We all love sunshine in the summer, but at KW there’s one more sunshine we love—Caroline Sunshine! The fourteen year old actress appeared in Disney’s hit music/dance show Shake it Up, we got the chance to catch up with Caroline and ask her a few questions.
Kidzworld: You’re in the new Disney series Shake it Up, how did you land the role?
- Caroline Sunshine: There were over a thousand girls who auditioned for the part of Tinka so I feel very grateful to be one out of one thousand and have the opportunity to bring this character to life. I remember when I made it to the top three for the role I was up against another girl who truly was from Europe and had an authentic accent. I thought, “How in the world am I going to pull this off?” But somehow I did!
KW: When did you first realize you were interested in acting?
- Caroline: I started dancing ballet when I was very young so my background really is dance. But I remember loving the feeling of being on a stage and having a love for performing from a young age. My parents would take me to plays and to the movies and I think my love for it really grew from there.
KW: What was your first role?
- Caroline: My very first role was the character of Barbara Winslow in the movie Marmaduke. Up until that point I had only done commercials. I had never done a guest star role or a series and yet they cast me! I was very lucky to have my first role be a supporting role in a movie where I got to go film in Canada for three months.
KW: In [kwlink 1055]Shake it Up[/kwlink] you play Tinka, what is she like?
- Caroline: I love playing the character of Tinka because it is a license to be completely wild and eccentric. There are no limits to playing a character like Tinka. She is a great dancer and has a lot of confidence in herself. She also is very fashion forward and is a total European trendsetter. Never in a million years would I think that I would be playing a character like this, but I love every minute of it.
KW: What is the show about, and what would you like to see happen in it?
- Caroline: “Shake It Up” is the first of its kind in the sense that it’s a buddy comedy that revolves around dance. Nothing has ever been done like this before on TV. The show follows two BFFs, Rocky and Cece, as they follow their dreams to become professional dancers on the show “Shake It Up Chicago”. I play Tinka Hessenheffer who is the “frenemy” of Rocky and Cece because she is sometimes their friend and sometimes their enemy. Tinka also is a dancer on “Shake It Up Chicago”. We have such a great time making this show and we are so grateful to all of the fans that watch it and enjoy it as much as we do!
KW: What is your favorite role (apart from Tinka) that you’ve had so far?
- Caroline: I really loved playing Barbara Winslow in Marmaduke because of the experiences I had. It was my very first role and I got to work with amazing actors and a lot of dogs! I got to work with people like the Emmy nominated actor Lee Pace and the Oscar nominated actor William H. Macy. I learned so much working on that project and took away a lot of friendships that I still have!
KW: We you’re involved with charity work, can you tell us a little about some of the projects you’re involved with?
- Caroline: Philanthropy and giving back is something that has always been important to my family and me. As a young actor it allows you to have a platform to give something back to the community and it’s a really great feeling when you realize even the smallest things make a difference. Working on the Disney Channel I have had the opportunity to have hands on experience helping the environment with “Friends for Change” and helping educate children and families about making healthy choices with “Magic of Healthy Living”. I am also very excited to announce that recently I have been named the Teen Ambassador for the Thirst Project which is an organization that helps to bring clean water to millions of people around the world. I find it fascinating that over 80% of our planet is covered in water but nearly half of the people who live on it don’t have access to clean water. I am proud to be partnering with the Thirst Project to change that statistic.
KW: How is acting for TV and acting for movies different?
- Caroline: I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work in both TV and film and I love them both. To me TV is a bit more like live theater in the sense that you rehearse a lot and shoot the scenes in front of a live audience. In film, you shoot the scenes everyday and the audience doesn’t get to see it till it premieres.
KW: Do you have any hobbies?
- Caroline: I try to lead a pretty active lifestyle. My biggest hobby is traveling with my family. I love to travel to new places and try crazy things. I’m a bit of a dare devil so I have done things like ziplining, parasailing, scuba diving, and reverse bungee jumping! When I’m home, I’m much more calm and I love to do things like reading, [kwlink 25210]shopping[/kwlink], volunteering, dancing, and hanging at the beach with my friends.
KW: In an ideal world, who would you like to work with in the future?
- Caroline: I would love to work with Johnny Depp. I really admire him as an actor and personally in my opinion his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow is one of greatest performances given by an actor. I love his creative sense and the way he creates a character so it would be a dream come true to work with him.
Your Fave...
Food: grilled cheese
Band: Taylor swift
TV Show: Shake It Up…..just kidding…..I love Modern Family
Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
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