[This story contains major spoilers for the Dave season three finale, “Looking for Love.”]

Yeah dave Tenea Intriago had been on her high school’s basketball team and would (probably) never have found herself holding Brad Pitt and Lil Dicky hostage onscreen in the season finale of the FX sitcom. The 4-foot-11 actress says she always dreamed big and, until then, had her sights set on WBNA. When she didn’t make the cut, she turned to the theater and didn’t look back.

“I feel like I’ve been very lucky, because I started my Hollywood journey in the South,” says Intriago. the hollywood reporter. “I moved to New Orleans in 2012 and joined an acting class. I had heard that movies were being filmed here, and that year I booked my first movie. So, little by little it has only been an escalation ”.

A guest in 2017 Clawswhich was filmed in New Orleans, helped her land agency representation, and once she began auditioning for more projects, she caught the eye of dave casting director Wendy O’Brien. “Wendy has been in my lucky corner ever since I started auditioning for bigger roles,” says Intriago. “She asked me to audition for this and it worked.”

Intriago plays a superfan named Bella, who in the season premiere had approached Lil Dicky (Dave Burd) after a performance in Lubbock, Texas with a concrete recreation of his head. She tells him that she’s trying to break into the industry and he replies, “Let me tell you firsthand that things are surprisingly possible in life, okay. Go for it.”

In the finale, we find out that that moment of encouragement was enough for her to move to Los Angeles. She is a production assistant on “Mr. McAdams” and Dave doesn’t recognize her at first, but she goes “Fuck yeah!”. when she reminds him and everything seems fine. Later, Bella shows up at her house to return a hard drive she left in her trailer containing raw footage from Emma’s documentary and video proof that she faked her own death. Bella asks to use the bathroom as an excuse to get into the house (she then turns around). extremely evident that he didn’t actually use it) and refuses to leave after telling Dave that he put his short film on his hard drive. “I am the woman you. I am a full-blown superstar here in your presence,” she says, before adding, “You will never forget me, ever again. … You need the chance to get to know me to understand the magic that I am.”

Pitt shows up and things escalate. To recap briefly: she has a gun, they get high, she asks for a cast on Instacart, GaTa shows up, Pitt climbs in the booth and sings with Auto-Tune, she shoots him with the crossbow from Dave’s Looking for Love Tour, and Dave and GaTa escape with the help of said cast, bear mace and her creepy expensive sex doll.

“It was so sinister at points,” Intriago says of the episode. “I was like, ‘this is dark.’ It was pretty intense, and then so full of heart.”

After the end, Intriago spoke with THR about what it’s like to play complicated and terrifying characters, how Burd has inspired her in real life, and why she worried about being too aggressive with Pitt on set.

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You were a dave fan before this paper appeared?

I had never heard of Lil Dicky. she had never heard of dave before the audition, never in my life. I had no idea. One of my best friends who helped me film my audition said, “Oh, Tenea, this show is big. Do you know that right?” And I was like, “I have no idea.” I would never say that to Dave’s face though (laughs).

What did you know about this part going into that audition?

I knew she was a stalker. My audition scene was when Bella shows up at Lil Dicky’s house and is trying to sell why she’s like him and why she should be famous. Originally, those scenes were more romantically focused, more criticizing Robyn’s character, like that haunting. She didn’t know that the scene was for the last episode. I thought that was how the character was presented in general. I knew it would possibly repeat itself, but I didn’t know how concrete that was. You never know in our business. So, I didn’t have very high hopes. I was just thankful for the job.

How was it on set?

Incredible. It really was the time of my life, like the most affirming and validating experience I’ve ever had. My first day on set was the scene where Bella gives Dave the head bust of hers. Dave and I play forever. We jammed for so long, just being little goofballs and it felt like summer camp. Then when I came back for the finale, it was magical for obvious reasons.

At what point did you see the entire script for the ending and find out exactly how crazy it was?

About six days before, a producer called me and said, “Are you sitting down?” He knew he was coming back, but he didn’t know why or to what extent. He said: “Okay, here’s what’s going on: Brad Pitt will be with Dicky and you’ll hold them hostage.” I was like, “What?!” I could not believe it. I walked. I am a pacemaker. I only had the Brad Pitt scenes that day, and then when I got to LA, that’s when I got all the [script].

How was the filming of the finale?

