We are a little obsessed with Shake It Up around our house.
With both girls and boys in our family and with a range of ages, it's really rare when we find a show that everyone wants to watch. And it's not even just watching. My kids download songs, they make up dances, and they pretend that they are on Shake It Up.
"I want to be CeCe!"
"No! You have to be Rocky!"
"How about I get to be CeCe, but you can be the one to dance in front first."
"Deal!"
So, it likely won't be too much of a stretch to know where we will be on Friday night, Auguest 17th at 8pm: We will be watching the highly anticipated special 90-minute episode of the show: Shake It Up: Made In Japan. The gang is off to Tokyo after Rocky and CeCe win a chance to star in a dance video game. New songs and dances are in store—including original songs "Made In Japan," "The Same Heart," and "Fashion is My Kryptonite"—with special performances by the world famous Blue Man Group.
I got a chance to chat with these two amazing ladies this week about the special, about their roles on Shake It Up, and about their acting careers.
Bella Thorne will be the first to admit that her success, at least in the beginning, was kind of accidental. She started modeling as a baby and she kept getting used because she was just a really good baby and rarely cried. As she got older she moved from Florida to Los Angeles, and move from print to commercials to pilots to television. She was in love.
She admits that her dyslexia initially kept her from pursuing her dreams and from believing in herself. "I wish I had somebody like ME to look to when I was younger," she says. And she's right. Because when I asked her what she would say to kids who may have some fears and insecurities about their abilities, she immediately told me about how intimidating cold reads were for her in the beginning—where she would have to just start reading in front of a room full of people, with no chance to prepare beforehand—but for some reason, "those ended up being the best kind of reads for me and I was still able to get jobs." She was very quick to say that she would tell kids that it doesn't matter what other people think—if YOU believe in yourself, YOU can do anything.
See? Young Bella Thorne could have used an older Bella Thorne.
Zendaya's road to stardom happened really quickly. She started modeling her hometown, did some local plays and signed with an agent. Shake It Up happened within about 6 months. She originally came in for the Shake It Up audition to read for the role of CeCe, but they asked her to come back and read for the role of Rocky. She quickly changed her tune, spent 20 minutes cramming, and read for Rocky. The rest was history, she says. "There was a weird chemistry during the mix and match with Bella!" It was like they had known each other for years. They booked the show and filmed the pilot!
Zendaya's advice to kids who dream of becoming actors was fairly simple. She said that even though her journey was a rather quick one, it can take a long time. "Do not get discourage, " she says, "It can take years! You just never really know." And she says that singing and dancing had always been a part of her life and while it *can* help during auditions, it's really not necessary, because, believe it or not, "Bella didn't dance or sing before Shake It Up!"
When I asked the ladies about the Made in Japan special, Bella was quick to tell me that in true Cece form, she was super excited to go to Japan, all "WE CAN BE SUPERSTARS" while true to Rocky form, Rocky looked at it much more practically. And there was a bonus twist of Rocky being terrified of flying and needing a specialist to help calm her nerves for this big trip.
"SOMETHING big happens in the special that gets in the way of our relationship," Bella says. She says her most favorite part to film was a giant, screaming fight between the two BFFs. Zendaya agrees and said that the scene helps let fans and viewers know that Rocky and CeCe are just regular girls. Sure, they get along most of the time, but they also have problems and have fights. "And, as actresses, it was really great to be able to stretch our limits like that."
Finally, Zendaya says of the special, "I got a chance to see it recently. I'm really proud of it. We all worked so hard on this collectively. We really think everyone will be able to take something home from it."
And my kids are—of course—really excited to see what they get to take home. :)
(Photos curtesy of Family.ca and Astral)
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