‘Love Island USA’: Watch our exclusive interview with Lauren Coogan

Casa Amor has provided some much-needed escapism during what has been a never-ending year. Love Island USA has become a guilty pleasure for those in need of picture-perfect singles attempting to find love in a gorgeous villa. Can we sign up? Hold that thought! It’s not always as idyllic as our first impressions. 

We had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Coogan who appeared as a season 2 bombshell! What went on behind the scenes? Is love on the horizon? Watch our exclusive interview to find out.

Wildcard 

British islander Lauren Coogan is no stranger to the spotlight. Before joining the famed reality show, Coogan was known for her work behind the camera and also in an acting role. 

Lauren received several performing arts scholarships and relocated to Los Angeles to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduation, she enjoyed some tremendous experiences working behind the scenes with a number of heavy hitters in the film production world.

Over thirty-five days, Love Island USA introduces twenty-five contestants to our screens and they’re all after one thing . . . (get your minds out of the gutter) love! Coogan was also known for her relationship with Belgium musician Enesse and striking famous friendships with artists JHart & MAX. Lauren and Enesse dated for a few years between 2015 and 2018. 

From the very first day, Lauren turned heads when she arrived unexpectedly. Causing a conflict between couple Connor & Mackenzie, Coogan certainly brought the drama to the villa. However, it appeared as if Lauren Coogan had eyes for another islander. She was definitely a wild card.

Love is in the airport

Listen up, guys, gals, and non-binary pals! If you want to find your future beau, head to the airport. After heading home from a whirlwind Love Island journey, Lauren Coogan met her now-boyfriend Garrett Morosky as she was collecting her luggage. 

The pair had drinks at the airport and made the impromptu decision to fly back to Vegas for more fun and quality time! You’ll be happy to know that Lauren’s revealed that Garrett has been in her life ever since. Love Island brought her love just without the island. 

Make sure you read through our transcript for Lauren Coogan’s exclusive interview.

How did you become an actress?

Um, I think I just always like as a child and whatever it was very into like performing and doing all that so I got scholarships to various schools for acting and I thought that’s what I wanted to do and then ended up being more on the production side of things. And then when the reality TV opportunity came around I kind of jumped on board, off the steering away from the acting train for years. So it’s been like, in and out of the industry in different forms for

What made you want to audition for Love Island?

Um, yeah, it was more doing, like, I went with my high school and toured to like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then was doing a lot of stage work, and then just kind of felt like I didn’t love it, and it was so much work and I would get so anxious that I was like this isn’t fun for me, and then I was obsessed with love Island and just watched it on TV all the time and would binge watch it, and then everybody was like you have to do the show and then out of nowhere someone reached out to me via Instagram about the show. And I was like okay why not, and then the whole journey began like that. I think I’d rather be myself on TV than like be a character.

How was your experience filming the show during quarantine?

The show was postponed like again and again and again and then I didn’t think that it was going to happen. And then we have to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks straight with like no phone no computer no internet, which made it very strange when he walked in and were around everybody because it was like no contact with the outside world and then you’re thrown into the villa.

So I think everybody’s like emotions and feelings and moods were heightened, which probably made it a lot more interesting to watch. But I mean they were great they tested us every other day we were secluded we they made sure that there was no possible way anybody had anything like they were very strict and regimented on all of their COVID testing and all of the process.

How well do you think CBS handled filming Love Island during the coronavirus pandemic?

Yes, they were. So, I think it’s you know would be a huge risk if anything like that were to happen but they weren’t overly cautious, which I think is great because then once you stepped into the villa you knew that everybody was tested and safe, and you didn’t really have to think about it or worry about it.

Do you think viewers take reality TV shows too seriously? 

I think that it’s a very weird mix now being on the other side of it because I think most people take it as, you know, just something to escape from and like watch and you see it as funny and these people are being crazy and it’s just entertainment but then now seeing the amount of people who obsess over it and take it so seriously like reaching out I mean even still, I get people being like, you should have never done this or done this, you shouldn’t have went on the date with this guy and I’m like, my life has been good.

I haven’t thought about these guys on the show for weeks and weeks and weeks but people get so upset. And then I think that because they’re watching seven days a week, and then they’re online and on Twitter and this and that they feel so involved, that they maybe take it a lot more seriously than I would have ever imagined. I was like these people really are invested.

When you were cast for the show, did you know you were going to be a later addition to the villa?

I always knew from what I heard from producers and casting that I was always going to be a bombshell, so I knew that I was going to come in to stir things up. But I just didn’t know at what time so it’s like it was like me going in first draft the original cast or later or they can’t really tell you until I was there, I had finished my quarantine and I talked to producers, and I was like I need to go in, I need to go in alone like I want like this big impact.

And they kind of said well you know you’re not a producer you don’t get to choose that. And I was like, well maybe I should be and then they called me that night and they’re like you’re going in tomorrow for I am get ready so it’s like oh my gosh and then it moves so fast.

Even though you didn’t find love on the show, you found love thanks to Love Island. Tell us about that. 

Yeah, it’s been a wild ride. And so, After I left, I did like my final beach for interviews, and then got back grew up my stuff and left and then I was struggling with my bags at the airport, which is where I met Garrett, and he kind of just asked me if I needed help and I did, I was stressed and tired from the show and, you know, we had a few drinks at the airport bar. Anytime I convinced me to turn around to go back to Vegas. 

And just like a full Vegas tour I didn’t look at my phone I didn’t read all the social media stuff that was going on, they kind of just took like this impulsive decision to go and got to know each other and it’s honestly crazy but it worked out because we are still together.

Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

There’s a lot of stuff in the works and things that I can talk about some things that I can’t The next thing I’m doing is I fly Sunday to do a photo shoot.

And if I can say for what but for this hotel. So we’re going we’re doing like a couple of shoots, it’s gonna be really cool in Mexico and we’re doing that for seven days, then coming back going to the Maldives could be my birthday Thanksgiving a lot of photo shoots or brand deals, Just trying to keep the train running

Would you recommend others become reality TV contestants? 

Um, I think it definitely is on a case by case basis. I think if you have a thick skin and you’re very sure of yourself and you know who you are and what you want and that’s what you want to do then go for it. It’s an incredible experience and so much fun, but I think you just have to be strong enough in yourself to not let all the social media and the attention and all that get to you because I feel like it could get.

But if you just know like when to step away I think that yeah and like if you want to do it and you’re fine with that then. I mean I’m happy that I did it, I feel like it was so much fun. And I wanted to take it back so it just depends on the individual.