solawave on the nights I don’t do the Ziip. It’s little things that I can do for myself, that I really love.
It’s important. Half the battle is just being consistent.
Yes! I’m fortunate in that I can turn my OCD powers for good sometimes.
