We recently had the chance to chat with rising Disney channel star Emilia McCarthy from “Zombies.” Emilia talked about getting her start in the entertainment industry, working on “Zombies”, upcoming projects, and more!
- How did you get your start in the entertainment industry?
I had an epiphany when I was 7 that I had to be an actress pretty much. My parents were nice enough to not take it as just a stage and got me an agent. My first audition for that agent was for the movie Babel, and I got the role! That’s where I really fell in love with it.
2.How did you land your role in “Zombies”?
I auditioned for it in Toronto. Then, for the callback we had to learn a dance number for the director and producers. We got grouped into different Acey possibilities (Stacey, Tracy and Lacey). That was when I got grouped with Mickeey Nguyen and Jasmine Thomas and the Aceys were formed!
3.How would you describe your character?
Lacey falls victim to society’s expectations. She is a cheerleader and lives for whatever Bucky, their head cheerleader, tells them to do. But inside, she has an individuality that is wanting to come out just like everyone else.
4. What can fans expect to see from the film?
Fans can expect an amazing soundtrack and super cool dance numbers with incredibly talented people.
5. What was your favorite scene to film?
My favorite scene to film was our audition scene. When we had the callback and were grouped together we had so much fun with the scene, so being able to put it on camera was really exciting.
6. How do you think it will be different from other DCOM’s?
“Zombies” does this really cool thing where it’s taking a current topic in society and making it a fun thing to watch because you can sing and dance along to it. The zombies represent what society marks as minorities in a way. The humans have a misconception about these zombies and have learned to dislike them and exclude them. So, it’s a movie about coming together and celebrating peoples individualities.
7. Do you have any other favorite Disney Channel movies?
High School Musical was my original fave. I grew up watching and singing along to that, it’s part of my childhood!
8.What is a behind-the-scenes secret that you can share with us?
All those dance numbers, though they last about 1 minute in the film, actually took multiple long hour days to shoot. So much goes into filming dance sequences, from the rehearsals to the execution on the day – it is a very long process!
9. Do you have any other upcoming projects?
I was in a pilot called Dark Haven High that premiered in October, so we are waiting to see if that goes to series!
10.What are your social media accounts?
@emiliaamccarthy on Instagram and Twitter, and @EmiliaMcCarthyOfficial on Facebook!
Make sure you catch “Zombies” on Disney Channel on February 16th at 8pm!
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