{"id":397,"date":"2025-04-16T13:41:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T13:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prosperitywithory.com\/?p=397"},"modified":"2025-05-13T02:05:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T02:05:43","slug":"aisha-dee-is-feeling-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prosperitywithory.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/aisha-dee-is-feeling-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Aisha Dee Is Feeling Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When Aisha Dee<\/u><\/a> was cast in Apple Cider Vinegar<\/em><\/em>, she knew the story would get under people\u2019s skin. The six-part Netflix series, which fictionalizes the rise and fall of disgraced wellness influencer Belle Gibson, hits close to home \u2014 not just because Dee is Australian like Gibson, but because the lies at the center of the show feel painfully familiar. \u201cIt\u2019s wild that these things actually happen,\u201d Dee tells PAPER<\/em><\/em>. \u201cNot just this story, but so many scammer stories. They\u2019re everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show follows a fictional character named Elle, who claims to have cured her terminal illness through clean eating, spiritual rituals and self-belief. At the height of her popularity, she becomes the face of a wellness empire, appearing on talk shows, collaborating with brands and publishing a bestselling cookbook. But when a young journalist named Chanelle begins to dig into the facts, the narrative starts to unravel.<\/p>\n

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Dee plays Chanelle \u2014 a quiet observer trying to piece together a story that never quite adds up. She isn\u2019t based on one specific person, but her exhaustion and eventual clarity feel real. \u201cShe kind of represents the audience,\u201d Dee says. \u201cAnd honestly, she represents me, too \u2014 just trying to make sense of it all.\u201d Her performance is subtle and internal, a slow build of doubt and discomfort. If you know Dee from The Bold Type<\/em>, this is a different gear entirely. She holds tension in her body, in her silences. There\u2019s no big confrontation scene \u2014 just someone slowly cutting through the noise.<\/p>\n

When Apple Cider Vinegar<\/em> premiered in February, it quickly sparked conversations around influencer wellness, scam culture and the kinds of lies we\u2019re most eager to believe. For Dee, the material hit especially hard because she\u2019s been there. \u201cI’ve definitely tried them all,\u201d she says. \u201cFor a while I was dunking my face in ice water. I do love a cold plunge. I don’t know if it’s a cult or not, but I love it for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

We caught up with Dee to talk about wellness spirals, scammers and The Grinch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Congrats on everything: <\/strong>Apple Cider Vinegar<\/em><\/strong><\/em>, and I saw you also had a film premiere at South by Southwest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I dida tiny little movie. It’s so cool that it made it there. I mean, I do everything with no expectations.<\/p>\n

How has the reception been for <\/strong>Apple Cider Vinegar<\/em><\/strong><\/em> so far? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I honestly feel I’ve not had a show be received quite in the way that I have experienced Apple Cider Vinegar<\/em><\/em> being received. Never so many text messages, where I think people feel really personally connected to the story, because it’s this collective experience that we’re having of feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information exposed to us now. And it’s a small story, but it speaks to something that’s much bigger.<\/p>\n

What drew you to the project? How did you first react to the Belle Gibson story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’d heard about it when it was happening, but I was filming in Montreal at the time \u2014 I was doing The Bold Type <\/em><\/em>\u2014 so I wasn’t at home and wasn’t totally exposed to the scope of the whole thing. I was only a little bit aware of it. Reading the script and getting this project was when I started to go down the rabbit hole of what really happened. As much as our story takes a lot of creative liberties and is its own kind of beast, it’s still so wild to me that these things happen \u2014 not just in this particular case, but scammer stories are kind of rampant.<\/p>\n

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I worry about scammers for my parents in particular. Older people are adapting to tech, but they’re prone to scams. My dad will come to me with stuff and I’m like, “Oh my God, this is a scam. You have to stop.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

My mom sends me memes now. She knows what a meme is. God, be careful out there. You’re so right. It’s hard \u2014 no matter who you are \u2014 to use your critical thinking and say what is real and what isn’t. The hopeful part of the show to me is that it shows we are hopeful as a collective, as a society. We want to believe that someone really can cure their brain cancer with positive thinking and their diet.<\/p>\n

It’s an interesting study on the human psyche. What kind of research or headspace did you get into to play this role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My role in particular was an amalgamation of a few different people from that specific time. So for me, it was more about getting into the headspace I was already in, which is this frustration \u2014 feeling confused and overwhelmed trying to advocate for yourself in the medical space. I feel blessed to have Chanelle as a character. At times she’s the voice of the audience, or she represents a lot of the feelings I had just learning about the story. It’s an easy way in to acknowledge how I, Aisha, was feeling and take some creative liberties to create this other character.<\/p>\n

