–Bridgit Mendler is best known for her guest-starring roles on “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “JONAS,” as well as the big screen family flick Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. Get ready to see a lot more of this talented 17-year-old.
Bridgit stars in the new Disney Channel series “Good Luck Charlie” which premieres on April 4 AND she has a song on the brand new DisneyMania 7. Bridgit lends her voice to the ballad “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2.
We talked with Bridgit last week and got all the scoop on being a part of the DisneyMania series, “Good Luck Charlie,” being a part of the Disney family and much more.
Full Audio Interview with Bridgit
What was it like being asked to be a part of DisneyMania 7?
Bridgit: It was so cool. This is the first song I’ve done detached from an actual acting project, so it was really fun to do.
Were you a fan of the previous albums?
Bridgit: Yeah! I’d heard them before and it’s so cool to be a part of it. Yeah, I was definitely a fan.
You sing “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2. How did you go about choosing that song?
Bridgit: Well, they let me pick a song, but they actually recommended that song to me. So, I heard the song after they recommended that one and immediately I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I think it’s such a beautiful song, so I definitely wanted to do that one.
How did you put your own spin on the song?
Bridgit: Well, they asked me what I wanted to do with the song and I think we agreed that we wanted it to be a little more upbeat. I suggested that maybe we put in some sort of guitar to it because originally it was a piano ballad. I think they came up with a new original mix, which was nice. Besides that, you just have to stay honest with the song.
Is there any other Disney song you’d love to cover?
Bridgit: I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I love The Little Mermaid so maybe a song from there.
What’s your favorite thing about being in the recording studio?
Bridgit: I love being in the recording studio and as I do it more, I’ve kind of become more comfortable with it. So that time as I was working on that song, I felt like I had the opportunity to be more free with how I would sing the song. So that was really fun and they let me get into the mood…it’s more of a slow song so it needed a mellower vibe.
Will we be hearing more music soon?
Bridgit: I hope so. There are a couple of projects kind of in the works. I can’t really say much but those will be going on soon and then eventually I hope people will get to hear some of my own music. I love writing songs and I do it for fun so hopefully someday people will be able to hear it.
Do you play any instruments?
Bridgit: I do. I play the piano and the guitar. I am kind of self taught on both of those and I used to play the violin. I don’t anymore.
How did you get started in acting & singing?
Bridgit: Well acting and singing were actually pretty different for me. Acting, I went to acting classes and I did plays as I was younger and then I decided it might be something I actually want to pursue. I worked on getting an agent and a manager and all that stuff. So that was definitely a pursuit. Music has kind of just been a passion of mine but it’s something that I do for my own fun and kind of let it develop on it’s own just by putting the word out there. When I can do a music project, I’d like to and things have been going great.
“Wizards vs Werewolves” aired to great ratings. What was it like getting to be a part of that show?
Bridgit: I think they’re all just really friendly fun people and it was great to meet the new cast members too and spend some time with the old ones. We’ve been working together since winter of 2008, so it’s been a while and everyone has a really good time on that show.
Your new show “Good Luck Charlie” premieres on April 4. What’s it like being a part of that show?
Bridgit: That show…see the thing about being on “Wizards” is that they welcome you into that family, but it’s like they already have their unit that you’re coming into. The great thing about working on “Good Luck Charlie” is because I was with the show since the very beginning, it really was my family and we all bonded as a show together. It definitely has a real family vibe. We just have a really really good time together. I’m totally happy over there.
How would you describe your character “Teddy”?
Bridgit: My character is “Teddy Duncan” and she’s a spunky girl. I think the nice thing about her is she’s a normal teenager. She’s in Denver, CO. She has a bit of spunk to her and she’s really fun, but she’s also kind of nerdy at times and I have fun with her more awkward moments.
Are you anything like “Teddy”?
Bridgit: Well, I definitely am kind of a nerd myself. There was one episode where Teddy was a bad dancer, so she had to do a lot of dorky dancing. I love dorky dancing so it was really fun to do that.
Do you have a favorite episode that you’ve filmed so far?
