Emily Osment
Emily Osment stars as Lily Truscott on Disney's Hannah Montana. Viewers can't get enough of this down-to-earth young starlet, and while she may play the sidekick friend to superstar Hannah Montana, Emily always takes center stage with her fans.
The Star Scoop:
Tell us about your start in acting.
Emily Osment:
I think it all started way back when I was little, when I was five years old. My dad just sort of asked me if I wanted to get into it, and I said yeah, sure, why not? I mean, I was five years old. I started doing commercials, small TV appearances, and then movies, and now the show. I think it all just builds up to this, and it took a lot of years, but here I am.
The Star Scoop:
What about school?
Osment:
It is sort of a challenge, it’s not that it’s hard, it’s just that you’re juggling a lot of things at the same time. And the show just takes up all of my life these days, which is fabulous, I mean, I love working on a show, doing what I’m doing. [But], also the school aspect of it all is that I need to get everything in, and I have deadlines. It was a lot. But I think as I keep going, everything will smooth out.
The Star Scoop:
Working with Sci-Fi, it's a main network, but it's not one of the big names. Does the way it operates differ in any way from your experience being on guest roles in the major networks?
Osment:
Yeah, and a lot of it's positive. Sure, you don't get into as many households, but you also don't have all the pressure. The pressure on the big shows, on the big network shows, if their numbers aren't there, those shows are gone. Sci-fi allows not just us, but shows like Battlestar Galactica to really come into their own. And also, one thing that's behind the scenes, we're an NBC universal show, we have the same studio that any other big NBC universal show has, which is why we're so lucky.
The Star Scoop:
How has working with Disney been?
Osment:
Disney’s been incredible. It’s like one big family. We’re always together, and no matter what we do, we just always have fun. That’s just how Disney is, it’s always big smiles and lots of laughter.
The Star Scoop:
Tell us about getting the role of Lily.
Osment:
What most people don’t realize, is they think it’s automatic, like, okay, you’re Lily. But, it isn’t like that for anything. I think I probably auditioned three of four times. It was about a year and a half ago, and I went in to read, and at that time it was just a few people in the room. The last audition, Miley Cyrus was already cast, they wanted me to read with her. They want to see how you do on your own, how you work with the other actors, and eventually what you look like, what your qualities are, if you look the part. It just took a very long time, that’s just how it works.
The Star Scoop:
How are you similar to Lily, and how are you different?
Osment:
I think I’m most like Lily because I really like to do sports. She’s a really sporty girl. She likes to get on her skateboard. I’m sure she’s involved with all the extra curricular activities at her school. She’s really out there and social, and that’s sort of like me, too. And I think the way I’m sort of not like Lily, is, she has, I have to say, the coolest clothes I have ever seen. Her clothes are amazing, so I would love to have those kind of clothes.
The Star Scoop:
Kids watch [Hannah Montana], they see you, they see Lily. How would you describe yourself to your fans, so they can know the real you?
Osment:
I think, you know, as weird as it is, I am kind of like Lily. I am different from her, but I’m also very much like her. I’m really outgoing, and I love hanging out with my friends, and I’m just a regular kid, just like them. I might be on a TV show, but I’m just a kid.
The Star Scoop:
How does it feel to know that so many young girls look up to you?
Osment:
I think that’s what this business is all about, making the audience happy, and just seeing their reactions. Whenever I meet someone, talk to someone on the phone, it’s a great feeling, knowing you’ve made their day or that they love the show and they love watching. I mean, it gives them something to do. It’s a great feeling.
The Star Scoop:
Why do you think Hannah Montana is so popular?
Osment:
I think kids can connect with it a lot. Usually, on the Disney shows, the characters are usually really popular in school. In this show, it’s sort of the opposite, because they’re not so popular. Miley and Oliver, you know, they’re not the most popular kids in school, and I think it gives kids something to relate to. It also gives the factor of Hannah Montana, which is every girl, or boy who wants to be a pop star. I wanted to be a pop star my entire life. Who doesn’t want to be a pop star? It gives them those alter egos, and I think that’s something that they can connect to and always want to be like.
The Star Scoop:
Hannah Montana sings, Miley sings, Billy Ray Cyrus sings. Are you a good singer?
Osment:
Um, in my shower! I do the choir at school, I mean, it’s nothing like Miley. It’s not as good as Miley, but I mean, I like to sing. My dad did a lot of musical theater. My mom did a lot of singing at weddings when she was younger. I’ve always just been out there, just singing, not professionally, but it has always been in my life.
The Star Scoop:
In one episode, it seems like your character, Lily, isn’t such a good cheerleader, but then she makes the team. What is something that you’ve tried, but you weren’t so good at?
Osment:
Hmm. Let me see. I’m not that good at technology, I have to say. I tried one of the gifts for my birthday. I got the like, make my own computer sort of thing. I said, oh this will be so much fun, you know, it will be really fun. But once I got down to it, I was just so lost, I had no idea what I was doing. It’s the same thing with cell phones, or the TV, or stuff like the TiVo. I have problems sometimes.
The Star Scoop:
What's going on with Hannah Montana? What are you up to?
Osment:
We’re sort of at a break, at a hiatus right now. We just finished season one, which was pretty incredible. We shot, I think it was twenty nine episodes, I think. They just kept coming up with ideas. I think it’s going to be like that next season, too. So we’re sort of on a break, and we go back, I think mid November. I have recently been doing a clay animation movie called Holidays with Brenda Song, and the Sprouse twins. That’s been really fun. And that’s going to be sort of like a Christmas special, a TV special. Fred savage is also in it. It should be really fun.
The Star Scoop:
What goals do you have for yourself as an actor?
Osment:
I think, ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to do this. If I just keep going at the rate I’m going, I will be just so happy with what I’m doing. I’ve wanted to work with people who are ahead of me in acting. I want to get that experience too, and just keep going.
The Star Scoop:
What is something your fans might not know about you?
Osment:
A lot of people don’t know, I recently got into snowboarding.
The Star Scoop:
Do you have a message for your fans?
Osment:
I think, no matter what anyone ever says about you, you just need to be proud of who you are, and believe in yourself. Never underestimate yourself and just be, all that you can be.