Drama gives Osment a 'Cyberbully' pulpit

Emily Osment recently spent two months in a constant state of depression, sequestering herself from her friends and family and suffering the exhaustion that comes with feeling the world was out to get her. And she loved every minute of it.

It was all part of her commitment to "Cyberbully," a hard-hitting drama airing on ABC Family Sunday at 8 p.m. Osment plays Taylor Hillridge, an easygoing high schooler who is thrilled when her mom gives her a laptop computer for her birthday. Her joy soon turns to tragedy, however, after Taylor painfully discovers the pitfalls of living online.

A page she sets up on a social media website soon becomes host to vicious rumors and comments about her, driving Taylor to the point where she doesn't know who her real friends are and instilling in her a sense of terror from which there seems no escape.

A DIFFERENT SIDE The role offered the 18-year-old Osment the chance to show a different side to her talents, which largely have been featured in light comedies such as "Hannah Montana" and the "Spy Kids" films.

"I've wanted to do a dramatic role for a long time," says Osment, who added that she was hands-on in all aspects of her character, including altering her lines to make them sound more natural and making sure the wardrobe and hairstyle matched Taylor's growing despair.

"I saw that this was a really good opportunity to show what I've got. I really liked that this is a character that truly takes a journey. She's in a family where the father has left, she doesn't have a great relationship with her mother, a pretty normal relationship with her brother, but she's OK. She takes this amazing journey ... to the lowest of lows that anyone can be. ... I'm so glad I did this. It taught me so much about what I'm capable of."

TAKING A STAND Beyond the professional fulfillment it brought her, Osment also was proud to be part of a project that addressed a tough, all-too-relevant issue. "Cyberbully" is the centerpiece of the "Delete Digital Drama" campaign by ABC Family and Seventeen magazine. In addition to the film, ABC Family is producing several public service announcements featuring stars from the network, while Seventeen magazine is dedicating much of its August issue to stories about cyberbullying and how to combat it.

Osment says that after investing so much of herself in the project, she has found a new cause that will stay with her long after the credits roll.

"It's a really good thing to never stop talking about," she says, "because if you never stop talking about it, you keep bringing attention to it, and you make it a bigger deal. That's what it needs to be. The world needs to know that this is a big deal."