Bridgit: I just recently did this one episode where one of my really good friends was in the episode. We got to kind of do a rap song together. Don’t want to reveal too much, but that was really fun to do. To not only be working with a friend of mine but to do a little performance.
Do you have a favorite guest star?
Bridgit: You know, the nice thing about it is we’ve bonded with a lot of the guest stars that we’ve had. Especially the ones that are closer to my age are fun to have on the show because then we all get to hang out as a big group. It was really fun to have my friend on the show, who plays kind of a friend of mine in the show. I don’t know if I can say what her name is but a good friend of mine comes on the show and so we had a lot of fun.
With a baby on set, it seems like there are bound to be some bloopers or embarrassing moments. Are there any you can share?
Bridgit: Well the funny thing about that is this baby is the most talented baby I have ever met and she somehow knows exactly what to do, but she doesn’t even talk yet. I remember the first episode we were all completely in awe of her because in the very first scene she did, she put this pile of bananas on her face. It completely worked with the scene and then she clapped and she has all sorts of little tricks that she does. She’s a very very good actress especially for only being like 18 months.
A lot of shows involving babies will use twins or multiples. Do you use just one baby?
Bridgit: There’s just one baby. She’s that good.
Can you share a random fact about your co-stars?
Bridgit: Okay, well Jason Dolley, he’s really smart. He’s good at solving puzzles and riddles and that sort of thing. Bradley Steven Perry, my younger brother on the show, he knows just about all the words to every song on the radio, so he’s really talented at that. Eric Allan Kramer who plays my dad, is a really good chef. And Leigh Allyn Baker, who plays the mom on the show, she’s like one of the girlfriends. She’s so cool, but she also brings her baby to set sometimes, so it’s fun to have another baby on set.
We hear you do dress up days on set. What kind of themes have you done?
Bridgit: One we did was cape day. That was really fun to do, so we all wore our capes to set. I think we had a purple day where everyone just dressed up in purple because we thought it’d be funny to walk into work and “Wow, there is a lot of purple going on there.” So those are some cool ones. I think we’re going to do a pajama day coming up soon. I know it’s surprising we haven’t done it already, but that’s going to be a good one.
In the past, Disney Channel has done crossover specials with three of their shows. What show would you like “Good Luck Charlie” to crossover with?
Bridgit: Of course it’d be cool to do it with “Wizards of Waverly Place” because we know the cast members on there, that would be really fun. Which other one, maybe also “Suite Life on Deck.” I know Debby Ryan over there, we’re friends, so that would be cool.
Is it fun being a part of the Disney family?
Bridgit: Yeah! It’s awesome and you randomly run into all of the different people at different events and photoshoots and that sort of thing, so everyone has been totally welcoming to me. I’ve had a really great time joining the family and I can’t believe I’m a part of the Disney Family. It’s so surreal.
You sing and act. Do you like one more than the other?
Bridgit: That’s so tough because I like them both for really different reasons. I love that in acting I’m always having a new project and I get to step outside of myself. In singing it’s really fun to be creative with more of my own personality. That’s tough. I couldn’t decide. I have to say I like them both but for very different reasons.
Do you have any aspirations to do more work on the big screen?
Bridgit: Yeah, I think that would be awesome. I’ve done a couple of movies before, but only one recently has been in theaters. I think it would be awesome to make that transition at some point.
You were in Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. Was it hard working with a green screen?
Bridgit: It was really cool actually. They would first do a run-through of the scene with these little dolls that were the same size as the Chipmunks. Then they would take them out and during the scene as they were rolling, we’d have to work with air. So, in one scene Alvin holds up my finger. There was a lot of time spent on getting my finger in exactly the right place. It’s cool and pretty complicated, but super interesting.
Do you have any places fans can find you online?
Bridgit: I have a twitter account so they can find me on there. I also have a youtube account, they’re under the same username, which is, now get ready it’s complicated. It’s bmendler707700. I don’t know why I included that many numbers. (Follow her: @bmendler707700 and subscribe: youtube.com/bmendler707700.
Any message for your fans?
Bridgit: Thank you so much for your support and I can’t wait for you to the new show and hear the song on DisneyMania. I’m really excited.
