“Avatar” Star Bailey Bass Reveals the One Thing She *Needs* in Her Room — and a Surprising Study Snack!

Going to an Ivy League school like Columbia University is a major accomplishment in itself — now add to that being a professional actor at the same time. That’s exactly what Bailey Bass, a senior at Columbia, has been doing. Between classes and working toward her degree, she’s also starred in movies like Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash, and shows like Interview with the Vampire. 

When I think about living as a movie star and a student at the same time, it all feels very Hannah Montana-coded, precariously balancing normalcy with stardom. Bass’ stardom means spending lots of time on movie and television sets and press tours — but the Brooklyn native was incredibly grounded when I got to talk with her in July on the set of a video shoot for TilePix. (Check out more of her earthy, floral dorm designed by Juan Marquez here.) In this edition of Campus Questions — a series where Dorm Therapy sits down with influential people to learn all about their life at college and beyond — Bass filled me in on everything from her favorite late-night snack (you’ll never guess it, and it’s so good) to the class she would teach (it should probably be part of every school’s core curriculum), and what she’s most looking forward to doing post-graduation. 

Bailey Bass gushes over marshmallows, the color green, and the importance of sleep. 

How would you describe your style in just three words? Lived-in, green, and mid-century modern.

Do you have a favorite shade of green? Yes, I like darker green. My second favorite color is brown, so I want it to feel like I’m in a forest during sunset. 

What is your dorm room essential or nonnegotiable? It would not be my room if I didn’t have — what is it — gingham? I love gingham, but I used to call it like “ginger ham” because I was reading it improperly. I love gingham, so you will find that pattern somewhere in my space. 

If you could teach a class on any subject that you’re an expert in, what would it be? I would teach a class on self-respect. There’s not going to be any test on the syllabus because I don’t think tests are helpful [or] useful — they’re just stressful. There would be an essay. I would have weekly discussion posts of diary entries and then you would have to reply to other people, so you would talk about yourself and your identity. I took a class on identity, and it was interesting to learn how your childhood informs what you think of yourself, but to zone in on self-respect is really important. Because we don’t realize how we react to people, the clothes we wear, the things we listen to, what we’re attracted to — so much of it is centered in our self-respect. 

What’s your go-to late-night study snack? Marshmallows. You’re getting my dirtiest secrets, I feel! I love marshmallows, oh my goodness. My favorite thing is to have Cheerios with marshmallows and milk.

If you were to take a gap year right now, how would you spend it ideally? Working. [Laughs.] Every gap I’ve taken was for work, like the last time was for the Avatar press tour in the fall, which is part of the reason I’m taking summer courses so I can keep up to graduate soon, hopefully. But then again, I love when I leave because I’m performing and creating. I’m really grateful for my program at Columbia; it’s called General Studies, and I’m able to do that: leave and come back anytime. 

Between studying, acting, running various businesses, different activism efforts, you really balance so much. What is your best advice for students looking to do lots of things and maintain balance? My advice would [be to] sleep. … I [used to] overwork myself and burn out. I felt like any creative idea I had, I had to do it right now, immediately, but it will happen, and it does not have to happen right now. And I think we forget how young we are in our 20s and late teens. We have so much time! So please sleep, eat, don’t burn yourself out, because you’re going do it by the time, like, you’re 25. And that’s not worth it. You have your whole life to create, and you will be that changemaker. 

What are you most looking forward to doing when you graduate? I almost said sleep. Other than really resting, I’m looking forward to probably moving back to Brooklyn. I am from there, and I never imagined living in the city — it’s just the commute was so brutal. So I am really looking forward to being an adult in the city, finding my creative community and really leaning into that. So much of my time is spent acting and being in that world, and the activism, which I feel like is the bridge between that and my education, so I don’t have much time to go to a new play that’s popping up or visit a museum that I’m interested in, unless I’m going for work. So I’m really looking forward to … appreciating my hometown and my borough in a different light.

Bailey Bass knows there’s always a secret third option.

Morning person or night person? Neither. I want to be up, like, an afternoon person. 

Text message or voice message? Voice message. 

Make your own coffee or buy it out? Tea. Make your own tea.

Podcast or playlist? Pod … mm … audiobook. 

Study at the library or a coffee shop? Library.

Group project or solo project? Solo project. Because then I’m going to do all the work!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.