Have you ever fallen down a wellness rabbit hole yourself? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Every day. It’s hard.<\/p>\n

Especially in LA. I feel like it’s more so in LA than New York.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wellness culture is very alive and well here. I personally struggle with painful periods, and my cycle is something I spend a lot of brain energy trying to figure out and hack. Every time I’m on Instagram, there’s some infographic about endometriosis or how to cure this \u2014 like “10 foods to avoid” followed by “10 foods to eat” and it’s the same 10 foods. So which one of these should I believe? It’s hard. I’ve definitely tried them all. For a while I was dunking my face in ice water. I do love a cold plunge. I don’t know if it’s a cult or not, but I love it for now. I think if something makes you feel good, then go with it. If positive thinking and manifesting makes you feel good, then it works.<\/p>\n

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I’m a sauna-steam room person myself. That’s my vibe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yeah. LA has the best spas.<\/p>\n

What’s it called? Wi Spa?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wi Spa! I love Wi Spa. And there’s Olympic Spa, I think it’s called. That’s another really good one. I’m staunch for those day spas. I don’t know if the Jade Room that’s got jade in the walls is really doing what they say it is, but if your nervous system is calm, you’re doing something right.<\/p>\n

You’ve been in multiple roles, on TV and in films. As someone who’s been in the public eye for years, what are the lines you’ve drawn around sharing your life, or choosing not to, on social media?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a pretty private person by nature, but I’m also an old lady and I don’t know how to use my phone that well. So it’s not so much a conscious choice for me to not share as much as it is that I don’t really know how to make a Reel. Even if I wanted to share, I’m not sure I have the tools to do it. I do have a 16-year-old sister who lets me know what the kids are doing. But there’s value to sharing your story. As much as there’s this overload of information and at times I feel overwhelmed, there are also times when I’ve read a story about someone struggling with the same things I do, and it brings me comfort. That’s the bright spot. That’s the part of online culture that can be really beautiful.<\/p>\n

Do you have a dream or fantasy role? An archetype you haven’t touched yet that you’d want to do next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh boy. There are so many things I’d love to do. Lately, I’ve been going back and watching all of my favorite blaxploitation movies \u2014 Coffy<\/em><\/em>, Cleopatra Jones<\/em><\/em>, Shaft<\/em><\/em>. I honestly have this fantasy that one day I’ll get to do an action movie where I get to be a badass, wear jeans or something like that.<\/p>\n

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What’s your favorite movie of all time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s a tie between Coffy<\/em><\/em> and The Grinch<\/em><\/em> \u2014 the Jim Carrey Grinch<\/em><\/em>. I know they’re completely different, but they really are my favorite movies. Subconsciously, I think I’ve modeled my whole personality off both. I don’t know what that says about me.<\/p>\n

That makes sense. I could see it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like to stay inside like the Grinch. Coffy<\/em><\/em> is more aspirational. I hope to be as brave as Pam Grier in Coffy<\/em><\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you were to start your own wellness brand tomorrow, what would you launch? Any product ideas?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know I’m not alone in this, but I’ve been in my matcha bag lately. I used to drink so much coffee on set \u2014 like 10 coffees a day \u2014 and then three matchas. I don’t know if we need another matcha brand, but I\u2019d probably launch my own matcha.<\/p>\n

I never got into matcha. I drink so much coffee.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You gotta get into it. It\u2019s changed the way I move on set. I\u2019m able to stay present and not go through the highs and crashes of coffee.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s time to make the switch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honestly, making it is calming. Just the process of getting my little bowl and making matcha \u2014 it\u2019s become a ritual.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most surreal moment you\u2019ve had in your career recently? Any starstruck moments?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just the fact that I get to do this for a living is still so wild. I’ve been blessed to play make believe and call it work. Most recently, the premiere of Apple Cider<\/em><\/em> in Australia felt really special. I’ve lived in the States for a long time, over a decade, so it was special to go home and have a premiere there. My mom, grandma, and little sister all flew to Sydney. That was the most surreal moment. I got to share it with them, which I never get to do. I don’t know if they’ll hate me for saying this, but they were the first ones to arrive at the premiere. My mom, grandma, and little sister. I just think that’s so fucking cute.<\/p>\n

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Photography: Jo\u00eblle Parisotto<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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