Former “Nashville” Star Maisy Stella on Her Return to Acting: 'The Most Thrilling and Nerve-Racking Thing' (Exclusive)

"I had a lot of nerves but also a lot of calmness around the whole thing," Stella told PEOPLE

Maisy Stella is back on screen after taking a few years away from acting.

The 20-year-old singer caught up with PEOPLE at Variety’s 2024 Power of Young Hollywood event on Thursday, Aug. 8 to discuss her new movie My Old Ass. After being on Nashville for its entire six-year run from 2012-2018, Stella says she was happy to be back in front of the camera.

“Oh my gosh, returning to acting was the most thrilling and nerve-racking and exciting thing,” she said. “I felt such comfort in knowing what I was walking into because I was so attached, like emotionally attached, to the project that I was walking into.”

She continued, “I knew that it was very correct and very right for me. So I had a lot of nerves but also a lot of calmness around the whole thing. I just knew it was right.”

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The film is about Stella’s character taking a mushroom trip on her 18th birthday and being confronted by her future self, played by Aubrey Plaza.

Reflecting on working with Plaza, the Canada native said, “I’m obsessed with her.”

“She is, she is the coolest person I've ever met, like, stamped on that, that is confirmed,” Stella continued. “Working with her, I learned so much from her in such a short amount of time. Getting to work with people that you admire, that is a very surreal thing.”

She went on to explain that she was so eager to kick off the first day of filming, that she “just shot out of bed” and went to set.

“She's actually so brilliant, and everything that she did floored me,” Stella said. “So yeah, I'm really excited for everyone to see her in this as well.”

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Stella added that the White Lotus alum took on a “different” role in My Old Ass than usual, so she hopes fans are looking forward to seeing that.

As for her own character, who is on mushrooms the entire film, Stella said she has to plead the fifth regarding whether she could relate or not. “No, I mean, maybe,” she joked. “I'm not telling you. Maybe, maybe not.”

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Stella appeared in the musical drama Nashville starting when she was just 8 years old back in 2012, alongside her sister Lennon, with whom she also had a singing career. The sisters went solo in 2018, but Stella revealed to PEOPLE that she is open to collaborating again.

“We are always singing together and just existing together and we hope to one day later down to reconnect musically for sure,” she shared. “And honestly, doing an acting job with her would be, again, I forget we've been in one for a long time together as kids, but that would be like the most exciting thing ever to me, so let's make it happen.”

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