Exclusive Interview with Adventures in Babysitting’s Nikki Hahn

As milestones go, reaching the 100th anything is a pretty big deal. But reaching the 100th Disney Channel Original Movie? That’s huge. And Nikki Hahn is excited to be part of such an incredible achievement.

Hahn will play Emily Cooper in Disney Channel’s “Adventures in Babysitting,” premiering in June 2016. This is not Nikki’s first project with Disney, as the young actress notes that she got her start with the company. First appearing as one of Disney’s most famous princesses in a commercial, the role of Emily Cooper is much different but wasn’t too far of a stretch for Hahn.

She got on the phone with Talk Nerdy With Us to discuss her excitement for the movie, her music endeavors and what the filming experience was like.

You were cast at a really young age as Cinderella for a Disney commercial. Now you’re a lead in a Disney Channel Original Movie! How does that feel?

It’s been amazing. My first commercial was Disney, my first print job was Disney, it’s really awesome working with Disney.

You play Emily Cooper in Adventures in Babysitting. From previews, it looks like she’s kind of a dark character, very goth and emo. How does that compare to your actual personality?

(laughs) I loved the clothes, I love the wardrobe she wore. The hair, I loved the green hair. And I am actually familiar with emo music. I did a short film and the director actually showed me some of the bands that I listened to to prepare for the character [of Emily.] So I am familiar with it and it was really awesome to play emo. We’re actually pretty similar. We both love to be sarcastic, we’re both pretty independent!

What was your favorite part of playing Emily?

My favorite part was probably just bringing her to life, because when I first got the audition and first read the breakdown, I immediately fell in love with her. I fell in love with the movie!

What are you most excited for fans to see in the movie?

Everything! It’s just such a big adventure, it’s like a big rollercoaster ride. It’s going to have everybody on the edge of their seats.

You interact with fans a lot on social media, are you as excited as them? Do you bond with them over the movie and get your excitement out?

Yeah, I love interacting with everybody on social media. It makes me happy to see this many people supporting me…it makes me feel happy inside. (laughs).

We know you have some musical talents, you recently covered Taylor Swift’s ‘Style.’ Are we going to see any of your musical talents in the movie?

Well, there’s a rap battle. (laughs). But otherwise not in the movie, but definitely in real life. I’m going to keep working on music, I have some music videos coming out and I’m definitely going to keep working on it. I’m hopefully going to be making an album, with some original songs.

Awesome! So, Adventures in Babysitting is the 100th Disney Channel Original Movie, was there any kind of pressure on the cast to really get it right?

No, not at all! It almost wasn’t even like work, it was just fun because we’re like a huge family. We’re just like best friends. I’ve never worked with a cast that just…we still hang out! And so it made it not exactly like work, it was fun. There was no pressure on us at all.

In that same vein, was there any additional excitement? Since it’ll be a milestone for Disney!

Yeah, we’re really excited!

What’s your favorite DCOM, aside from Adventures in Babysitting?

Ooh, probably High School Musical. (laughs).

Who would you rather have as a babysitter, Jenny or Lola?

Oh, that’s a tough question. (laughs). That’s an interesting question. Well, I think I would probably say, Lola. She’s got a very free spirit and fun, she’s very outgoing.

To make it even harder, if had to pick, would you pick Sabrina Carpenter or Sofia Carson as a babysitter?

Oh my gosh, that’s really hard because they’re both like my big sisters. I look up to them, they give me advice, they’re really helpful. Probably both, blonde and brunette! They’re my big sisters, I love them both equally.

Who is the silliest cast member? (Submitted by Jessica)

We all had our silly moments on set. Disney’s going to be releasing some exclusive bloopers along with the DVD on the 28th. So I hope all the fans pick up their copy because they’re going to be seeing all the hilarious moments that happened on set.

We touched on this a bit earlier, but what was it like to work with Sabrina and Sofia? (Submitted by Sam I Am)

They’re my big sisters, I can talk to them about anything. I’ll text them if I need help on something. They’re both my inspirations.

Have you talked to Sabrina and Sofia at all about your music? Or will you?

I haven’t yet, but on set we were always singing. We went from The Beatles to Queen to Ed Sheeran to Bruno Mars. We were ALWAYS singing, so I will reach out.

What was the biggest takeaway for you personally from filming Adventures in Babysitting?

The biggest thing I took away…coming back to California with a new family. They’re my best friends.

Did you keep anything from the set as a souvenir?

We always took Polaroids f each other, so I have an album of those. My walls are covered with them. I wish I could’ve kept the green hair, but I am getting some green extensions so I’ll wear those. I wanted to dye my hair green, but…(laughs).

 

 

Adventures in Babysitting premieres on Disney Channel on June 24th, 2016.