I have been very blessed to have the priviledge to interview American Girl authors and actresses from Mckenna Shoots for the Stars an American Girl movie. This is the page where you can read all my interviews with authors and actresses from American Girl.
My Interview with Lisa Yee
1. When you wrote Kanani and Aloha Kanani, how far ahead of time did you start writing her books before January 1, 2011?
I started researching the books over a year before they came out. First narrowed down the animal that Kanani would help rescue (a Hawaiian monk seal), and that helped me identify Kauai as the island where Kanani would live. From there, I wrote a detailed outline for the two books, and then starting writing them!
I am inspired by people I meet and places I've visited. I'm not just a writer, I'm a listener. So I like to pay attention to what's going on around me, and take notes all the time, never knowing which ones will trigger an idea.
I love spending time with my family and my dog, Maggie. And I LOVE to read!!!
I am looking forward to writing more for American Girl, however, there's nothing I can talk about right now.
My Interview with Ysa Penarejo
I recently had the privilege to interview Ysa Penarejo who plays Toulane, Mckenna's best friend, in Mckenna Shoots for the Stars.
Me: What
was the audition process like for Mckenna Shoots for
the Stars?
Ysa: My audition process for
Mckenna Shoots for the Stars was made up of 3 meetings: 1st audition, callback, and mix & match. It was my first time going through the process and was very exciting. I was especially excited because it was an American Girl movie.
Me: Did
you do all your gymnastic stunts yourself?
Ysa: I’ve been dancing and
tumbling since I was 4 ½ years old and had the opportunity to work with the
gymnastics coaches for the movie. I did have a stunt double for the movie to
reduce risks of injury and had the chance to do some of my own
moves.
Me: Do
you feel that you're like Toulane in any way?
Ysa: I think we are all like
Toulane in that we have feelings and want to be there to help our
friends.
Me: What
was it like being on set with Jade Pettyjohn(Mckenna) and Kerris
Dorsey(Josie)?
Ysa: It was awesome being
on the set with Jade and Kerris. Jade is a master at her craft and Kerris is an amazing and multidimensional actor. I am very blessed to have worked with them both.
Me: Do you like American Girl dolls?
Ysa: I love American Girl dolls and have four: McKenna, Julie, Ivy and My American Girl. My first doll was a My American Girl doll.
Me: If so, what's your favorite
doll?
Ysa: I love them all and want
more!
Me: What was the audition process like and when was your first audition?
Jade: The first audition for American Girl was late May of 2011 and the callbacks and the mix and match followed in Mid June. Basically, when a project is started they have a whole bunch of people audition. I don't know how many people they called in. It is usually about 50 girls. Then the call back is when they are trying to take it down from there top choices into about 5 or 6 people. Once that happens they do a mix and match where they have the top picks from the bigger roles do the scenes together to see how everybody works with each other. That part can take a while. :)
Me: Do you feel you are like Mckenna in anyway?
Jade: I do. I feel like we have a lot in common. We both have supportive parents and I feel like we are both determined to do what we love. But mine is with acting and hers is with gymnastics.
Me: Did you become good friends with Ysa Penarejo and Kerris Dorsey? If so, do you still keep in contact with them?
Jade: I did. I still keep in touch with them via facebook and email. When we were shooting we would go to each others condos and watch movies and pop popcorn and go shopping and all that fun stuff.
Me: Was it hard being away from your home during the summer while filming?
Jade: Well of course I missed my home and stuff a little bit. Especially because my Dad was still working. But I would skype with my dad and we would have dinner together over the Internet so it wasn't that bad. Plus I was really excited about what I was doing and did not have too much time to really think about it.
Me: Did you do all your gymnastic stunts?
Jade: Well I can't tell you that. It's a secret :) But I did get to train with the junior Olympic team, which was so much fun and I still keep in touch with most of them.
Me: Do you like American Girl dolls? If so, which one is your favorite?
Jade: I do. I would say McKenna is now my favorite but before that it was Julie. Oh, and speaking of Julie... a piece of movie trivia for you. Kerris has a sister who is also an amazing singer and actress. Her name is Justine Dorsey. She played Julie in the musical shows at American Girl store in LA for a year. :)
Me: Are you wanting to pursue a career in acting?
