Olive O’Connell is making waves in Hollywood by mastering multiple entertainment avenues, from acting and dance to red carpet reporting. Starting as a young dancer, she quickly expanded her talents, leading to her hosting venture, Olive’s Take. O’Connell thrives on transformation in acting, expression in dance, and connection in reporting. Despite the challenges—whether memorizing lines, refining choreography, or crafting unique interview questions—her passion and dedication keep her pushing forward. Looking ahead to 2025, she aims to land a recurring role, dance for a celebrity, and cover major award shows, all while hinting at a potential music debut.

Photo credit: DOREEN STONE Photography
What drew you into the entertainment business?
Ever since I was a kid I’ve been told how talented and outgoing I am – I’m known as an old soul! I started dancing at the age of 5 which led me to acting, then a choreographer approached me about going to LA, and as soon as I stepped foot in LA I knew this was the path I wanted to follow. A year later someone approached me and said “you’re an amazing speaker” that’s what led me to “OlivesTake” where it’s about my take on life [on YouTube]!
Sounds like you are pursuing multiple avenues to make it big in Hollywood (acting/dancing/hosting)
What are your favorite aspects of each?
With acting I love how I’m able to change characters in an instant. A fun fact is that my acting coaches say that I’m better at horror characters than comedy characters which is funny because horror frightens me!! In dancing I love the aspect of how effortless and strong I can make it seem, As Martha Graham said, “Dance is a song of the body either of joy or pain”, which to me means I can express all my feelings just through my body. With hosting it’s as simple as I just love talking to people – it’s fascinating to hear about their lives. I believe everyone has a story to tell.
What challenges do you find with each?
I would say with acting the biggest challenge is memorizing lines; but I have this trick where if I can read my script from end to beginning, I know I’m ready!! [Yes, you heard that correctly – I actually read it backwards from the end to the beginning!] Dancing is challenging with all the lines you must hit but personally for me it’s staying grounded. Lastly with reporting the hardest is finding interesting questions specific to each person, but I love a good “research” challenge which makes sense because I love history, it seems to go hand in hand.
How do you prepare for an acting role?
With an acting role I prepare by going in and focusing on my script by getting into character as much as possible, sometimes it might include costumes! If it’s a guest starring role and the film is already out, I like to watch the show. Lastly for a reporting gig, I do lots of research and deep diving to hopefully share interesting facts about people I haven’t met before.
How do you prepare for a dance competition?
How I prepare for a dance competition is to train and rehearse my dances as much as I can; and strength training is very important too. I like to have the mirrors behind me to really get into feeling the music and focus on body movement – it’s like telling a story. I love to make people feel good.

Photo credit: FUTAGO FILMS
How do you prepare for reporting on the Red Carpet?
Research, research, research…and I love it! It seems to come naturally to me. I’m very interested in people and their journey and what makes them excited about this thing called “life”. One thing I always remember before the camera goes on, people love to talk about themselves so that makes my job a little bit easier!

Photo credit: Julie O’Connell
Tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you?
Something that only my family knows about me is I suffer from an auto immune disease called Eczema. My case is severe – I’ve had it since I was young. It’s something that I struggle with every day of my life. This is a sensitive topic for me but I’m willing to talk about it so other teens know they’re not alone. My goal one day is to make a documentary about it. I have multiple creams, oils, natural supplements from the holistic Dr. mixed with a little Western medicine. I know that it’s something that just takes time to figure out.
What are your goals for 2025?
My goals for 2025 are to book a recurring role, dance for a celebrity (maybe Tate McCrae and DWTS) It would be a dream to report/interview at more award shows ex: Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globes, Kids Choice Awards to name a few. Lastly, I may have a single coming out soon!
Where can we follow you on social media?
Wow, amazing young women.
You exudes confidence, creativity, and humility.
You are full of life and yet lean in to authenticity. So refreshing.