Kelsea Ballerini Shares How Boyfriend Chase Stokes Supported Her in Acting Debut on Doctor Odyssey (Exclusive)

Kelsea Ballerini was in good hands as she made her acting debut on Doctor Odyssey.

The country singer, 31, appears briefly in Joshua Jackson's new medical drama, and she tells PEOPLE that she "definitely was nervous" ahead of the role. Fortunately, her boyfriend Chase Stokes was readily available to ease her nerves.

"I've always called acting his world, and so whenever I was asking him questions about this opportunity, I was like, 'What about this in your world?' And he was like, 'Hey, it's just a world. I'm a part of it and now you're a part of it. It's not my world,'" she says at the Doctor Odyssey L.A. premiere on Sept. 18.

Stokes, 30, was not only able to ease her mind, but he even helped her prep her lines. "By the end of the conversation, I was like, 'Okay, so you'll run the scene with me?' And he was like, 'Yeah, let's do it,'" she said.

The ABC medical drama marks Ballerini's "first time ever trying the acting hat on," so she was admittedly "timid," but she says "the cast was so warm and welcoming."

"I wasn't reserved on the fact that it was my first time. So I asked a lot of questions and I feel like I learned so much, and I really hope that I did the character and the show proud."

While the role allowed her to take a closer look into what she calls Stokes' "world," fans shouldn't expect the couple to star onscreen together anytime soon.

"We are both workhorses and we're both so passionate about our careers and just telling stories — whether that's through music or through film or TV," the "Penthouse" singer says. "I think that we will always show up for each other and be a part of each other's storytelling. But we'll be in each other's trailers when it happens."

Stokes' staunch support of Ballerini comes as no surprise. The couple — who began dating after Ballerini slid into the Outer Banks star's DMs in December 2022 — have a rule about "never going more than three weeks" without seeing each other, Stokes told PEOPLE for his September digital cover story.

"We don't BS each other. If we need to make the effort to show up when one's across the country, we do it," he said.

"The amount of effort that we put into our careers, we should be doubling that in our personal lives," he added. "It's about really putting in effort, and it's not always easy and it's not always convenient, but having a big, beautiful life didn't come from convenience or ease."

Ballerini is not the only big-name guest star slated to appear on Doctor Odyssey alongside cast members Jackson (who plays the luxury cruise ship's doctor Max), Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale and Don Johnson.

John Stamos, Gina Gershon, Cheyenne Jackson and Chord Overstreet will also appear as guest stars throughout the first season.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Doctor Odyssey premieres Thursday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.