words by BRAD LIBERTI
Laura Marano isn’t your typical teen queen. While most of her peers remain preoccupied with sexing up their images and dropping diva demands, the actress, singer, and Disney Channel sensation counts her craft and her fans as top priorities. Of course, when you’ve been working in this biz since grade school, bouncing between A-list films (Superbad, The Jacket) and water cooler TV shows (Without A Trace, Dexter, The Sarah Silverman Program) the way that she has, you tend to figure out what works for you. Lucky for us, she’s happy to share…
Art imitating life on her mega-hit Disney Channel Show, Austin and Ally:
“I actually had the opportunity to write a song for the show, which was amazing! It was for Ally’s first solo song – a really important song for her character – so I was super excited. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty awesome that I get to play a songwriter!”
Career advice to live by:
“When I was eleven years old, I got replaced on a few shows I had worked on and this one incredible actor told me the greatest thing: you’re not a true actor until you’ve been fired from a job. The entertainment business is a really unstable, difficult business, but you have to get through the rough times to truly enjoy the good times.”
Remaining grounded:
“I’m really lucky because I have such an incredible family. I also think continuing my education (has) always seemed to put my life in perspective: No matter what I’ve done, I can always learn more!”
Fanning out:
“I LOVE P!nk; I think she is so incredible! Sara Bareilles, Alicia Keys, and Carole King are some of my favorites too!”
Twitter vs. Instagram:
“I actually prefer Twitter because I get to directly talk to fans. It’s so great!”
Teaming up with UNICEF:
“UNICEF [is] literally the number one organization when it comes to protecting children all over the world. About a year and a half ago, we had an incredible meeting in New York and since then, I’ve been working with them, which literally makes me so incredibly happy every time I think about it.”
Championing healthy eating habits:
“It’s funny because I used to not eat as healthily as I do now, and I’ve noticed such a difference in my body. Our lovely crafts lady on Austin and Allyalways put out vegetables as snacks, so I started eating more and more vegetables. I had so much more energy; I literally felt healthier. I am now constantly trying to put more vegetables into my daily diet. You can never have too many vegetables!”
Working, working, working:
“Right now, I’m filming the fourth season of Austin and Ally, but during my hiatus, I filmed two movies (the feature A Sort of Homecoming and TV film Bad Hair Day). I’ve also been writing music a lot, which is such a huge part of my life. Music is definitely in my future, and I can’t wait to share my music with everybody.”
photography JOSH REED www.joshreed.com
styling TAYLOR SHERIDAN www.taylorstylist.com
makeup NICOLE WALMSLEY www.nicolewalmsley.com
hair SIENREE at CELESTINE AGENCY using ORIBE HAIR CARE
nails PILAR LAFARGUE www.pilarnoire.com
special thanks to XIX STUDIOS www.xixstudios.com