It’s no secret that Bellamy Young’s onscreen characters have questionable taste in men.
Case in point: the hit ABC show “Scandal,” on which she portrayed Mellie Grant, the wife of an adulterous president. And, now, in the FOX thriller “Prodigal Son,” her onscreen persona, Jessica Whitly, is the ex-wife of a serial killer. In both cases, Young’s characters would’ve been smart to swipe left.
Of course, in doing so, viewers would’ve missed out on the sensitivity and rawness she brings to her work. Originally slated to appear in only three episodes of “Scandal,” Young’s scene-stealing portrayal of Mellie led to her becoming a regular on the series, which ran from 2012 to 2018. She finished the show’s seventh and final season with a new love interest – and as president of the United States.
Offscreen, Young is also living her best life. In February, she celebrated her 50th birthday, and she’s been happily dating percussionist Pedro Segundo for the past two and a half years.
“Pedro and I bought a keyboard for my New York apartment, and we enjoy playing music, singing songs and posting silly videos on Instagram,” she says with a laugh.
After living in Los Angeles for the past 18 years, Young is happy to be back in New York City, where “Prodigal Son” is filmed. Although she loves California, she says the move was something of a homecoming.
“I grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and, after graduating from Yale, I moved to New York City,” she says. “For over a decade, I lived in New York and performed in touring shows, including ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ and ‘My Fair Lady,’ and on Broadway in ‘The Life.’”
As a child, Young loved to sing and perform in school productions. Although she began attending Yale as a physics major, she soon found her calling while performing in a university acapella group. Convinced that acting and singing were her true calling, she graduated from Yale with a double major in English and theater.
Although she co-starred on shows like “Criminal Minds,” “Scrubs” and “The Mentalist” before “Scandal,” the ABC series changed her life – onscreen and off.
“The cast of ‘Scandal’ is like family,” says Young, who still sees co-stars Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Scott Foley and program creator Shonda Rimes often. “Our friendships will last forever.”
But she hasn’t given up on her other passion: singing. In 2015, she recorded her debut album, “Far Away So Close,” a collection of songs inspired by growing up in North Carolina. Later that year, she performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and his family for the National Christmas Tree Lighting telecast.
Paying It Forward
When she’s not in front of the camera, Young believes in putting the focus on others. She regularly uses her platform as an actress to shine a light on charitable organizations such as CARE, a global nonprofit aimed at achieving social justice through female empowerment.
“As an Ambassador with CARE, I traveled to Rwanda for five days last year,” she says. “CARE transforms lives by helping women and girls learn new skills, which lead to financial freedom, personal confidence and gender equality.”
Young met with students at CARE’s Safe School for Girls, where they learn gender justice and family planning, and women involved with the nonprofit’s Village Savings and Loan program.
“I met a woman named Brigitte, who, in five years, has gone from no access to money or having a voice in her own home to owning 1,000 chickens who produce 850 eggs a day, plus running a vegetable farm with three employees,” she says. “I also spoke with a couple that went through CARE’s Journeys of Transformation domestic violence program, who moved their marriage from violence to a true partnership.”
Plus, Young endowed a scholarship at her alma mater, Yale, to give back to students.
“I received a scholarship due to financial need and wanted to pay it forward,” she says.
When asked what life lessons she’d pass on to the next generation in a Reuters interview about her scholarship, she didn’t mince words.
“Love is the most important thing. Be kind. Be wise. And don’t believe all the noise out there – truth comes from your heart.”
She also believes in paying it forward when it comes to rescue animals: Young has long fostered dogs and cats from high-kill animal shelters and helped them find forever homes.
“It’s such an incredible feeling to help an animal find their person,” she says. “I always encourage people to adopt a shelter animal rather than buy an animal. My own pets have made the sad times happier and have taught me so much about unconditional love.”
Not surprisingly, several shelter pets have also found their way into Young’s home. In 2009, she rescued a Chihuahua mix named Bean from a shelter in Southern California. Although she intended to give the pup to her mom, Jane, in North Carolina, Young fell in love. Upon meeting Bean, even her mom agreed that she was the perfect canine companion for her daughter.
“Bean lived in Los Angeles with me and my cats, Button, Sadie and Max,” Young says. “She moved with me to New York and enjoyed her last year there before losing her fight against heart failure last August.”
She waited several months before considering adopting another rescue dog. Then, she found Razor, a merle Pomeranian, on Petfinder.
“Razor was rescued from a hoarding situation in Connecticut,” she says. “He’s a total love bug and has accompanied me to the studio when we film ‘Prodigal Son.’”
Knowing she can’t rescue all the animals she’d like to, Young also supports several animal rescue organizations, including Operation Blankets of Love, a California nonprofit that provides food, blankets and supplies to shelter animals.
Her commitment to animals also inspired her to adopt a vegan lifestyle in 1986 while in college, which she maintains to this day. Even the fried chicken Mellie enjoyed eating on “Scandal” was actually vegan, she says.
“I’ve found it’s easy to enjoy delicious vegan meals on a daily basis in both New York and California.”
Taking Care
Self-care is a priority for the actress: Having suffered from migraines since she was a teen, Young knows that stress and a lack of sleep can trigger them.
“I meditate every night before I go to bed,” Young says. “Meditation has become an important part of my life.”
In addition, she religiously takes her migraine medication and avoids her personal triggers, like red wine.
By talking openly about her struggles, Young hopes to help remove the stigma that surrounds migraines.
“So often, migraines are dismissed as ‘just headaches’ or a ‘female thing,’ but the reality is more than 38 million people have migraine disease,” she says. “As a teen with migraines, I suffered in silence, and I encourage others to be proactive and talk to their doctor to find relief.”
She also believes in getting regular exercise and often walks six miles a day.
“I use a fitness app and work to get at least 10,000 steps a day,” Young says. “That’s easy to do in New York since I can walk almost everywhere. Walking helps me clear my head while also giving me a good workout.”
So, is the actress thinking about retirement to help lower her stress levels? Just the opposite, she told Reuters.
“Not having a job is the most stressful thing of all. ... I can’t imagine life without work, so retirement is a four-letter word for me.” O
Photos by Leo Deveney, "Scandal" photo by Richard Cartwright/ABC