The former LSU star Olivia Dunne is building hype for her upcoming debut. On Friday, June 5, she welcomed the newest addition, rapper Megan Thee Stallion, to the Baywatch show on Instagram.

Dunne posted a photo featuring herself along with Megan Thee Stallion and two other cast members from the show. In her welcome note, she wrote,

"YUP @BAYWATCHTV JUST GOT EVEN HOTTER."

The post came the same day she filmed the scenes at Long Beach, California. The rapper was seen wearing an orange swimsuit along with the Baywatch cast in iconic red lifeguard dresses. The franchise was seen recreating the iconic slow-motion walk near the shoreline.

Megan will make her guest appearance on the show. It is a 12-episode series slated to release in early 2027. Dunne marks her first official project in Hollywood.

She will play the role of a junior lifeguard, Grace. She will share screen space with Stephen Amell, Thaddeus LaGrone, Shay Mitchell, Jessica Belkin, and Noah Beck.

After a successful collegiate career with the LSU Tigers, Dunne expanded her career into the acting field. However, this has not been an easy journey.

Olivia Dunne Faced Rejection in Auditions

Dunne's journey into Hollywood was not very smooth. She faced challenges initially with auditions. Before she was finalized for Grace's role in Baywatch, she had auditioned for HBO's hit series “White Lotus.”

In the latest episode of “The Tonight Show,” Dunne mentioned the very first audition she took.“

"I was obviously so nervous,” Dunne recalled while giving an audition for White Lotus.

To transition from the gym to the screen was a challenge for Dunne, as she was used to a different environment earlier that required her to show physical agility, and now her main role was expressing emotions.

“It was different, because [for] gymnastics, usually you just go out there and perform on a four-inch beam, but this, I have to talk and perform and play someone else,” she explained.

Dunne also joked about how she would prefer to perform an athletic move rather than read lines in front of directors.

“I would rather have done a backflip in front of the casting director, but I mean, I went there; I put it all out there. It was my first audition,” she explained in April’s Boardroom cover story.

It was her determination that helped her pull an audition later when she submitted a self-tape for the Baywatch role and eventually got selected for the role.

What are your thoughts on Dunne's new journey into Hollywood? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Sebi Mehta

Edited by

Ankita Yadav