Meet EMILIA McCARTHY and SAARA CHAUDRY from Max & Shred!
Last week we introduced you to Jake and Johnny from the Nickelodeon show Max & Shred. This week, we have an interview with the girls who play Abby and Howie on the show.
Q: What is your favorite Max & Shred episode so far?
Emilia: I had to wear a Yeti suit. After watching it and all the hard work that we put into that episode and then seeing it, it definitely paid off. So it’s really funny. It was boiling, and on set it’s already really hot because of the lights and it was summertime. So, yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever sweat so much in my entire life.
Q: What do you think kids will like about the show?
Emilia: There’s a character on the show that’s relatable to everyone. Everyone’s pretty different on the show. Like, there’s Howie, who’s played by Saara, and she’s the little 8-year-old genius. She’s 8 going on 30. And then there’s, you know, the two boys. One is the cool snowboarder guy and the other one is the scientist. And then there’s Abby, who’s the teenage girl who has a different boyfriend every week and she’s always on her phone. Everyone can find someone they relate to on the show, which I think is cool.
Q: You have a fun nickname like Howie does on the show. How did you get it?
Saara: When I was younger, I was very curious like Howie. Howie got her name because when she was little she kept asking, “How?” so everyone started calling her Howie because she was so curious. So when I was little I was really curious and I would always look up to things and say, “This,” because I didn’t know how to say anything else really. But I had a bit of a lisp so it always came out as “Dish.” So everyone in my family calls me “Dish” and it sort of stuck since I was little.
Q: What’s the funniest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
Saara: Um, well, I think it was probably when I was on stage when I was doing Les Mis in Toronto and it was my first night being Little Cosette on stage and all my family was there. I was so nervous that I hiccupped on stage in the middle of my song. It was pretty embarrassing just to know that I did something like that. I don’t know if many people noticed, but definitely my family did.
Q: Do you have any Mexican family traditions from your mom?
Emilia: Well, New Year’s is very funny. She has all these Mexican voodoo things. I don’t even know if they’re real or if she just made them up. We have to eat a grape every minute for ten minutes before New Year’s and we have to make a wish. And she also has to sweep. We have to go outside the house with our suitcases to represent travelling. She has all these crazy Mexican things . . . I don’t know, but I do them anyway. Like, ten minutes before New Year’s we’re doing all these crazy things like, “What the heck are they doing?” My dad is the most Canadian person I know and he has to put up with all these Mexican dishes and Tabasco sauce. He’s a good sport. But I love Mexican food so I wouldn’t be any happier than having tacos every day.
Q: Tell me about the book you wrote when you were 7.
Emilia: It’s called Baby’s Wish and it’s about what the baby wishes for before it’s born. It wishes about what the parents would look like and what it’s going to do and what it’s going to look like. And when it’s born, none of the wishes come true physically, but, you know, the baby realizes that the parents still love the baby and that’s really all that matters. My dad is a writer, so he helped me with the idea and he wrote it. It was kind of like a dream I had and we worked together to create a little, cute story. I am in the process of writing something. It’s been so long. But I really enjoy writing and I wouldn’t mind getting into screenwriting for movies.
Q: Tell me about the “Because I am a Girl” campaign.
Saara: It’s a campaign for girls to get education and to have equal rights in parts of the world where they don’t get equal rights like in Africa and Asia and India. For my 9th birthday instead of choosing to get presents, I asked my friends to make a donation to the “Because I am a Girl” campaign. It’s something I’m really passionate about and I’m learning about that sort of stuff at school and everything, just like that whole topic about equal rights and girls’ education and charities and everything. It’s one of my big passions to help kids out around the world who don’t have opportunities like me and my friends. It’s something I really want all my fans to get into.
Q: What is the best book you ever read?
Emilia: This book called Before I Fall (for ages 12 and up). I read it a few years ago. I love it so much. It’s about a teenage girl who gets hit by a car but then for some reason she survives. She travels back in time as if the car accident never happened and she gets to relive her life decisions. I love it so much. It’s so great for young girls to read. For me, reading it as a young teenager, I was so astounded by it.
Saara: Any Dr. Seuss book. Growing up, he’s been my favorite author. But I also love the author Deborah Ellis. She has some great books. I especially like the Breadwinner trilogy and My Name is Parvana. I love those books. My librarian at school actually introduced me to Deborah Ellis.
Q: Do you have any pets?
Emilia: I have a dog called Crème Brulée. He’s a Cockapoo. And he is quite a wimp and I feel kind of guilty because the name kind of suits him unfortunately. [Laughter] Actually he was on eTalk with me once for a “Work Out with Your Dog” segment, and he was so badly behaved. He should not be in the acting business. He tried and it did not work out for him and I don’t think he should pursue the acting business.
Saara: I have a couple of fish in my backyard, quite a few actually. They’re mostly koi fish that my dad takes care of because we have a small pond in my backyard. But I also have one fish just in my room and it’s a blue beta fish I think, and it’s called Juju. I love fish. I would like to get a dog, but my mom is allergic and she just doesn’t want to take care of it that much. [Laughter]
Interview by Marie Morreale
Image courtesy of Nickelodeon