INTRO BY SERA SNYDER
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILIA MCCARTHY
Emilia McCarthy is a Canadian actress, as well as a dancer and writer. At the young age of eight, McCarthy had the opportunity to act in the Golden Globe winning film Babel. She says that two of her biggest influences are Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams because they are both from her hometown of London, Ontario. Along with acting, McCarthy has also published a book with her father titled Baby’s Wish. Most recently she is starring in Disney Channel’s new original movie called Zombies. Read on to the interview below to find out more about Emilia McCarthy’s life and her starring role in Zombies!
When did you first get involved with acting? What do you remember from your first audition?
EMILIA: "I woke up one morning when I was seven and had some kind of epiphany that I had to be an actress. So I told my parents, who for some reason didn’t just take it as some phase I was having, and somehow got me an agent. My very first audition was for the film Babel and I booked it. I was off to Mexico to film for six weeks on the first month of my acting epiphany and I honestly fell in love with it!"
You star in Disney Channel’s new movie Zombies, which is set to premiere February 16th. What was it like filming the movie and playing your character Lacey?
EMILIA: "Filming Zombies was an incredible experience. From the dancing to the singing to the acting, I got to experience what it’s like to be in a musical! It’s lots of hard work but accompanied by the amazing and talented cast and crew, we had a blast and created an unforgettable experience!
Playing Lacey was so much fun. I love getting to play the extravagant mean girl role."
When filming Zombies, what was your favorite memory from set?
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILIA MCCARTHY
EMILIA: "My favorite memory from set is probably the bonding time I had with the cast. For a couple of weeks we were out in the woods shooting the football scenes and it literally felt like going to camp every day. We all ran out of data on our phone (lol) so we played card games and charades and it felt like being a little kid again."
When you aren’t acting, what do you like to do in your spare time?
EMILIA: "My spare time consists of watching a lot of Netflix. I love to kick back with my friends and work out as well."
Is there a type of role that you haven’t gotten to play yet that you would love to in the future?
EMILIA: "I’d really love to play a kick butt girl, a Tomb Raider type vibe. I love the idea of being forced to get super fit for a role and look like a bad ass on screen. I’ve never fully done my own stunts before, so I think that would be something fun and exciting."
Is there anything else that we can expect from you in the near future?
EMILIA: "A pilot I shot that premiered in October might go to series. So look out for Dark Haven High if it does!"