Pasadena Magazine

Sophia Bush The former Rose Queen and star of the NBC drama Chicago PD is leading a new generation of actress/activists ˜ SOPHIA BUSH IS SOMETHING RARE IN HOLLYWOOD: A YOUNG CELEBRITY KNOWN AS MUCH FOR HER ACTIVISM AS FOR HER ACTING. THE FORMER ROSE QUEEN AND STAR OF THE NBC DRAMA CHICAGO PD SPOKE TO MATTHEW FLEISCHER ABOUT HER CAREER ON SCREEN AND HER PASSION TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. Most of the great philanthropists and activists in Hollywood tend to be older and more established. How did you get so involved in activism at such a young age and such an early stage in your career? Isn't that a bit risky? I suppose it could be considered risky. I just consider it honest. We live in an era where we are more connected, more aware of what's around us. So we have even more responsibility to take whatever action we can. The old model of getting as successful as you can and then, as a hobby, trying to change the world, is dying. If you can help in any way, then it's about damn time to do something. I think young people especially are hungry for inspiration and they want to change the world. They're not saying 'let's feel good about ourselves when we're 50,' they want to do something now. The truth is we don't do enough. Crowdsourcing makes it possible to raise huge amounts of money. The majority of money for the causes matter to me come from micro-donations. It's not from wealthy investors. It's from young people with fi ve or ten bucks to spare. It's incredible. How did you fi nd the call of service? It's different for everyone. I'm lucky my family raised me with a great set of ethics. They're really cool people. But I came to a lot of the causes I support on my own, just being curious and wanting to know people's stories. How and where they live and why they do what they do. I found that we all have the same core goals for ourselves and for our children. Everyone should have the same basic human rights. This generation now has the opportunity to shine a light on issues that a generation ago may not have ever been broadcast. You were on board very early with Do Something, which is an organizing attempting to get 25-and- unders involved in activism. Can you tell us about the organization and your work there? Do Something is one of my favorites. We see eye to eye on the fact that you don't have to pick just one issue to get involved with. Everything is connected. When you have a large audi- ence, people can pick what they're passionate about and start their own movement—they can breathe their own fi re. Some people are motivated by the effort to fi ght cancer, others by environmental issues. So we're constantly creating ways to get the word out and offer up a variety of causes for young kids to learn about. The goal is for them to fi gure out what resonates and then go for it. We want them to know 'you are your own revolution.' What's the best way for the average person to get involved and make a difference? Figure out what inspires you or makes you angry. Figure out a way to get involved in your community. Online tools make it very easy to share that passion with your family and friends. The fact of the matter is you won't be able to inspire every person. So focus on one. Help that one person inspire, then they can inspire one person. Before you know it, all these people are focused on giving a portion of their lives to making the world a better place. If you do that, you get so much more in return. Giving is a gift to the giver. And I think that's why we do see so many young kids getting more involved these days. They're fi nding their fulfi llment. Reality TV, who's driving what car, none of that matters. They're getting involved so much earlier and it's incredible to see. Chicago PD just got the green light for a second season after adding two extra episodes for its freshman season. That's got to feel good. How has the show been treating you thus far? It's incredible. It's the best job I've ever had—and I've had some good ones. It's wonderfully fulfi lling, and apropos, given that I spend my free time dedicating my days to the realm of social justice. It's hard. It's grueling. It can be crazy. But it can be so much fun. And we have a two-part crossover with Chicago Fire coming up that I think will shock a lot of people. I'm excited for people to see it. You're a Pasadena native and were the Rose Queen back in 1999. What did you take away from that experience? Obviously, being a woman, issues surrounding women have always been close to my heart. I went to West Ridge, which is an all girls' school in Pasadena. So, with the Rose Bowl and the wonderful women involved in the Tournament of Roses, that was an incredibly empowering space to grow up in—to be surrounded by such a strong community of women. It reinforced my advocacy for women more than anything. A lot of people watch the parade on TV and that's all they know. But for me the highlight of working with the Tournament was kicking off 250 charitable initiatives that year. We worked with everyone from the Salvation Army to various childrens' organizations. I really saw how the notion of giving back, and the dedication that effort entails, has changed our community for the better. That's the stuff people don't read about, I think, but it's what stuck with me most. 128 MAY/JUNE 2014 TALK the talk_MJ14.indd 128 4/24/14 11:04 AM

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