Valerie Bertinelli is taking a huge — but scary — career step.
Bertinelli, 65, revealed via Instagram on June 9 that she’s returning to acting in an upcoming Lifetime project. While the Food Network star didn’t share details about the project, she did admit that she’s “so grateful, if not a bit anxious.”
“It’s an amazing script written by an amazing writer, and the cast is beyond my wildest dreams,” Bertinelli added.
Bertinelli teased that she would have “a beautiful role where I must break down all my barriers, shut out the outside noise and be openly vulnerable. It’s the only way to let the real, authentic emotions flow.”
“I knew I was feeling a little fear. It’s been a while. I haven’t acted in a single-camera for at least 4 years? But, I didn’t realize how really terrified I was until I looked at these selfies that I took to send to production,” she continued, referring to the two selfies included in the post. “I thought I was doing a pretty decent job of walking and talking through the fear and anxiety, but my eyes never ever lie. ???? You can see the fear and doubt in them.”
Despite her anxiety, Bertinelli said she knew this was her “process” and that everything would turn out “fine.”
“I’ve been doing this for over 50 years, (it’s like riding a bike, right?), but I just love this script so much and I wanna do it justice. There’s always that thought that I’m gonna be the one that f***s up the whole project, right?” she added.
Bertinelli became an icon in the ’70s when she was just a teenager, thanks to her role as Barbara Cooper Royer in the sitcom One Day at a Time. She later became known for starring as Melanie Hope Moretti in Hot in Cleveland, which aired on TV Land from 2010 to 2015.
Bertinelli concluded, “So, feel the fear and do it anyway. Transfer the fear and anxiety into joy and excitement. They’re the same sort of feelings, just on a different spectrum. Gah! Verbal vomiting…???? Anyway, these are my thoughts on a manic Monday. ????How’s your Monday going?”
Fans and friends offered encouragement to Bertinelli in the comments section.
“You got this!!!!! Like riding a bike,” professional chef Sunny Anderson wrote.
“You got this!????” singer Martina McBride echoed.
A fan added, “I always face these types of fears reminding myself that I need to do what scares me to help push myself beyond my own boundaries. You’ll do great. Excited for you and us, later. Miss your cooking show so F’ing much.”
Bertinelli shared a follow-up post on Monday, June 16, tagging her location as Vancouver, British Columbia, as she shared a selfie from her bed and a video talking about the way the sun poured in through her window.
“It’s the small things that can always make me happy and grateful. Dancing sunlight streaming through a window in the morning? Happy,” she wrote. “4:18a call-time tomorrow morning? Maybe not happy per se, but I’m so grateful to be working. ????.”
Bertinelli concluded, “What’s something small that makes you happy and/or grateful?”
