Exclusive Interview with “Young & Hungry” Star Aimee Carrero

Dominican actress Aimee Carrero began her acting career in 2007, landing roles on multiple television shows including The Mentalist, Hannah Montana, Lincoln Heights, The Middle and The Americans. In 2009, she earned her first major film credit as Emily in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which was followed in 2011 by the role that she became most well-known for: that of Angie in Cartoon Network’s Level Up.

She currently stars as the beautiful and ambitious Sofia Rodriguez on ABC Family’s sitcom Young & Hungry. In addition, she has been cast as the voice of Elena for Disney’s upcoming series, Elena of Alavor. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Aimee about what is in store for Sofia this season, her admiration for Fran Drescher and her love for her dog, Moose.

Check it out below!

What do you enjoy the most about playing Sofia?

I enjoy her vitality, her ambitiousness, her fierce loyalty and just her overall spirit. I think that she’s a wonderful role model for me and definitely someone that I aspire to be like in many ways. She’s got the whole package!

Would you say that Sofia is a lot different than you or is she a lot like you?

Every actor would like to say “No, she’s a totally different person!” but I think there are definitely some similarities. I find myself to be ambitious career wise like Sofia but I’m certainly not the go-to advice giver in my group of friends. In that way, I think we are dissimilar. Also, I think that she’s a lot braver than I am.

What do you want to see happen with Sofia’s storyline this season?

This season, there are some great things coming up for Sofia. She lost her job and she lost her boyfriend, so it just puts her in a really challenging situation. She’s forced to sort of look at her decisions and look at her life, at where she is and make some different choices. I think that she’s challenged in some specific ways, and toward the end of the season, we will definitely see some nice changes in her.

Who is the funniest on set?

Kym Whitley, hands down! She’s a stand-up comic and she has a reality TV show, so she’s probably the busiest person that I know. She’s just always ready with a joke and always ready with a funny story. She has a young son who is hysterical. She has a very rich life, and she’s very warm and generous with us. I definitely think that she’s the most hysterical one out of everybody.

Do you have any memorable experiences on set that you’d like to share?

Well, there are a thousand experiences that I will forever hold in my memory but for whatever reason, they’re escaping me right now. But I do really enjoy the food that I get to eat, and for whatever reason this season, Sofia gets to eat less. Last season, I was eating delicious cakes and all kinds of things, and recently, she’s got nothing! I’m hoping that in the third season, we will return to the Sofia from before. I would say that my favorite moments on set are right before the show starts; we huddle up in the back and say a few quick words with each other and get ready for the show. I think that there’s nothing like the possibility in the air and the teamwork that’s required to do our job.

If you could have anyone guest star on the show, who would it be and why?

I would love one of the two following people. I would love Fran Drescher to be on the show, from “The Nanny” and many other things. I think that she’s sitcom royalty and nobody is better or funnier than her. I would love to play in a scene with her, anytime, even if nobody sees it, even if it’s just in my living room! I would just watch it on repeat! I think she’s so amazing. I would love her to be on the show and I would love Lucy Lawless, who was on “Xena: Warrior Princess” because she is a childhood favorite of mine and I think that she’d do really great at comedy.

In addition to your role on “Young & Hungry,” you’ve also been cast as the voice actress for Disney’s first Latina princess. Besides being Disney’s first Latina princess, how is Elena going to be different from the Disney princesses of the past?

Well, I think that Elena is a 2015 product—I mean, the story isn’t set in 2015; it’s set in a mystical time—but it’s definitely the product of the work that we’ve done as women and how far we’ve come in our relations with each other, our gender fixations and gender roles. So, there’s no Prince Charming, which is great; she’s her own hero. She’s also different because she’s 16 but she was stuck in an amulet for 40 years so she does have that sort of wisdom of someone who’s lived a little bit longer. So I think there’s a little bit of wisdom in her that some of the other princesses lacked.

Before getting your role on “Young & Hungry,” you played a freedom fighter on FX’s “The Americans.” How difficult was it to change gears from a dramatic role to a comedic one?

It wasn’t difficult at all because that’s sort of what you train for as an actress. That’s the dream, you know, to go off and do one project and then do another one that’s completely different. It was such a pleasure to work on that set, and I got to film in New York City which is like my favorite city ever. It was great, and I had a strange connection to that role because I studied International Relations in college, with a specialty in American Studies, so I felt like I really knew the character and really understood her and her plight. It was difficult in other ways but it certainly wasn’t difficult to go from one role to another.

Besides acting, what are you passionate about?

Well, that changes. I have a lot of hobbies. Right now, I’m sort of into calligraphy and lettering, and there was a time when I was really obsessed with guitar. Other than that, the one thing that is totally unchanging is my devotion and love for my dog, Moose, who is a golden retriever mix and takes up a lot of my time. We’re doing our best to train him. You know, this isn’t my first dog but it is my first dog that’s been mine as an adult. And, my heart has grown like four sizes for animal rights, so that’s definitely something that I’m passionate about. I’m not in league with any animal rights charities or anything like that but it’s definitely something that is close to my heart.

You can catch new episodes of Young & Hungry on Wednesday nights at 8 pm on ABC Family. You can also follow Aimee on Twitter at @aimeecarrero!