What is your favorite part about playing Dawn Buckets?
My favorite part about playing Dawn is probably her personality. I love it. Our writers are phenomenal, they’re so cool. They always give me a really quirky plot line and I just do crazy stuff. There’s one episode in season one that I think already aired where I get to roll in chilli. There’s always things going on for her. She’s just trying to find herself. It’s very fun I think.
I was watching another interview that you did and saw that you have a sister. Is it just the two of you?
I have two brothers and two sisters actually.
That’s so fun! Are you able to draw from your experiences with your siblings when playing Dawn and interacting with Kirby?
Totally, absolutely! The things I do to Kirby are always things I was trying to do to my older sister. I was always trying to bust her and stuff like that. I mean, you pull those things, it’s just fun to play this with my TV brother. I’m the youngest so it’s a total switch. (laughs).
Kirby Buckets is a really funny show. Was comedy something you were always interested in doing or was it a new role for you when you stepped into Dawn?
It was definitely, I have always loved making people laugh. I’ve always been nerdy and quirky since I was little. In the past, most of my roles have always been very serious, so it was very new. Stepping into Dawn was definitely an experience for me. But now that I’ve done it, I really enjoy it! You see the reaction and it’s just amazing. I love making people laugh and entertaining them. Seeing their reactions is a really cool feeling. I love being able to make people laugh!
That’s really fun! I’m glad you get to do it. Congratulations on season 2, by the way! It starts in a couple of weeks.
Oh! Thank you so much!
What can we expect from season 2? How is it different from season 1 or can we expect mostly the same?
Oh it’s very different! (laughs). Dawn is developing, everyone is really changing, you know, we’re all evolving, which is very cool. There’s a lot of new gags in there and there’s some old jokes that play that are really funny. I think they’re funny. I hope people think they’re funny too! I think the guys and the girls, although I think we have mostly a guy audience, but I think they’re really gonna dig it. There’s a lot of gross humor!
I’m sure that’s really fun to play!
Oh yeah! It’s funny, it’s all good. (laughs).
Maybe this will be one of those gross humor moments, but maybe not: What is one of your favorite moments from the set of Kirby Buckets?
It is probably when, and this is gonna air, so I’m allowed to say this, it’s when I get things poured on me. I’m not picking out a certain moment because there have been so many, but there’s always this safety thing so they have to put this tarp down on the floor. I love doing it, it’s just the funniest thing! Everyone is just standing there and then I get something poured on me. And I mean, it’s not just a little, it’s like five buckets at a time. (laughs). It’s stuff like that. Those are my favorite moments, when I can just go all out. I usually have a scene right after! I don’t know, it’s just cool, it’s just crazy!
That’s fun that you’re a good sport about that.
Well, why not, you know?
Oh totally! From what I’ve seen Disney Channel seems kind of like a family. What do you enjoy about being on a Disney Channel show, or Disney XD in your case, in particular?
The family aspect is huge actually. That’s something that I enjoy a lot. I love the fact that we are all so incredibly close, we have such a large amount of respect for each other. Not just on Kirby Buckets, but on other shows on Disney XD and Disney Channel. I mean, we just love each other! My best friend in the entire world is Rowan Blanchard, she’s on Girl Meets World. We’re just, we’re family. We’re so silly with each other, we’re able to talk, and what people say, it’s true. We’re very protective of each other, so that’s very nice, to have each other’s back all the time. It’s cool.
So, if you could play one other character in Kirby Buckets, who would it be?
It would probably be Principal Mitchell because I think he is hilarious. He’s got that wig. He’s so serious all the time. The actor that plays him is Stephen Kearin and he is my life, he’s like my little guru! I love him, I love him so much! So, yeah, oh my gosh, definitely Principal Mitchell!
We have also heard that you are going to be in the upcoming movie The Outfield. Congratulations on that! There isn’t a whole lot of information out about it right now, so what can you tell us about the movie?
I can tell you guys that it’s going to be something different. It’s got a very cool feel to it. My character is a lot like a modern-day Audrey Hepburn almost. She’s very sophisticated and very soft-spoken, but she just has a very cool feel. With Nash and Cameron, you see a side of them on social media and then you see them in this film and it’s completely different. I think that’s amazing. I think people will really like what they did with their characters and with the script. It’s very cool. I’m excited! There are a few crying scenes and then baseball, obviously. (laughs). I think people are going to like it.
