‘Tall Girl’s Ava Michelle Embraces Her Height, But It Doesn’t Define Her — EXCLUSIVE

Netflix’s new teen rom-com Tall Girl was a very personal project for Ava Michelle, and it should be pretty obvious why that is. Like her character Jodi, Michelle towers over most of her peers at a height of 6 feet and one and a half inches. Also like Jodi, Michelle has opened up about how she used to be bullied for her height, including on national television when she appeared on Dance Moms. But now, Tall Girl‘s Ava Michelle embraces her height, and she hopes the new movie will encourage others to embrace their insecurities as well.

Tall Girl premiered on Netflix on Sept. 13, and right off the bat, the movie depicts the various ways in which Jodi’s feels ostracized due to being taller than her classmates. Passing students teasingly ask her "how’s the weather up there," she mourns her men’s size 13 sneakers, and she hits her head on doors when entering rooms. Ava Michelle says that all of these moments were hugely relatable to her own experiences, especially the issue with doors: "That’s so realistic because it happens all the time. Almost every time I stepped out of my trailer, I hit my head. It’s a real thing. I walk into trees, I walk into signs."

But the potential hazards of being taller than average are not only physical. Prior to landing Tall Girl, Ava Michelle was best known for starring on several seasons of the Lifetime reality series Dance Moms, where her height got in the away of her dance career. In a 2014 episode, Abby Lee Miller harshly cut Ava from her dance team by telling her she was too tall.

"I think it was one of the first times that I realized that my height could get in the way of what I wanted to do," Michelle says, reflecting on why that Dance Moms scene very difficult for her. "Because before, I was never told I’m too tall for things and honestly, I didn’t even think that was a thing … And it was really difficult at a young age because it wasn’t anything I could practice more or I could work on; it was just something I was stuck with and I couldn’t do anything about it. So to me it was really unfair and really difficult, and it still is. It’s really difficult to go after roles that I’m really passionate about and then get really far and be told no because of my height … The Dance Moms thing was really difficult, but I’m also thankful for it because it made me really strong."

While Ava Michelle’s height might have gotten in the way of her dance career back in her Dance Moms days, her mentality is to keep doing what you love no matter what other people say. After all, it was because of her height that Michelle landed her biggest movie role.

Michelle shared that she is constantly asked why she does not play basketball simply because of her height, and she is sick of people associating height with what career path a person needs to take: "Do what you love, don’t do what other people tell you to do, you know what I mean? I think it’s so crazy that just that so many people my entire life were like, ‘I hope you’re not wasting your height in not playing basketball or volleyball or this or that.’ I think it’s so crazy that height is associated with a career choice, and people are very close-minded in that way, so I think my big advice in life is: Do what you love, love what you do and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t, because you can."

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Clearly, what Ava Michelle loves to do is act, not play basketball or volleyball. And even though her first movie role is so closely tied to her height, Michelle is not concerned about being typecast as the "tall girl" in her future roles.

"Honestly, I don’t really worry about that. I’m so lucky to be able to relate to something for my first role, but I think there are so many other places that I could go with it," Michelle said. "I mean, I am excited to be in a role that won’t necessarily address [my height] and will just show my acting and what I do just on its own. But I know that can be done, I mean there are so many tall actresses: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Blake Lively: the tall women who have paved the way, so I’m not really worried about that. But also, I like being the tall girl, It’s fun. [This movie] has taught me to embrace it more."

Tall Girl is currently streaming on Netflix.

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