Anneliese Van Der Pol – Something to Rave About

By starrymag | January 13, 2014

Q.  What are the current projects that you are working on?

A.  Actually “That’s So Raven” is the only project that I’m working on right now.

Q.  The next season of “That’s So Raven” will be airing soon, what can viewers expect to see when it airs?

A.  They can expect to see a lot more physical comedy, more kind of Lucy and Ethel, just a lot more physical comedy, stunts and other things like that.  Also, we look different, my hair is better and that’s it!

Q.  What is it about the show that you think has really hooked viewers?

A.  I think probably what I was talking about with the physical comedy, no other Disney show has quite as much physical comedy.  As far as stunts and using live animals and stuff like that, and also our show is interracial, it just has every race.  A lot of our guest stars are ethnic and it relates to any age and any race.

Q.  On “That’s So Raven” Chelsea and her friends seem to have great chemistry.  Is it that way off camera for you and the cast?

A.  It definitely is, I am really lucky, the cast is all really down to earth and really talented.  I am probably the closest to Raven because we work so closely together and we’re the same age.  We’re not quite as crazy as our characters but when it is just one on one, it’s even better, when it’s just us in every day life. 

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from filming “That’s So Raven”?

A.  My most memorable moment would be when we did this episode where we had a lot of live animals.  Basically, Eddie (played by Orlando Brown) brings home these frogs and they got loose in the house.  I guess they thought it would be a good idea if the frogs got in all of our clothes and stuff.  But, they had these like vibrating rubber/felt, look-alike frogs, and put them all in our clothes and it was just hilarious and we had a live audience. 

Q.  You have incredible comedic timing, is that something that comes naturally to you or are you constantly working at it?

A.  I think it’s fifty-fifty, I think it’s obviously something natural, either you have it or you don’t.  But, I have had a lot of practice too and my family is really funny and my sisters are both really funny.  I kind of got to practice on them my whole life, and Raven and Orlando, and everyone in the cast gives me so much to work off of.  We rehearse three days a week and we shoot Thursday and Friday so yeah it’s a lot of practice.  I also think for comedic timing either you have it or you don’t.

Q.  What originally made you want to be a part of “That’s So Raven”?

A.  Well, it was one of my first auditions really, I had done a lot of theater and a lot of musical theater and I really liked comedy club comedy.  I just auditioned and got really lucky and got the part and I did a screen test with Raven and she really liked me and I really liked her.  We knew we worked well off of each other and it just really made me want to be a part of it right away meeting her.

Q.  Raven is known for her off the wall antics on the show, are there times where you all bust out laughing while filming?

A.  Yes, always!  Always, just mostly ad-libbing, basically just making up lines.  The script is hilarious but sometimes when we have a live audience we like to change it up.  She’ll just say some crazy things, I wish I could remember!

Q.  What is a typical day on set like for you?

A.  A typical day is like ten to five, we’ll come in at ten, we’ll maybe have a read through or just get right to the scene and we’ll start rehearsing.  Our director has to know what he wants and block out the whole scene and that happens Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  We get an hour break for lunch and on Thursdays we pre-tape which means we start using cameras and film.  Then on Friday we also tape as well but we have a live audience from four to sometimes ten o’clock at night.  So, it’s a pretty demanding job.

Q.  “That’s So Raven” has books and other merchandise, did you think the show would be as popular as it has gotten when you began working on it?

A.  Oh not at all, none of us did, especially me, I hadn’t worked in TV all and my other cast members had.  When they started putting our faces on McDonalds toys I think we realized then wow, we’re big and we’re lucky, we’re in everybody’s homes. 

Q.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A.  You know when I have spare time I hang out with my sisters, or I really like seeing foreign films at the Sunset 5, I just got a BMW and I’ve been driving it with the hood down.  My new favorite thing is to go to New York, I just have been there like twice in the past month and I love it.  I’ve taken my sisters there and my friends, so that’s what I do in my spare time, traveling.

Q.  What is your latest obsession, are you into any particular book, music group, sport or activity?

A.  Yves Saint Laurent shoes!

Q.  Is there a summer movie you’re really interested in checking out?

A.  I just saw an independent movie called Happy Endings with Lisa Kudrow and a bunch of other people and it was hilarious.  I think it’s my favorite summer movie so far.

Q.  What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  Thank you for watching and thank you for the four years and your love and support and your fan mail.