An Interview with Elena Esovolova

Finally, an interview with Elena!! Thanks to Maria Valiente at Wetpaint.

We absolutely love Patty "The Wedge" Wedgerman on Hellcats, so we cheered — and tried to do a flip, which failed — when actress Elena Esovolova agreed to chat with us about her character and her experience on the show so far. Our takeaways? Tom Welling is super-cool, cucumbers are tasty, cheerleaders are tough, and Elena is just as funny and down-to-earth as The Wedge. (Unfortunately, we're still in the dark as to how did Patty earned that intriguing nickname.)

Wetpaint: Could you tell us a little bit about how you landed the part of Patty Wedgerman?

Elena Esovolova: I was very confident from the beginning. I knew that the universe was working, and that this part was written for me. What was different for this show was the dance audition. I am not a professional dancer, so trying to learn choreography, when I had only taken ballroom 10 years ago — well, let's just say I was all over the place in the dance audition! Ha, ha!

WP: How did you feel about cheerleading before Hellcats and how has your perspective changed since working on the show?

EE: Well... When I was in grade 8, I tried out for the cheerleaders and didn't get in. Probably because I was too nerdy! I had BIG pink coke-bottle glasses, long brown hair. Kind of a super nerd! I guess God, the universe, was giving me a second chance to be a cheerleader and live my dream of being an actress all at once! Since being on the show, seeing these talented and graceful athletes and what they can do — it amazes me! They are REAL athletes. They work and train hard. The "bases" have to have endurance and strength. And the flyers? Fearless they are! Really... it's quite an exciting sport, and amazing to watch and learn from them.

WP: Do you perform your own stunts on set? If so, what’s the most difficult trick you've learned so far?

EE: Learning to not knock over Ashley Tisdale — ha, ha! Nah, seriously, at first just learning to be able to remember the choreography and have it ingrained in my body so I didn't even have to think about what move was next. After rehearsals, I went home at night and danced on the street till about midnight... But I get to DANCE! So it was fun — even though I hurt in places I never knew I had! They started teaching me holds, and I have lifted the tiniest flyer above my head once when we were practicing, but I do have a dance double (in case I need to be shot from the back or if I can't do a move) and a cheerleading double who does my tumbling passes and base lifting.

WP: We’re huge fans of sexy Tom Welling — talk about a dream boss! What's Superman like in person?

EE: He sat down next to me at a cast and crew dinner and we talked the whole way through dinner. He really is Superman in the fact that he is a really genuine, honest, and hard-working dude! We are both excited by the way a show is made and everything that the crew does to make magic happen. He is such a talented actor and so kind... OK, now I will stop gushing! It's just really nice to be lucky enough to work with such experienced and nice people in the industry for my first bigger part on a bigger show! Yippeeee!

WP: In case you haven't noticed, you are stunning, dahling. Do you have any beauty secrets to share with our readers?

EE: Aww, thanks! Here's a beauty tip from The Wedge: Cucumber slices. Great for the eyes and a healthy snack.

Check out the new Photo Gallery

Hey Everyone, sorry it's been a little while since I lasted posted, but I've been moving so I was without internet service and time for a couple of weeks!

The first couple episodes of Hellcats have been sooo good, but I really hope we see a little more of Patty in the upcoming episodes. She seems like such a cool character.

While I haven't been posting lately, I have still been working on the blog. I just added a photo gallery, and there are a ton of pictures in there. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think.

New Pics of Elena as Patty from Hellcats!

New pictures from the second episode of Hellcat's. Finally some of Elena!

Another Hellcat Promo - with Elena Esovolova

Here's another promo from the Hellcats pilot. It's one of my faves because you can see Elena quite a bit in it.

Original Plot and Casting Call for Hellcats

Here's the original plot and casting call for "Hellcats" from Spoiler TV, clearly there were some changes made (for example the Sierra Sloan character is now Savannah Monroe played by Ashley Tisdale.) Elena's character Patty sounds pretty cool but I don't think I would consider Elena to be plus-sized. Do you think they changed what they were looking for or is anything above a size 2 considered "plus-sized" in tv land?



STORY LINE
An upwardly mobile girl from the wrong side of the tracks, MARTI BERGER is determined to go to law school and get out of Memphis. But when she loses her scholarship because of budget cutbacks — and her own mother’s chronic irresponsibility — Marti’s hopes seem dashed. Desperate for a new scholarship, Marti tries out for the Hellcats, the college’s competitive cheerleading team, and is accepted into the ranks of the colorful squad. Initially leery about becoming a cheerleader, Marti finds the sport unexpectedly exhilarating. And equally exhilarating is LUIS, a “cheer jock” on the team, with whom she shares an intense chemistry..

