Pretty, dark-haired teen actress Miranda Cosgrove, who stars in the popular Nick series iCarly, also voices orphan girl Margo in the fun new animated film Despicable Me, hit theaters July 9, 2010!
We dished with Miranda and found out that she and her pals do cruise past the houses of guys they like and even famous girls hope for a hot date to the big dance. Has she been "despicable"? Well, she did drop her mom's cell phone into a toilet! Let's get the latest on Despicable Me and iCarly, too …
Kidzworld: What is your life like since you became a recognizable star?
- Miranda: When I go to the mall, people will come up and talk about iCarly or they’ll say, “I heard a song I like of yours.” I still get just as excited as I did, three or four years ago, when I first started the show. I love it. It’s funny when my friends are with me and cute guys come up to me. They get really excited. They introduce themselves.
Kidzworld: Do you get first pick of the cute guys?
- Miranda: No, not really. My friends immediately come over and introduce themselves. One of my best friends is really into fashion and she always looks great, so she’s usually the one.
Kidzworld: In Despicable Me, you are the voice of oldest orphan sister Margo. How much are you like your character and how different?
- Miranda: I think a big part of the character is that she is really protective of her two little sisters and, in real life, I don’t have any siblings. My best friend has a little sister, so I tried to use her a little bit because she’s always trying to make the right decisions and she’s always helping her sister. So, I just tried to be really authoritative because Margo has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, even though she’s really young. She’s like the mom of these two little girls.
- I am like Margo because she’s pretty strong in the movie and she’s not afraid to stand up to Gru (her "despicable" step dad). I’m a little like that. Especially when I was younger, like 10 or 11, I’d always try to get my way, and she does that a lot in the movie.
Kidzworld: Margo has to be tough to survive. What did you draw on from your personal life, in playing such a tough cookie?
- Miranda: When I was younger, I was a little bit tough. Everybody has their parent that’s a little easier to get to take them places. My dad’s the one that’s easier so when I was younger, I used to always try to get him to take me to the movies, pick up my friends and let me have parties at my house, and stuff. I used that a little bit, in the scenes when I was going head-to-head with Gru (voiced by Steve Carell).
Kidzworld: What did you think of Margo’s style? I liked her red high-tops.
- Miranda: The first time I saw the character, the number one thing I thought was so cute about her was that she wore those high tops with that little plaid skirt. I just loved that. I think it’s adorable.
Kidzworld: You record in a sound booth alone so have you met your other Despicable Me castmates yet?
- Miranda: I met Jason (Segel) and Steve (Carell) for the first time, two weeks after we finished the movie. They had these 12 little people dressed up as the Minions in the movie. They did a choreographed dance. We were told to do the conga line with them and try to follow along with the dancing. It was just really funny. Steve and Jason were laughing so hard they could barely breathe, and I was just really weirded out.
Kidzworld: What’s coming up on iCarly?
- Miranda: Carly, finally has a bedroom, which I thought was really cool because it’s purple and that is my favorite color. They just made it the dream bedroom. They put a trampoline that you jump on, into the bed. Then, the closet rotates and you pick your outfit on a pad next to it, and then it gives you your outfit. It’s just a really amazing room.
Kidzworld: Sounds amazing. Is an iCarly movie going to happen?
- Miranda: They’ve talked about making an iCarly movie before, but nothing’s really been finalized. I think it’d be really fun to do it, just because we’ve done every episode in this little studio on Sunset (Blvd.), at Nickelodeon Studios, and we’ve never left. The farthest we’ve ever gotten away was the street behind the studio, so I’d love to get to go on vacation somewhere with the whole cast.
Kidzworld: How is your music going?
- Miranda: I co-wrote the single from my album, Kissing You. It’s about a guy that I really, really like, and I was embarrassed to tell him the song was about him but I did. He was flattered. I thought he was going to think I was weird.
(She won't tell us who it was).
- Now, I think I’m going to go on my first tour in December. We finish up the season of iCarly in September. It’s going to be my first time in a bus with a band, traveling around performing.
Kidzworld: Sounds so exciting! How do you like the music in the movie?
- Miranda: It’s awesome because Pharrell did the music. I love the song Despicable Me that’s in the trailer. It's a rap song. I can’t wait to get the soundtrack.
Kidzworld: You are in 11th grade but do you plan on going to senior prom? Have you started thinking about who your date would be?
- Miranda: I don’t want to miss it, for sure. They have a home schooling prom, but I’m not sure how fun that would be because you don’t know anybody. I’m probably going to try to go with my friend to her prom. Last time something happened with her date, at the last minute, and he couldn’t go, so I got to go with her inside a limo. It was really fun.
Kidzworld: What’s in your iPod?
- Miranda: I like LaRue’s Bulletproof and I really like California Girls by Katy Perry. My best friend just got a Jeep for graduation because of the song.
Kidzworld: Cool! Will you get in trouble in that Jeep?
- Miranda: Yeah, we already have. We’ve been going to the beach a lot and we’ve been driving by a guy she like’s house.
Kidzworld: Been there and done that! Have you ever done something despicable?
- Miranda: Yes, on Mother’s Day I dropped my mom’s cell phone in a toilet! It was by accident. I was going to see a movie and my phone went dead, so I borrowed hers. I went to the bathroom and I tripped. It was like something out of a TV show or movie. It just flew out of my hand and plopped right in the toilet. I was freaking out because it was Mother’s Day. I knew she’d be upset anyways, but on Mother’s Day? That’s just the worst. My friend and I were going to try to walk to her house and blowdry it out!
Lynn Barker, an editor and entertainment journalist for several websites, magazines and newspapers, has been active in the entertainment industry for many years.
Have Your Say
Have you done anything you consider despicable? Are you an iCarly fan? Will you try to see Miranda if she does her music tour? Let us know by posting your comment below!
