Modesto actress Lindsay Pearce on the road back to TV

Modesto-raised actress Lindsay Pearce has found a new road back to television.

The former “Glee Project” runner-up and “Glee” guest star will debut in the new Freeform (formerly ABC Family) show “Recovery Road” on Monday. The dramatic series follows a high school student named Maddie (played by U.K. actress Jessica Sula) who is pushed into rehab after her partying spirals out of control. Pearce has a recurring role as Rebecca, another student in the rehab program, who was best friends with Maddie but with whom she has since had a falling out.

The Modesto native describes her role of Rebecca as more than just a frenemy for Maddie. Pearce will appear in seven of the show’s 10 first-season episodes.

“I saw the opportunity to play her less as the villain and more vulnerable,” Pearce said from Los Angeles, where she has lived since 2011. “In a way, she is an anti-hero, she’s a bit of an underdog. The show is full of underdogs. When I first read Rebecca, there was just something about her I knew. Not necessarily the addiction, but I understood where she was coming from.”

She landed the role last February and began filming in April in Santa Clarita, just north of Los Angeles. The season shoot wrapped in September. This is her first recurring TV role since “Glee,” where she appeared as rival show choir student Harmony in two episodes of the hit show in 2011. She since has had spots on shows such as “Drop Dead Diva” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Pearce, who attended Modesto Christian and Valley Charter schools, said it was exciting to be part of a show from the start. When she was on “Glee,” she appeared in its third season and came in briefly to work with an already-established cast. But being in this show is more immersive.

“Being a part of something from the first episode is different. There’s such a sense of camaraderie and being a part of a family. There are so many amazing things you learn every day,” she said. “Having the chance to be there and work more regularly in front of the camera, I found out a lot of my strengths and found out a lot of weaknesses. It’s kind of like exercise, you learn a new yoga pose every day. I can almost cry on command now.”

Pearce initially auditioned two years ago for the role of Maddie but did not get the part. Then, about a year ago, she was asked to audition for Rebecca and remembers connecting deeply with the character.

“I’ve never wanted a part as much as I wanted Rebecca. I felt like she was mine. (After the audition) I waited by the phone for two weeks like an idiot,” she said.

Then she left for a trip to Las Vegas with a friend and got the call while on the floor of the Luxor Casino. She thought she was going to be called back for more testing but instead was told she had landed the part.

“I sat down in the middle of the casino and cried with a beer in my hand,” she said. “It was really funny. I remember thinking, ‘Here I am on the floor of a casino holding a beer about to shoot a show about recovery.’ ”

“Recovery Road” is based on the young-adult novel by the same name from Blake Nelson. To prepare, Pearce read the book, twice, and binge-watched episodes of “Intervention” on Netflix. She said the show’s topics of substance abuse and rehabilitation are important and interesting ones for people to see.

“I think (viewers) are going to get a really nice look into not just the addicts’ recovery, but how it affects the families around them,” she said. “It’s also a great opportunity if families watch together, afterward they can turn the TV off and say, ‘What did you feel about that?’ ‘What would you do in that situation?’ ‘Anything you want to talk about?’ ”

The first three episodes of “Recovery Road” are available to view for free on freeform.go.com. Rebecca’s backstory is featured heavily in the second episode, called “The Art of the Deal,” and explores what broke up her friendship with Maddie.

“We see a lot of confrontation between the two of them in the second episode. They’re mad at each other, but there’s been no true moment of coming to terms between them yet. Now they’re stuck in a place of healing and recovery and dealing with difficult issues. Their humanity really shows through; I think they still really love each other. The friendship isn’t gone, but there are wounds that need to be healed.”

The Boston Globe called the show “earnest and well intentioned” and “not a cynical venture.”

Pearce said she plans to watch the “Recovery Road” premiere with fellow cast members Monday. The series also stars Daniel Franzese (from “Mean Girls” and HBO’s “Looking”), Sebastian de Souza (from “Skins” and “The Borgias”) and Kyla Pratt (from the “Dr. Doolittle” film franchise).

Besides her TV work, Pearce is working on her first writing project. The singer and actress is penning a tribute show to Florence and the Machine’s third album, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” with a friend. She hopes to have the production ready by the end of the year. She also continues to appear in stage productions in the Los Angeles area.

For now, she is excited for people to get a glimpse of the new series.

“I think our show has something for everyone. It’s really neat,” she said. “It is assuming the audience is extremely intelligent and ready for the meaty stuff.”

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Modesto actress Lindsay Pearce on the road back to TV."