Jo Ellen Pellman Loved The Prom On Broadway. Now She's Its Film Lead

By Alex Gonzalez


The Prom is ostensibly the story of 17-year-old Emma Nolan, played by newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman, a friendly, outspoken girl who is banned from attending her school’s dance with her girlfriend in the fictional, conservative Edgewater, Indiana. Yet it also relies on what occurs next, as a troupe of struggling Broadway actors — played by marquee icons Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, and Andrew Rannells — visualize Emma’s story on social media and visit her town in a try to resurrect their public images.


While the idea of sharing the bill with such an all-star cast for one’s first major on-screen role may seem daunting, the 25-year-old actress felt welcomed by her co-stars on the opening starting day of filming. “Meryl scoots over and pats the seat next to her,” Pellman tells MTV News. “And she's like, ‘Come on, sit down,’ and we just begin getting to know each other. She literally made room for me. And that's what I think is so special about each person — they made sure that I knew that I belonged.”


The role is a long time coming for Ohio-born Pellman, who took classes at Cincinnati Actor’s Studio and Academy before going on to receive a degree in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. She’s been performing since elementary school and would act out skits in class, memorize lines, and play characters, all while taking choir and ballet. Her affinity for the stage led to appearances in local productions of The Drowsy Chaperone, Me and My Girl, The Tempest, and Grand Concourse while attending the University of Michigan. She also calls her hometown Cincinnati much more progressive than the fictional Edgewater in the film.


“I was very fortunate that, As soon as I came out in high school, I was accepted by my family member and by my classmates, and it also was not a big deal,” she says. “I hope that other kids in Cincinnati have that experience, and in Indiana as well.”


Even before landing the role in the Ryan Murphy-produced film adaptation of The Prom, Pellman knew this show was special right after seeing the vibrant Broadway version with her mom in New York City. “We just laughed and cried our way through it,” Pellman says. “I remember thinking as I was leaving the theater, this is why I do what I do, to hopefully someday be a segment of a piece that brings so much joy and an impressive message, and is also just artistically perfect at the same time.”


She was able to bring that passion to the film version once Murphy cast her right after a nationwide search. Fittingly, Pellman says she was drawn to the role mostly by Emma’s optimism, something she credits the producer with bringing out of her. During the film, Emma never helps in avoiding fighting for the correct to bring a same-sex date to prom, even any time her school’s PTA attempts to shut her down. From the very starting of the film, she is vocal on social media, enthusiastic about LGBTQ+ rights and relentless in her protests. “I remember we were shooting [the musical number] ‘Just Breathe,’ and his note to me was to really find the moments where she’s optimistic and where she thinks that life can be better. And in the face all the inequality she is still optimistic, and she is aware herself and she is aware what's right and she understands what drives her.”


Prior to The Prom, Pellman appeared as an added on The Marvelous Miss Maisel, The Deuce, and Alternatino with Arturo Castro. Preparing for the role of Emma entailed choreography and vocal training unlike anything Pellman had previously experienced. For “Just Breathe,” which involved dodging balls, navigating crowded hallways and swimming, Pellman worked with a coach to learn how to dive and to sing and swim simultaneously. Choreography training was an even more intense process for Pellman, who studied meticulously to brilliant almost every move — right down to the back strokes.


“I asked our choreography co-worker if I might video him [during rehearsal] because I knew that I had to go residence and work this on my own to create ensure that I was at the level of each person else,” Pellman says. “Because, you know, you're surrounded by incredible dancers. And I was like, OK, I have to really nail this if I'm going to be in this company.”


And, obviously, she had to ace it for Emma’s girlfriend, Alyssa Greene, who was brought to life by Hamilton’s Ariana DeBose. Pellman says seeing her name on the sign-in sheet before a screen test totally floored her; a chance to work alongside an accomplished actress she’s fancied for years. “She is a Broadway icon I’ve looked up to my whole life,” she says. “It just felt like we hit it off and we became best companions. We would talk about our star signs, and I am so glad that we got to have that experience together… We would carpool to set. I would drive us and she would pick the music.”


(L-R): Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana Debose in The Prom


With three days left to film, production on The Prom was temporarily halted in March, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the cast and crew was able to return to set safely in July to finish filming. “There's never going to be another project like The Prom,” Pellman says, “and I'm just attempting to like every minute of it.” At the moment, Pellman is living at her family member residence in Cincinnati, where she rescued a neighborhood cat, who is currently taking up much of her time.


Pellman, who identifies as queer, hopes The Prom helps show young LGBTQ+ people they are not alone in their struggles. In a particularly heartwarming scene, a song written by Emma “for all of the people out there who love someone in a way the world just doesn’t understand” called “Unruly Heart” goes viral on the world wide web, and a number of kids connect with her to share their stories. “Your chosen family member is out there and chosen family member makes all the difference,” Pellman says. “And you could find those people.”