Ashley Tisdale – Suite Child O Mine

Q.  Are there any current projects that you are working on?

A.  Right now I’m working on “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” which is a TV series on Disney Channel.  Mainly just that, I’m looking at some movies while we go on hiatus, we go on hiatus in May, so we have like I think an eight week hiatus so I think I can squeeze in a movie.  So, I’m just looking at some rolls right now. 

Q.  Can you tell us about your new show “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and your character “Maddie”?

A.  It’s based in a hotel, called the Tipton, and it’s mainly about Dylan and Cole Sprouse who play Zack and Cody.  They live with their mom Terry who is a cabaret singer at the hotel.  I play Maddie who is a candy-counter girl and she also baby-sits the boys and she has this rival relationship with Brenda Song who plays London who is the hotel owner’s daughter.  Then we have Phil Lewis who is  the manager, it’s mainly about the boys running around and causing all this mischief.  Maddie is like the All-American girl next door and she is really, really smart and she’s blonde which is really, really cool.  She doesn’t try and find trouble, but trouble is always finding her, and London’s always making her do these crazy things so she tries to get out of it and she’s kind of a bit sarcastic but she’s mainly the girl next door.

Q.  What made you want to be a part of this project?

A.  Actually, the producer and the creator of the show, I worked with them when I was ten, it was my first TV appearance and it was for “Smart Guy.”  I worked with them a few years ago and I was so excited that they were a part of this and I love Irene and Danny and I was so happy to be with them again and I’m doing a show that I get to be in every week so it’s so awesome.  Of course Cole and Dylan, I saw Big Daddy when I was younger, and when I first saw the movie I was like, “Oh my gosh, those boys are the cutest things in the entire world.”  They were with my agency at the time and I took their headshot and I just thought they were the cutest things and I was like “I’m going to work with them one day.” 

Q.  What is it like getting to work with such a diverse cast?

A.  It is so much fun, and I’ve known Brenda for like four years before we did the pilot and so we actually did an episode together of the “Bette Midler Show,” so we were so excited to be back together again on a show.  So, everybody is like a humungous family, Phil’s like the dad, Kim’s like the mom, the twins are like my brothers, Brenda’s like my sister and I couldn’t be happier, this is definitely where I am meant to be right now.

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from filming “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody”?

A.  I would have to say my most memorable moment would have to be, we actually did pie fighting in an episode “Romeo and Juliet.”  We were at this masquerade ball and pies are being thrown everywhere and everybody gets hit with a pie.  It was so funny because for once our crew members got to throw pies at us and so I think they had the best time throwing pies at the actors.  I never really did a pie thing before so it was like so gross but at the same time I was so excited to get smacked in the face with a pie.

Q.  On the show you have great comedic timing, is it something that you’ve studied or does it come naturally to you?

A.  It’s always really come natural to me, comedic timing is really hard actually but it’s always come natural.  Also, I’ve always worked at it, I’ve done tons of acting class, actually went to Groundlings which is all improv and so much fun.  So, I definitely have had my training experience, I always believe in acting classes and stuff.  I think it also comes natural to me, I think I’ve been pretty lucky at the bulk of it. 

Q.  What sets the show apart from other teen shows like “Unfabulous,” “Phil of the Future,” and “Zoey 101”?

A.   Well, this is like based in a hotel, which is totally different.  You don’t have to see us in class or a school environment all the time, you see us running around and having fun after school.  That’s really cool cuz a lot of the shows are at class or at school and I think that it totally fits the part because anything can happen at the hotel, and believe me it does, anything is possible.  They put us in the craziest situations, our writers are awesome, so I definitely love being on the show because we get to do everything.

Q.  Your bio mentions a passion for singing, are you a fan of shows like “American Idol”?

A.  Yes, I love “American Idol,” it’s so funny because I always wonder since I’m a singer, what Simon will tell me.  It would be so weird what he would say about me, it is like really crazy, but I totally get sucked into “American Idol.”  It’s something that I love to watch, I watch it every week, yes I’m a big fan of “American Idol.”

Q.  Which show that you’ve guest starred on has been your favorite and why?

A.  I think it would have to be “Seventh Heaven,” because it was one of the first episodes that I ever did.  I did “Smart Guy,” and then I did “Seventh Heaven,” and it was right as it came out and it was such a popular show and I was so excited.  David Gallagher I’ve actually known since I was little, it was so funny playing his girlfriend because I think it was so cool cuz after that aired everybody was like “Oh my gosh, you were on Seventh Heaven.”  It was such a funny character because she was like a really mean girlfriend and I got to play Simon’s first girlfriend so I was very excited.

Q.  You’ve worked with a lot of prominent actors, is there anyone that you’d love to work with in the future?

A.  There are so many people I want to work with, I actually worked with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and I’d love to work with her again.  I would love to work with Johnny Depp, not only is he hot but he’s such a good actor.  I think that Leonardo DiCaprio is really great, my favorite actresses are Julia Roberts and Brittany Murphy.  I’ve always have been told that I look like Brittany Murphy so I would love to be able to do a movie with her.

Q.  You began acting at a young age, do you recommend those wishing to get into acting begin young?

A.  You know was three years old when I started, and I was so shy as a kid, that I felt like this was something that brought me out of my shell.  I feel like people can be a musician, an actress, or anything and I just feel like this is the only thing I have ever wanted to do.  My mom kind of introduced me to it, my manager at first approached us and my mom wasn’t really sure she wanted me in the business because she knew about it.  I was having fun doing it and so she was like “well, I guess” and everything I’ve ever done I’ve kind of fallen into.  Like, I said I wanted to do Les Miserable when I was eight and I really had never sung before and my mom was like “well, you never sang.”  I was like “I want to try out first, I really want to do Les Miserable,” so my mom was like ok, and I went on an audition and I actually got it!  They kind of trained me throughout the show, that’s why I feel that if you are meant to get something than you’re meant to get it, and I just feel like this is where my life is at.  I love doing it, you have to do it for the right reasons though, it has to be something that you’re passionate about and that you’ll work for.  If you don’t work hard at it, then it is not going to come easy for you, but I’ve always worked hard for it, so this is what I’m meant to do.

Q.  Is there anything that you’d like to say to fans and supporters of your career?

A.  I would like to say follow your dreams, I am a firm believer in that.  Anything can happen, I followed mine and I am going to keep on following my dreams and I believe you will succeed at the end, as long as you work really hard.