It sounds like this character is very different from Dawn. How is she different and what do you like about playing this different kind of character?
Oh, they are completely different people. (laughs). O my gosh! I mean my character on The Outfield, Kelsey, is a sweet angel, and Dawn is like the aunt that would ruin Christmas. She’s like that girl. She’s clumsy, she’s finding herself. Kelsey is older actually, so the age is very different. What I loved is that I can come to work and be silly and then I was able to- and obviously they were not filming at the same time, fortunately- with Kelsey I was very soft-spoken. I would have to listen to music before playing her, it was literally classical music. On Kirby’s set I’m all wacky and sarcastic. And then I go play Kelsey who is very soft. So, I love that! I love that they’re like polar opposites. I absolutely like that a lot.
I was reading that you are 16, is that correct?
Yes, I am.
So, between your TV show and the movie and your budding music career, I would imagine that you are incredibly busy. I’m tired just thinking about it. How do you balance all of your work with school and being a typical teenager?
I can’t be a typical teenager and I’ve come to terms with that. I cannot go to high school. I’ll never be able to go to high school. I went to high school for about a month and I won’t ever be able to have that crazy experience, which I’m jealous of, but I have amazing people around me. I surround myself with gorgeous human beings whom I love. They keep me grounded and they really help me out a lot. We have a lot of fun. I have my friend Nathan, and Rowan, obviously, and my other friend Taylor, so it’s very easy. I get to go to work and then have sleepovers with them. It’s fun.
It’s nice that you have a good support system for all of that.
Yeah, and I love it! I love what I do. I’m very lucky.
So, I also hear you have new music coming out next year. Is it 2016 that we can expect it?
Yes!
So, what can we expect? What’s coming?
I actually released this song on YouTube probably about two years ago called Til you Come Home. All I can say is, that if I were to base it off that, that it is completely different. It has more of a pop feel. I think people are going to be able to relate to the things that I sing about. There’s not much I can say. I think it’s cool. I hope people think it’s cool! People have been asking a lot about music, so I’m just trying to put out things that I think they’ll like and things that I genuinely connect to. I’m very excited!
That’s awesome! I would imagine that making and performing music is probably a different experience than acting, at least in some ways. So, what do you like about making music that you don’t necessarily get when you act?
Music is my life. I just love the art in general. I love acting, I love music, but, they are two very different feelings. When I’m in front of the camera, I feel very at home. With making music…performing I’ve only done a few times. I haven’t done a major performance yet. I’m waiting until all my music comes out because I want to share all of my singles when I perform. They are two very different feelings. They really are!
When you’re acting, unless you are a writer or a director, you’re just kind of taking someone else’s ideas and projecting it out there. But for music it’s like your own soul and you have to make it your own. Which is very interesting. It’s very hard. You have to stay true to yourself. I’m not Lorde, I’m not Adele, I’m not Katy Perry, I’m Olivia, so it’s hard to just stay myself and not be influenced by any other artist. That’s definitely been a little bit of a struggle.
What song or artist that you are loving should our readers go find on YouTube or Spotify right now?
My friend Nathan [Harrington] just released a song called State of Mind that is phenomenal. It’s great! It’s on Spotify and YouTube. Oh and Ryan Adam’s version of 1989 is amazing! Wildest Dreams is killer. Twenty One Pilots-all of their songs are gold. Arctic Monkeys. Just stuff like that. Music, I think, is evolving every day. People are finding their own sounds and not really trying to be like somebody else nowadays. I think that’s amazing. That’s like the greatest gift ever, finding new music.
Fall TV is starting this week. So, what will Olivia be watching?
I will definitely be watching a little bit of American Horror Story because it’s amazing. I’ll be going on Netflix and watching Gossip Girl, because hey! Orange is the New Black. Yeah, those three shows. I know Gossip Girl ended in 2012, but it’s still my thing. (laughs). I’ve watched the whole entire series about three times!
Be sure to check out Kirby Buckets on Disney XD returning Wednesday, October 7!