  Abby Donnelly 14-year old starlet dishes exclusively with We Blab Magazine, about her Amazon hit series "Just Add Magic", and doing a "mix and match" audition for the pilot. Also Abby talks about her on-set chemistry with co-stars Olivia Sanabia, and Aubrey K. Miller. You have some great IMDb credits and are now starring in Amazon’s big hit, “Just Add Magic.” How did you get started acting? When I was 9, I signed up for a musical theater summer camp with a friend. We learned all the lines, all the songs, and all the dances in eight days. On the ninth day we performed it with costumes and everything! I loved performing so much that I joined the drama club at my school. I had a friend at school who was acting in TV and film and I thought it might be really fun to try doing that too! So I joined a scene study class and that's where I was introduced to my manager, Sheila Russo/SR Talent Management and she help me get an agent for television and film and one for commercials as well! That is how I got started! Congratulations on the success of “Just Add Magic,” an Amazon Studios series based on Cindy Callahan’s book. What did you do to prepare for the role and can you take us through the audition process? Thank you! I love working on Just Add Magic! It's a really fun show to be on and I'm very proud of it! Not all shows have something for everyone in the family but, Just Add Magic does! I was really excited when I got the audition for the pilot! It seemed like a character that fit me perfectly! I love food and love to eat and the idea of magic made it seem even more fun! I went in for the initial audition and then I was so happy because I got a call back the next week! And after the call back I got called in to do a "mix-and-match" where they had me do some scenes from the pilot with other girls that we're up for the parts to play Kelly and Hannah. I went in about five different times with different girls but, the first and the last time I went in I was with Olivia and Aubrey! I had so much fun at the mix-and-match! Later that night I found out I got the Pilot and that Olivia and Aubrey did too! I was crying I was so happy! It's kind of funny but, when Olivia, Aubrey and I are together we just kind of turn into Kelly, Darbie and Hannah! "Just Add Magic”, is a fun mix between cooking and magic. If you, in real life found magical cookbook would you try the recipes, or avoid it at all costs, and why? At first I would be hesitant because why is a magic cookbook in my house? And then I'd probably try one of the recipes to see what would happen! Why waste the opportunity to do magic when a magic cookbook is sitting right in front of you! I hear you go to public school during the year calendar year. How do you juggle that with your acting responsibilities? The school I go to is very supportive in my acting career! And so are all of my teachers! When I'm working and on set every day, I can look at my assignments for each class online. Each teacher has their own portal and will post when assignments are due and when I will have a test. It's kind of like homeschooling but not. When I'm not working I go to school just like everyone else. If I have an audition I can leave school early but, I always make sure to get my homework done and study for all my tests!  Just Add Magic set a record as the most successful Amazon Original Kids premiere. Actress Jessica Biel hosted a season 2 premiere party at her restaurant Au Fudge Los Angeles. Tell us about your character in “Just Add Magic,” Darbie O’Brien. How are you similar/different to Darbie? When I first read the script I really liked the character of Darbie O'Brien because I felt like I really related to her. We have a similar sense of humor and we both really love hanging out with our best friends! Although we have a lot in common (like our love of trying new food), Darbie is definitely more adventurous than I am. I definitely have become more outgoing playing her. Darbie also has a really cool sense of style! I'm working on that! You are in Shakespeare troupe. Do you prefer the comedies, tragedies, or histories? I prefer comedies to watch and to act in. It is really fun to re create what comedy was like in Shakespeare's time period. I also like tragedies because it is interesting exploring the character's thoughts and motives! In 2012, you had a scene in American Horror Story in the “I AM Anne Frank: Part 2” episode as Peggy Cartwright. Were you screaming towards a green screen or did they provide another stimulus for your well-done screaming scene? Originally, they were going to have a green screen because the producers were worried that we (all the kids) were going to get scared. Instead, they let us all meet the actress who played Shelley who was turning into some kind of monster. When I met her she took out her false teeth to show me that she actually had real teeth behind these rotting ones! They asked me if I knew why she had green socks on and I thought it was because she needed to have amputated legs in the scene and I was right! They put the green socks on her so they could take them out with CGI it was really interesting! What advice would you give teens looking to break into acting? If you really feel passionate about it, I would start in either a summer acting camp or in school plays! It is always a fun way to see if acting is really your passion! Watch full episodes of Just Add Magic now streaming now on Amazon Prime.