I was there for about three weeks. The most challenging part was that it’s really hard to shoot at night. I am a mother in my personal life, so it was difficult. The most exciting part was the character. The meatiness and juiciness of being able to play comedy, drama, horror and all these different facets of a very complicated individual was an actor’s dream. I also felt really contained in the set space. My dog ​​died while I was there, and that was very hard. They all hugged me and made sure I was okay. It was really the most moving, crazy and chaotic experience. I am so filled with gratitude and I still can’t believe it happened.

How would you describe your character?

Oh my God. Do you want me to extrapolate how I feel the way millennials consume media is bad for their mental health, and celebrity crushes are bad for millennials’ mental health? I always, especially for people who are complicated, try not to justify their bad behavior, but to justify their humanity within it. I think Bella is a victim of culture, of what it means to be a millennial right now. And unfortunately, that makes her a very dangerous person who doesn’t rationalize her dreams in a way that doesn’t harm the people around her.

What was it like shooting Brad Pitt with a crossbow?

First of all, he is a champion. What a soldier, and he was there much longer than necessary. He was crazy. What was most difficult for me was putting the gun to his head. I hate guns, even knowing it was an accessory and not real. Just being generally aggressive with him, I was like, “Are you okay? You have to tell me if you’re okay. My mom mode went in and I had to make sure. He was so worried that he was actually being rude because I’m so rudimentary. I’m only 4 foot 11 so I feel like I have to make up for a lot with aggression whenever I do physical things. So, I was very worried about him, but he was a soldier.

Did you feel pressure working alongside Brad, one of the most famous actors on the planet, and Dave, who created the show you were on?

Is rare. I didn’t feel the pressure until it was over. I felt like a whiplash for what I had just done, and I suddenly realized that little Tenea could live her dream, but also adult Tenea is living her dream. My first day of shooting was the shower scene where I put the cast on Dave and Brad on top of us. That was also Brad’s first day. I remember when Brad arrived on set, I heard him ask who the actress was playing Bella so he could introduce himself. From that moment on, I felt really relieved, like he was just as excited to be here as I was. So, I didn’t feel the pressure in the way that [usually] define that. I wanted to do him justice because I, like America, fell in love with Dave. He’s a bright person and full of compassion and heart, and he really wanted to honor that, but he wasn’t stressed. He wasn’t overwhelmed. I was happy to be there and very excited to be working with Brad Pitt and Dave.

Are you worried that people will be scared of you after seeing this? You were scary

Yes. The last few gigs I’ve had, I’ve played with really horrible people, or complicated people who can be very scary. My last guest star played someone in fbi who sexually trafficked girls. That is my history. I play these really complicated guys. I get into that box a lot. I think it’s because I’m small and unassuming and you wouldn’t think I would hold you captive in your own home. Not the vibe I give off, at least I hope so.

Talking to you after seeing you in that role is definitely a totally different vibe. When did you decide you wanted to be an actor?

Oh my God. How can I make this story short? I played basketball for 13 years. I thought that was what I was going to do. In my freshman year of high school, I moved out of state to Jacksonville, Florida, and tried out for the basketball team. I didn’t make it, and that Thursday was the tryout for the school play. I had done it in high school and a drama teacher said to me, “Tenea, I really think you should do the whole acting thing.” But I was like, “No, I’m going to be the shortest woman in the WNBA. That’s what I’ll do!” Anyway, I auditioned for the school play and got the lead. Since then, I have not looked back. It has been the most fascinating and useful feeling of being an actor.

After high school, I never stopped thinking about it. I wanted to go to college because of it, but I grew up pretty poor. I got a scholarship to this community college that had a great drama program, Florida State College of Jacksonville. I was driving a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle at the time and it broke down on the way to my first construction rehearsal. It was my responsibility to maintain the car, and I couldn’t try to figure that out and go to school. So I dropped out, but acting every day was on my mind until I moved to New Orleans and decided to get into the pool. This whole experience has been really affirmative, and at least I know that this is what I’m supposed to do. That’s something I can come back to when I feel like giving it all up.

What else do you want people to know about you?

I really appreciate what I do and pride myself on the type of actor that I am. I hope the right people see this and I can do more of it. That’s all. I’m ready to work. I have been doing this for a long time. since do dave and, I hope you’re okay with me using this term, since he became friends with Dave, he really encouraged me and promoted me as an actor. I really feel like I could do anything because of him and his trust in me. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have played Bella.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

The three seasons of dave they are currently streaming on Hulu.