Artist Profile: From ‘Saved by the Bell’ to ‘The Buccaneers,’ Josie Totah Is on the Rise

When she hopped on the phone for this interview, Josie Totah had her sunglasses on, her coffee in hand, and a bustling city skyline sprawled out behind her — looking every bit the up-and-coming it-girl that she is.

She spoke about the film and TV industry with all the poise and perceptiveness of someone who has been navigating its pressures for years — and that’s because she has. Totah has been in front of a camera since she was nine years old, starring in popular shows such as “Jessie” and “Saved By the Bell.”

Since then, she’s appeared in a broad range of projects across genres. But since the very beginning, she’s been drawn to the idea of making a splash.

“I think initially, it was about entertaining and making a scene — not like making a written scene, but just literally making a shocking scene,” she said. “I loved making people laugh.”

Now, at 24, Totah’s perspective has evolved.

“It is still about entertaining, but I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more nerdy about it,” she said, touching on the film classes she took in college and her growing appreciation for the craft elements of acting.

“My taste has changed. My palette has changed,” Totah said.

This changing palette has led her to “The Buccaneers,” a period drama that follows a group of rebellious young Americans navigating a rigid British social scene. The second season was released on AppleTV on Aug. 6.

The show is Totah’s first period drama, a substantial departure from the kinds of projects she’s been involved with in the past. Her agent pitched it to her as “HBO’s ‘Girls,’ but in the 1800s,” according to Totah.

“I was already biting,” Totah said. “I mean, that’s one of my favorite shows. And I think it excited me, the fact that it was a genre that has been done, especially with young adult audiences, but having this twist on it made it sound cooler to me — more fun to me.”

Experimenting with a new genre came with its challenges, but Totah eagerly embraced the opportunity. To prepare, the cast watched other historical dramas from the period, ranging from the original 1995 miniseries “The Buccaneers” to the cult classic “Pride and Prejudice.”

But even these iconic films couldn’t completely prepare them for the modern twist infused into “The Buccaneers.” Totah admitted that, in the beginning, finding the perfect balance between historical accuracy and the more modern tone of the show was difficult. But with time, the unique universe of “The Buccaneers” came to life.

“Each of the girls kind of found our own groove. We now have it almost as a second language or just like a muscle memory. We all have sort of built this synergy,” she said.

This is in no small part thanks to the close bond the cast shares.

“Everyone came to Scotland — where we filmed — with such excitement and vigor. I love our cast. We have such a good group of people and the newcomers, whether it was Greg [Wise] or Leighton [Meester], really handled it with the same level of excitement. I love them all. We have a really good, good gaggle.”

She described their travels around the world together, from Greece to Paris to Mallorca — and even to Massachusetts.

“We went on a retreat during the writers’ strike in Massachusetts with a bunch of 80-year-old women,” Totah said. “Yeah, we have bonded in a lot of ways.”

This authentic connection and sense of trust clearly translates onto the screen in “The Buccaneers,” where relationships take center stage. In addition to the close bonds between the central group of friends, the show follows a romance between Totah’s character, Mabel Elmsworth, and Honoria Marable, a young British heiress.

In the world of period dramas, queer relationships rarely garner much screen time, if they appear at all. For Totah, imbuing this relationship with joy and pride was a priority.

“I wanted to make sure that it was a story of positivity and love, because a lot of queer stories can be traumatic,” she said.

“I think it was just about showing what it could be like for two people to actually find peace. And I actually joke that the gays are the only ones in the show that actually know how to communicate. Despite being in a world where it’s illegal to be gay, they somehow have the healthiest relationship,” she said.

Totah recognizes how rare such representation is — and how powerful it can be.

“Queer people have always existed, and seldom have they been portrayed in this type of medium,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense, because it’s a real experience that existed back then. Why not tell more stories about more experiences? That’s what makes film and television compelling.”

With this in mind, Totah wanted to ensure the show portrayed Mabel and Honoria’s love story with intention and care — and she had ideas of her own about how to do that. In the first season, she drafted a critical scene in their relationship that was eventually incorporated into the script. She had a hand in the evolution of Mabel and Honoria’s romance in Season 2, as well.

“Towards the end of the season, there’s a surprise scene that’s kind of already in the trailer. And that was definitely something that I brought up to the writers, Joe [Innes] and Katherine [Jakeaways], and wanted to be done. You can see that Mabel’s kissing Honoria in front of the other girls, and that’s a moment that I thought was really important to go full circle on their relationship and evolving this world. Not only their world, but the world of the show,” she said.

Beyond Mabel and Honoria’s relationship, Totah says that Season 2 brings a newfound sense of maturity for her character.

“She’s older, definitely by time and by experience. I think there was a sense of rose-colored glasses she had in Season 1 that I wanted to remove,” she said. “I was trying to infuse just a more mature sense of self, and also as someone who had more agency and kind of stood up to people more in Season 2. Whereas in the first season, she kind of just went with the flow of life.”

For Totah, Season 2 has also allowed her to lean into the aspects of Mabel’s character that she identifies with the most.

“I feel like she’s kind of a mischievous girl who questions authority, and that’s something that I definitely do as well,” she said. “I think I wanted to make her fun and sort of cheeky, in the way that she didn’t really respect the customs of that time, which I often don’t do as well.”

But one of the most exciting parts of filming Season 2 was the opportunity to experiment with even more daring period fashion, according to Totah. She praised the skill and passion of the show’s costume designers, who bring such breathtaking costumes to life.

“That’s one of the best parts about the show, is not just getting to wear full costumes, but getting to wear the art that these people—these incredible designers — make,” Totah said. “It’s super fun to get to wear their dreams on us.”

The costumes in the show are just one example of how the magic infused into the smallest details truly makes “The Buccaneers” shine. The show’s soundtrack, which taps into popular modern music from Chappell Roan and Gracie Abrams to Japanese Breakfast and Clairo, is another area of success. The result is a fun and familiar soundtrack that melds the show’s emotional resonance and modern sensibilities.

“When I heard Taylor Swift’s ‘Nothing New’ in the first trailer of the first season — life changing moment,” Totah said. “I downright cried. I was emotional.”

With the release of the second season of “The Buccaneers,” Totah’s status as an already rising star is set to propel even higher. Although the sky’s the limit for Totah’s future, she laughingly admitted she’d love to take on an action project some day.

“I hate to say this, but I do love a war film,” she said. “I’d love that. That’d be so fun for me. I’d have to get a gym membership. I only get a plan on purpose once in 10 years.”

But Totah is also a firm believer in keeping an open mind about the future and where life will take you.

Reflecting on her advice for her college self, she said, “It’s okay to not know what you want to do. I think it’s more important to know what you like and what you don’t like. And I think if you can just follow that and be present with that, you’re gonna be A-okay.”

For Totah, the philosophy has clearly worked so far. From Bayside High School to the ballrooms of Great Britain, the signature mix of mischief, heart, and unapologetic honesty Totah brings to the screen is sure to stick with viewers long after the credits roll.

—Staff writer Makenna J. Walko can be reached at makenna.walko@thecrimson.com.