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 By: Daniel Hoyos | PHOTOS COURTESY April Mills, Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock.com - Los Angeles, California  14 year-old teen sensation Thomas Barbusca gives us the inside scoop on Fox's "The Mick", and getting into a physical on-set fight with co-star Sofia Black-D'Elia. Also Thomas shares his memories playing Drew in American Wet Hot Summer: First Day of Camp. Congratulations we just got the news Fox's "The Mick", will be renewed for season two. Can you tell us about the audition process for the role Chip Pemberton? I had just got back from filming the movie Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life in Atlanta and got a bunch of scripts and auditions. The Mick was one of them. The script was super funny and I ended up getting an offer for it. "The Mick" is a fantastic hilarious sitcom about Mickey, a not so bright aunt who is forced to take care of her sister's three kids that live in a mansion. Can you explain to us what kind of character Chip is? Chip is super entitled and spoiled. Money is no object and he thinks he can buy his way into any situation. At 14-years-old you've already starred in the film "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life." What was it like shoot the film with Griffin Gluck? He's my best friend I had the best time filming with him.  Thomas Barbusca plays Chip Pemberton in Fox's "The Mick". The story of a hard-living aunt who is forced to take care of her wealthy sister's spoiled kids. One of my favorite scenes in "The Mick", is when Chip and Sabrina get into a physical fight over their parents' bedroom. Do you have any favorite on-set stories shooting with Sofia Black-D 'Elia? That was probably my most favorite episode to shoot with Sofia. We were doing a lot of the stunts and having fun with it. I think we definitely had some bruises after that episode. She's just so cool and we get along so well. Just like my real sister. Actors tend to get overwhelmed when seeking out representation. How did you find the right agent? My mom found us the right team early on. My advice is just find a team that fits and that has your best interest. You also played Drew in "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp". What was your favorite memory of Wet Hot American Summer? So many! Paul Rudd being super nice when we first met. David Wain was awesome and I got to work with him again on Another Period. I had the most fun on that set and ended up staying friends with all the kids on the show. It was like being at summer camp with my best friends.  "The Mick", also stars Sofia Black-D'Elia as the stuck-up older sister Sabrina Pemberton, and Kaitlin Olson as lazy aunt Mackenzie Murphy. Chip is not your average middle child. He's mischievous, a little high class, and enjoys tormenting his little brother Ben. How much can you relate to the character? I'm pretty opposite of Chip. I don't have a little brother, I have an older sister who I probably torment a little. Since the first season of "The Mick", recently wrapped earlier this year. Can you tell us what you like to do for fun outside of acting? I love basketball and going to games, skateboarding, spending time with family and friends is most important. Watch full episodes of The Mick on fox.com. The Mick was recently renewed for a second season by Fox Television.   African American actor Echo Kellum chats exclusively with We Blab about his role on the hit CW show Arrow, and doing justice for the LGBT community. Also Echo share his memories working with young rising star Sami Isler on NBC's Sean Saves the World. You grew-up in Chicago Illinois, and moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to pursue acting. How did you first get started in the business? I was in the commercial realm and theater realm in Chicago and when I moved out to LA I really dived head-first into improv. Improv was something that blew me away and I fell head-first for it. It taught me that I wasn't just an actor, but a writer and director and that I had all these intricate parts to my art. I was so grateful for that and it's something that I really credit to an enlightening, or awakening, in my career. During your lush career you've been cast in roles including Arrow, and Comedy Bang-Bang. Which do you find more challenging: Comedic or dramatic roles? They both have their own unique challenging aspects to them. I think I would just say dramatic roles, only in terms of television, just because you shoot longer. Your days are usually longer and it's a more time consuming process. But when you do comedy, there's the pressure of actually being hilarious and funny, and delivering on lines with great timing and whatnot. In drama, you just really have to hone in on what's happening around you and touch deep with some emotions while 25 people are watching you and setting up the shot. So they both have their own difficulties. You actually play the first openly gay superhero character on television. Do you feel any pressure to do that role justice for the LGBT community? My entire life has been heavily influenced by LGBT members of my family and my friends, so I feel an obligation to play this character in a non-stereotypical way. People in the LGBT community have lots of different layers and they are all kinds of different people, so I definitely feel like I have to do it justice in that way of letting him be a human who isn't defined by his sexuality. He's a person first — none of us live our lives strictly through our sexuality — so I think it's important to play him as real as possible and not put any flourishes or anything like that on him and just let him be as realistic as we all are, because that's what people in the LGBT community are: they are all of us. They are your friends, sisters, moms, cousins, nephews. It's great that we have more characters like that on television and we haven't made it to the promised land yet, we're not all the way there, but it's great that we're making progress. We often talk with up-coming actors who are interested in breaking into the business. What advice would you give aspiring actors/entertainers? To never give up. You don't know when your time is going to come, you don't know what audition is going to change your life. Never give up. Continue with the craft, and if you do, they will find you. You might not make Will Smith's $20 million a film, but you can definitely find a place in this industry where you can do what you love and still live in a safe environment — a house or apartment — and just do what you love. So never give up.  Echo Kellum stars as Curtis Holt/Mr. Terrific in CW's Arrow based off the DC Comic Book. Congratulations on the recent Netflix film "Girlfriend's Day" starring Bob Odenkirk. Can you tell us about your role as Madsen? Madsen's a beat poet who really tries to help Bob Odenkirk's character get back into the field after his divorce and losing his job. He's there for support, he works with Bob's character, but he's really into beat poetry and being there for his friends. In 2013 you co-starred in the NBC sitcom "Sean Saves the World", with one of our favorite actresses Sami Isler. Do you have any favorite memories of working with Sami on set? Oh man, I really do and I've been thinking about this a lot recently. Thomas Lennon had a Tesla and I fell in love with Tesla. I want a Tesla one day! Sami was so cool... on my birthday she came up with a toy car Tesla that had my name on it and I was like "oh my gosh, this is the best!". I'm so proud to see her career blossoming and blooming, and seeing that she's getting recognition. She's definitely someone that I knew back then was going to be a star one day — and she was a star then — just that there are more and more people being able to take in her talent... I'm just so happy for her. She's such a great young lady. Actors tend to get overwhelmed when seeking out representation. How did you find the right agent? I did one of those casting workshops where you can meet a lot of agents. It was just by happenstance. I went in once and did a monologue about Katrina, and then this agent saw that I had comedy experience and said he loved my monologue! He came to see my show at UCB; he thought I had some talent and so I signed with him and was with him for about 6 years. |