[MARTI BERGER] Early 20s, slender, fit, she’s a “townie” from Memphis, Tennessee, from the wrong side of the tracks, who is determined to become a lawyer and escape her home town of Memphis. A “wicked smart” and acerbic young woman with the perspective of a lifelong outsider, Marti is currently attending college on a full scholarship. Accustomed to acting the parent to her irresponsible mother, Wanda, Marti is distraught to learn that, thanks to Wanda’s goof-up, she has just lost her scholarship. Desperate to find the money to continue her education, Marti tries out for the Hellcats, an competitive cheerleading team — and to her amazement, gets accepted. Marti’s background as a gymnast, not to mention her amazing skills as a dancer, make her well-suited to the challenge. What’s she’s not as prepared for are the personality clashes among the cheerleaders. Deeply attracted to Luis, her “base” on the team, Marti has incurred the undying enmity of Alice, a bitchy rival who is determined to sabotage Marti and get her drummed off the squad…SERIES REGULAR (3)

[LUIS FAMOSA] Early 20s, this easy-going, laid-back Latino youth has a “ripped” body and a love for action. A cheerleading “base,” Luis tried out for the team on a dare from his frat brothers. Luis was instantly hooked on the physical challenge of cheerleading, and the rest is history. Luis bitterly regrets his brief hook-up with Alice, a fellow cheerleader, who adamantly refuses to accept that he’s just not that into her. That’s not the case with Marti, the new girl on the team, with whom Luis immediately experiences a sizzling chemistry. When Luis selects Marti to be his permanent “flyer,” a position Alice held, his decision puts Alice into a dangerous snit that could bode very ill for Marti…SERIES REGULAR (1) PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

[VANESSA HODGE] Early to mid 30s, this striking, elegant African American woman was a Hellcat herself back in the day. Now, she’s the team’s coach, but unless she scores a championship this season, she may not be for long. A tough but loving task-mistress, Vanessa is wowed by Marti’s raw talent, and appreciates the funky new energy that this townie brings to her team. She finds herself acting as a surrogate mother when the embarrassing behavior of Marti’s real mother threatens to wreck her performance at the qualifying event sptv050769…SERIES REGULAR (2)

[ALICE VANDEMARK] Early 20s.. she’s a “willowy beauty with jaded New York cool.” A dangerously narcissistic and “bitchy” young woman, Alice is sidelined by a wrist injury, and she’s furious when Marti replaces her on the squad — and in Luis’s affections. But Alice is determined get Marti drummed off the team — and she’s not above lying, cheating and sabotaging to accomplish that aim…SERIES REGULAR (1) PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

[SIERRA SLOAN] Early 20s, she’s the captain of the Hellcats, a blonde, petite and peppy Texan with a lot of fierce intensity. After an initial clash with Marti, Sierra realizes that Marti just might be the godsend the Hellcats need to win the championship. Marti’s new roommate, she’s a bit of a control freak who is perky to the point of hyperactivity. But she’s a well-meaning girl who has her eyes on the prize — not only on the upcoming championship competition, but on the charming rebel Dan, Marti’s townie pal…SERIES REGULAR (1)

[DAN PATCH] Mid 20s, from Tennessee, this big, good-looking, unconventionally sexy townie is a “shambling charmer” who is very successful where women are concerned. Ostensibly Marti’s platonic pal, he enjoys a comfortable relationship with her; he is hyper-articulate and very smart, and they have a rat-a-tat chemistry in their banter — in reality, he has a huge crush on Marti that is unspoken. Somewhat taken aback when she becomes a cheerleader, Dan is further dismayed by her obvious chemistry with Luis, who is on the team. However, his own attraction to the perky Sierra may yet prove a welcome distraction…SERIES REGULAR 10/13(4) PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

[WANDA BERGER] 36 to 40, Southern, from Tennessee, Marti’s mother, she’s a “party girl who never grew up” and who has always relied on Marti to be the true “parent” in their relationship. A hard-drinker whose antics in the past have publicly humiliated her daughter, Wanda works a low-level job at a university pub, and seems unrepentant when her blundering loses Marti her scholarship. Referring to her daughter as “Marti the Martyr,” Wanda just doesn’t have a clue about just what a terrible mother she actually is. And when she shows up at the qualifying heats, her presence there may prove a dangerous distraction to Marti…SERIES REGULAR (6)

[PATTY "THE WEDGE" WEDGERMAN] Early 20s.. she’s a “ballsy, fearless, cheerfully profane” girl, a “base” on the cheerleading squad. Big, beautiful and unabashedly plus-sized, Patty is enormously strong. She has to be in order to hoist up her more petite teammates. Utterly comfortable in her own skin, Patty is the “base” of the team in more ways than one. In fact, she’s a rock of support when all around her are melting down…SERIES REGULAR (2) PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

Elena Esovolova in Hellcats!

Okay, I wanted to get a bunch of Elena's older stuff on here before I got into all the "Hellcats" stuff. I think I've got most of it, but I'm sure I'll find more later. Anyway, now I can start on the new stuff!
So, if you haven't heard Elena was cast in the new CW series "Hellcats" as lesbian cheerleader Patty "The Wedge" Wedgerman.

The premise of the show from http://www.cwtv.com/shows/hellcats/about/ goes a little something like this:


Marti Perkins' plan was to get through Lancer University on her scholarship, go to law school, and leave Memphis and her hard-drinking mother behind to start a new life as an attorney. Instead, Marti's scholarship gets cancelled and her mother "forgets" to tell her. Out of options, Marti finds herself fighting for a spot on the Hellcats -- Lancer's legendary cheer squad -- and for the scholarship that comes with it. The squad needs a new member when the beautiful Alice Verdura is injured, and Marti's fierce style, soulful moves and gymnastic elegance win her a place on the team, despite an ugly encounter with Savannah Monroe, a petite and peppy Texan who ends up being Marti's new roommate. Marti instantly hits it off with her new squad partner, the charming and extremely athletic Lewis Flynn, and their budding friendship causes alarm bells to go off for Lewis' ex, Alice, as well as Marti's long-time friend, Dan Patch. Overseeing all the practices and personal drama is former

Here's the extended preview: