‘Everybody Has to Start Somewhere’ (Exclusive)

Lori Harvey is ready to prove herself as an actress.

In mid-August, Hulu announced the model and entrepreneur is joining upcoming third season of the soapy breakout series Reasonable Doubt. It’s a big step forward in this phase of her career, but Harvey tells PEOPLE she’s ready for it.

In fact, acting isn’t a new interest for Harvey, who shares that she’s been attending acting camps since her pre-teen years. After taking her early and mid 20s to explore the beauty and fashion industries, the 28-year-old made her acting debut last year in Peacock’s buzzy limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.

“I’m just at the part in my life now where I really want to focus on it and take [acting] seriously,” Harvey says.

The star (who’s father happens to be comedian and TV host Steve Harvey) is set to play Chelsea, an unpredictable force with a troubled past that resurfaces to challenge Jax (Emayatzy Corinealdi) in unexpected ways, according to a press release.

It’s a dream role for her after following Reasonable Doubt’s first two seasons closely as a fan. So when the show’s creator Raamla Mohamed was being honored at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood ceremony earlier this year, Harvey made it a point to introduce herself.

“I told her that if she ever had any projects coming up to keep me in mind, and she was like, ‘Hey, okay, cool.’ And then I followed her on Instagram,” Harvey recalls. “And then I DM’ed her and I was like, “Hey, you know, I’m serious. Can we exchange information? I’d love to catch up and get dinner.”

Mohamed was heading to Atlanta and by happenstance, so was Harvey. The two met for dinner and by night’s end, Mohamed was pleasantly surprised by the flow of conversation.

“It’s one of those things where you think you know someone, I was like, ‘I wonder what we’re going to talk about, but okay’. And we just hit it off,” Mohamed tells PEOPLE. “We had so much to talk about. She’s so dedicated to getting back into acting. I was like, ‘Oh, I think she’d be really good [for Chelsea].’”

Harvey then auditioned for the role and after a callback, the gig was hers.

“She put in the work, and you can see it,” Mohamed declares. “I don’t really care what people say now, but I can’t wait for them to be wrong.”

After the news of her casting was announced, fans sounded off on social media and shared their view on a celebrity joining the show.

“I’m a new actress. I think in this day and age of social media, people don’t really understand that everybody has to start somewhere,” Harvey says. “My goal is to take it as far as I can.”

For Harvey, naysayers don’t take up too much space in her mind. In fact, the chatter “fuels” her.

“Honestly, you can’t look at the comments because I feel like they just become a cesspool for negativity,” she adds. “And honestly, I feel like if they’re not talking negatively or talking BS, then I feel like you’re not really doing it. So, it honestly fuels me. It drives me more.”

And Harvey couldn’t be more “excited” to show the audience what she’s made of.

“I feel like [people] think that if you already have a name or a face or whatever, that you immediately have to start at the top or be at the top. That’s not real life,” Harvey says. “So this is my starting point and I’m excited about it. 

The third season of Reasonable Doubt premieres Sept. 18 on Hulu.