Jade: Yes, most definitely. I love what I do!!! :)
More Coming Soon!:)
My Interview with Lisa Yee
I recently interviewed Lisa Yee over email. A couple of you asked her a question, and she answered them! Without further ado, here are her answers!
2. One of my readers, Gracie, asked, "What is your inspiration for the books you write?"
3. Another one of my readers, Lissie, would like to know what other things besides writing do you enjoy doing?
4. Do you have any future work coming up with American Girl?
My Interview with Ysa Penarejo
Me: What
was the audition process like for Mckenna Shoots for
the Stars?
Ysa: My audition process for
Mckenna Shoots for the Stars was made up of 3 meetings: 1st audition, callback, and mix & match. It was my first time going through the process and was very exciting. I was especially excited because it was an American Girl movie.
Me: Did
you do all your gymnastic stunts yourself?
Ysa: I’ve been dancing and
tumbling since I was 4 ½ years old and had the opportunity to work with the
gymnastics coaches for the movie. I did have a stunt double for the movie to
reduce risks of injury and had the chance to do some of my own
moves.
Me: Do
you feel that you're like Toulane in any way?
Ysa: I think we are all like
Toulane in that we have feelings and want to be there to help our
friends.
Me: What
was it like being on set with Jade Pettyjohn(Mckenna) and Kerris
Dorsey(Josie)?
Ysa: It was awesome being
on the set with Jade and Kerris. Jade is a master at her craft and Kerris is an amazing and multidimensional actor. I am very blessed to have worked with them both.
Me: Do you like American Girl dolls?
Ysa: I love American Girl dolls and have four: McKenna, Julie, Ivy and My American Girl. My first doll was a My American Girl doll.
Me: If so, what's your favorite
doll?
Ysa: I love them all and want
more!
My Interview with Jade Pettyjohn
Me: What was the audition process like and when was your first audition?
Jade: The first audition for American Girl was late May of 2011 and the callbacks and the mix and match followed in Mid June. Basically, when a project is started they have a whole bunch of people audition. I don't know how many people they called in. It is usually about 50 girls. Then the call back is when they are trying to take it down from there top choices into about 5 or 6 people. Once that happens they do a mix and match where they have the top picks from the bigger roles do the scenes together to see how everybody works with each other. That part can take a while. :)
Me: Do you feel you are like Mckenna in anyway?
Jade: I do. I feel like we have a lot in common. We both have supportive parents and I feel like we are both determined to do what we love. But mine is with acting and hers is with gymnastics.
Me: Did you become good friends with Ysa Penarejo and Kerris Dorsey? If so, do you still keep in contact with them?
Jade: I did. I still keep in touch with them via facebook and email. When we were shooting we would go to each others condos and watch movies and pop popcorn and go shopping and all that fun stuff.
Me: Was it hard being away from your home during the summer while filming?
Jade: Well of course I missed my home and stuff a little bit. Especially because my Dad was still working. But I would skype with my dad and we would have dinner together over the Internet so it wasn't that bad. Plus I was really excited about what I was doing and did not have too much time to really think about it.
Me: Did you do all your gymnastic stunts?
Jade: Well I can't tell you that. It's a secret :) But I did get to train with the junior Olympic team, which was so much fun and I still keep in touch with most of them.
Me: Do you like American Girl dolls? If so, which one is your favorite?
Jade: I do. I would say McKenna is now my favorite but before that it was Julie. Oh, and speaking of Julie... a piece of movie trivia for you. Kerris has a sister who is also an amazing singer and actress. Her name is Justine Dorsey. She played Julie in the musical shows at American Girl store in LA for a year. :)
Me: Are you wanting to pursue a career in acting?
Jade: Yes, most definitely. I love what I do!!! :)
More Coming Soon!:)
2 comments:
Great interviews Liddy! I hope you get to interview many more people from AG!
That is so awesome that you can get interviews with those people!! :)
~Storyteller
http://storytellerofwestoncounty.blogspot.com/
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