Coming out this week (Saturday, September 18th at 8/7c) on Lifetime is Imperfect High, starring Sherri Shepherd and Nia Sioux. The movie depicts the realities of teenage substance abuse and the pressures to fit in.

Imperfect High is the story of Hanna Brooks (Sioux), the new girl in town who is looking to find her place and fit in at Lakewood High School, which was rocked a couple of years earlier by the shocking drug overdose of a popular student. Hanna suffers from an anxiety disorder and the move to a new school is especially stressful for her. While trying to fit in with the “it” crowd, she finds herself pulled between two boys - a bad boy with a heart of gold, and an alluring, popular rich kid who is not as straight of an arrow as he seems. Her relationship with them sweeps her into a dangerous situation that her mother Deborah (Shepherd) must fight to save her from. Ali Skovbye (Firefly Lane) also stars in the movie.

In addition to the movie, Lifetime will promote SAMHSA—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration—on air to provide some valuable resources to those suffering from addiction

Nia Sioux is best known as one of the original cast members of the pop culture phenomenon series Dance Moms where she appeared on nearly 200 episodes of the show.. The film represents a lead role for the 20 year-old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, who is also an singer, author, and podcaster. As an actress, she’s also appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful and The Code.

BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales recently spoke with Sioux on her first of many lead roles.

What led you to take on this project?

Nia Sioux: First of all, doing a Lifetime movie, it's pretty surreal. So being able to do one is literally an honor, but also doing a role that has so much substance. Hannah is a complicated character. I think that, even though she's complicated, a lot of people can relate to her. She struggles with anxiety and trying to find her way in high school. I think that there's so much that kids these days can relate to in that aspect, and then another layer of her is getting addicted to drugs and substance abuse. There's so much that goes on in this movie, and they touched on so many different subjects. It was definitely something that was good for people to see and be aware of.

How would you relate to Hannah?

Nia Sioux: Hannah is a sweet girl. She's honestly like the neighbor next door, and I see myself as the neighbor next door. Hannah also struggles with anxiety and although I don't struggle with anxiety, to the extent that Hannah in the film does, I definitely have struggled with anxiety growing up in the dance world, and being a girl in this world and being in high school. I think that I can relate to her in so many different ways, definitely in that aspect. But also with life in general, I feel like we have a lot in common.

How was working with Sherri Shepherd?

Nia Sioux: Like the best thing ever. Sherry is literally the best person ever. I love working with her. Not only is she great to be around with and hilarious, she has also taught me so much. I'm person but as an actress It was really nice to have someone who is seasoned like her, helping guide me through through filming.

Having been on projects such as The Bold and the Beautiful and other programs, this film has you on top of the call sheet. How did that make you feel?

Nia Sioux: Learning lines and everything on The Bold and the Beautiful definitely helped me so much with that because in a soap opera, you learn lines really fast. Sometimes they're like whole monologues. That definitely prepared me for now. I think something that I had a hard time with, during when I was filming was, whenever I have my scenes with Sherri, I would have to get mean or or rude it to her. That was uncomfortable for me. I don't yell at my mom. I obviously don't want to yell at Sherry Shepherd. But she actually put it in a great way. She explained it in a really great way to me, telling me to look at my character, Hannah. She is a sweet girl. She's like, "you're a sweet girl, but whenever you're on drugs, and you're dealing with stuff, you're not going to act in the way that you normally would." So that helped me a lot with the character and helped me a lot get through those scenes. To just remember, she's right. You're not going to act like yourself. If you're on drugs, you hear it's just going to be different and it's not going be pretty.

What do you hope people get out of seeing this movie?

Nia Sioux: I honestly want people to realize that if they're struggling, whether it was drub abuse or even anxieties, to not be afraid to ask for help. That they're not alone, specially being like a teenager in this day and age. It can be hard sometimes and it can be lonely. I want to encourage young adults to ask for help when needed and to not be afraid or scared to reach out, because a lot of people have gone through what they're going through. There there are people out there that can help.

What else are you looking to do?

Nia Sioux: I like keeping my options open. I love to act. I love to sing. I love to dance. I love activism There's so much. I just love to learn. So there's so much that I want to do and want to accomplish and I have so many goals. So I'm just taking it day by day and just keeping my options really open. I love to try new things.

What did you pick up from doing this film that you can take on your next project?

Nia Sioux: Acting wise, it's hard to pick just one thing. Something that I'll definitely take with me is to the vulnerable aspect. I don't think I've ever been this vulnerable filming anything. So I'm definitely going to take that with me; to really be open and to show all myself, and not be afraid to not be pretty or not be afraid to really get aggressive as I need to or sad or mad or happy. It's not being scared to really go the extra mile and really going for it. This movie definitely pushed me to do that.

When you're not acting, when you're not talking about your previous projects, or when you're not on social media, how do you stay humbled?

Nia Sioux: Well, I have two brothers who are definitely humbled me. So there's that. My family keeps me so grounded. I love going home to Pittsburgh and being with my dog, being with my family. That's what grabs me the most; being around the people that I love. I have a close circle of friends, and I keep them really close because they're my support system.

What was your first impression when you first saw the poster for this movie with you on it?

Nia Sioux: It was honestly hard to believe that it was me on the poster. Again, it's pretty surreal. I would have never imagined this like whenever I was little. I think I think little Nia would be proud.

Where do we see you next after this?

Nia Sioux: I just wrapped up a Facebook Watch show on my Facebook, but also my Instagram is called Dance With Nia. And then I'm also a full time college student. I go to UCLA, so you'll see me on campus. I also have a podcast called Adulting with my friend Teala Dunn.