On the surface, Caroline Whitford’s childhood was perfect. She lived in a big house that was located in a pristine neighborhood with powerful people surrounding her. Her family ran in an exclusive crowd and they wanted to keep it that way so there was a lot of emphasis put on keeping up appearances and making the right connections. The marriage between her parents, Melanie and Donovan, started off with lust and greed, two traits that would follow them for the rest of their life together. “I have to have her” were the words that first came out of Jordan’s mouth when he saw Melanie at the exclusive dinner party in an upper class Miami hotel. What he wanted, he got, and she would be no exception. The attraction was instant and the rest, as they say, is history. He was a powerful man and she was a beautiful woman who knew when to take an opportunity to boost herself up and together they made quite the power duo when they moved back to Donovan’s lifestyle in Los Angeles.

Some children may have been taught the value of unconditional love, loyalty and friendship but Caroline was taught the value of networking, keeping up with your physical appearance and charming a crowd. This was completely the norm and there was never a moment where she could see otherwise and in that way she has lived a very sheltered life. Her friends group included those she had attended private school with and the kids that lived in her neighbourhood, the vast majority of whom shared the same general focus as she did. They lived their fast lifestyle and didn’t really stop to think about anyone else because they had it good, so why would they? The shield from the rest of the world continued on and Caroline enjoyed all the perks that California had to offer kids who had vast connections. They had the best parties, attended luxurious events, drank the finest liquor and drove cars that those on the street had to look twice at as they breezed by.

Early on, Melanie was interested in her youngest daughter’s career prospects. She had her eye on something in the entertainment industry for her because the extra notoriety that came along with it appealed to her. She had done a few commercials and many editorials and ad campaigns but because she looked at her daughter as a beautiful face with the potential to expand a brand, acting was a prime choice. While her husband was constantly traveling for work, she would bring Caroline to auditions and as a young girl she resisted entirely because she was far too fussy for all of that. It was only when she entered her teen years that the idea appealed to her, when it was on her own terms. At first, similar to her mother, the notion of being in the public eye all on her own terms was what caught her attention. Her father was famous in his own right, her mother had made an amazing name for herself, and she wanted to make something of herself with those flashing lights. The idea of all eyes on her, photos being taken of her, people vying to work and talk to her was all that she could have wanted and more. Her flair for dramatics made it seem like a perfect match, and just like that she had made up her mind and she was ready to start playing the role she believed she could fill incredibly well: that of a leading lady.

The road started out easy, with her mother using her connections to land Caroline’s first big role. It was a similar part to that of what she was used to: a bratty and sassy teenager. She was surrounded by it, so people applauded her efforts but she didn’t really give that role her all. Acting was still something that she wasn’t all that attached to, but it was more of a concept she was interested in. More than acting she enjoyed what surrounded an actresses life and how glamorous it all seemed. That started a pattern. She had the good life when she wasn’t in the acting world, but she now had the good life to a larger extent and it was presented in front of more people and she practically fed off of the attention that she got from it. This was pretty easy, she thought, I could keep up like this.

It was one night on set that really started changing her perspective on acting. Through a conversation with an older actress, she started thinking more about the way people transform themselves when they act. It was easy to play a similar character to those who she was used to and the person she could be from time to time, but in the moments when she wanted to experience other lifestyles all she had to do was immerse herself in a different character. Underneath the perfectly done hair, the makeup, the shining pearly white smile was a girl who, from time to time, just wanted to be a young girl but never knew how. A girl who craved attention from someone who actually wanted to listen to what she had to say as opposed to someone who was only interested in her value to them, a girl who never truly understood real genuine love and what it meant, a girl who put on a smile to mask any sort of discomfort because that was what she was taught. The minute that window was opened and her emotions started flowing, it was possibly both the best and worst thing for her. Something really resonated with her and she tapped into some of the best acting she had done but also tapped in to a very dark emotional state, which is when she started becoming a very fun person in the media. Well, for the bloggers who got to write about her antics, that is.

She was somewhat of a socialite from before but being an actress meant every single move was recorded and judged, and that was not something she was used to. She was a young actress who didn’t see a point in censoring herself which meant there were pictures of her partying while underage, she’d have her dramatic moments recorded to be seen to the public and didn’t hold her tongue if a matter was close to her heart. Some found her refreshing and others found her entitled. It was usually 50/50 on that front, with those who had strong opinions on the subject and the way she tended to handle herself. Rumours started circling, as they always do, but Caroline continues to deal with it as she always does: with a brave face and a fierce attitude. As for how she’s actually feeling on the interior? That remains a mystery, sometimes even to herself.