The red light blinks on. “Welcome back toOn the Red Carpet, the podcast where we pull back the curtain on Hollywood’s biggest stories. I’m Jess Lexington, and today I have a very special guest. My friend, the incredibly talented screenwriter Natalie Cruz, creator of the upcoming FlixPix seriesSpellboundis here. Natalie, welcome.”
“Thanks for having me, Jess.”
“So let’s dive right in.Spellboundhas been generating a lot of buzz. Can you tell our listeners what the show is about?”
I take a breath, settling into the familiar territory of talking about my work, and explain the premise.
“It sounds incredible. How would you say it’s different than other supernatural shows airing right now?”
“At the heart of the show are hints of generational trauma, a little of what it means to be a woman with power in a world that wants to control you, and how family can be both your greatest strength and your deepest wound.”
“Well, you’ve managed to hit all of the heavy, political, and controversial themes in one go. What made you want to tell this particular story?”
“I’ve always been drawn to stories about women who are told they’re too much—too powerful, too emotional, too ambitious. Magic felt like the perfect metaphor for exploring that.”
Jess nods, making notes. “What’s it been like going from solo writer to writers’ room?”
“Honestly? Terrifying and exhilarating. I’m not the showrunner—that’s Rebecca Sullivan, who’s incredible—but being a producer and having creative input on every episode has been a dream. Our writers’ room is phenomenal. Everyone brings such unique perspectives.”
“Speaking of the writers’ room, production was originally scheduled to start in March but got pushed to July. Can you talk about why?”
Here it comes. This is why I’m interviewing with Jess today. She wanted to acknowledge some of the biases Ifeared about being pregnant and writing on this show. She feels like anything we can do to help reduce the stigma is imperative.
“Yeah. So, as you can probably see—” I gesture to my very pregnant belly “—I’m having a baby. Due at the end of March. We pushed production so I could take maternity leave.”
“That’s a pretty significant accommodation. How did FlixPix and Rebecca react when you told them?”
I choose my words carefully. “Rebecca was incredibly supportive. She and the network worked with me to create a timeline that works for everyone.”
“But you didn’t tell them right away, did you?”
I should have known Jess wouldn’t let me off that easy. “No, I didn’t. I was about twelve weeks along when I signed my contract, and I didn’t tell anyone until after the new year.”
“Why not?”
“I was scared. This industry has a history of sidelining women who get pregnant. I wanted to prove I could do the work first, that I deserved to be there, before giving them a reason to doubt me.”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”
“It is. But it’s also the reality for a lot of women in this business. We’re constantly asked to choose between our careers and our personal lives in ways men never are.”
Jess leans forward slightly. “When you did tell Rebecca, how did that conversation go?”
“It was hard. She was understandably frustrated that I’d kept it from her for so long. She said it undermined trust andcommunication, which are essential in a writers’ room. And she was right.”
“But she also supported you.”
“She did. More than I could have hoped for. She told me something that really stuck with me—that I’m allowed to have both. A career and a family. That I don’t have to choose.”
“That’s remarkably supportive,” Jess says.
“It was. Rebecca’s been an incredible mentor and advocate. I’m really lucky to work with her.”
“Do you think your experience—hiding your pregnancy, being afraid of the consequences—do you think that’s common in Hollywood?”
“Absolutely. I’ve talked to other women writers, actresses, directors who’ve all felt the same pressure. There’s this unspoken expectation that you have to be one hundred percent available, one hundred percent of the time, or you’re not serious about your career. And pregnancy is seen as a liability.”
“What would you say to women who are facing that same fear?”
