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Chloe Lang, the actress who played Stephanie in seasons 3 and 4 of LazyTown. Also with her is her mother Tina. How you guys doing over in Connecticut?
Chloe: We're good!
Tina: Yeah we're doing good. We're all settled in, cozy for the night.
CC: Right on.
T: It's 7:30 here, ish.
CC: I'd like to start off by talking about your time and experiences while working at LazyTown from 2012 to 2014. Actually, I'd like to start out even before that. Could you tell us a bit about how you got the part as Stephanie.
CL: So I got this call from my manager, and she said that there was a role for Stephanie on LazyTown. I'd never heard of the show or seen it before, but as I learned more about it, it seemed pretty cool, so I said, "Yeah, sure, I'll go in for it." When I was in the audition, right after I got out, they said that they wanted me to come back in tomorrow for the call backs, so that was pretty cool I was excited like, "Wow they must like me!" That night I went home and I had to learn the "Bing Bang" dance, and I had to prepare a song and everything. So the next day I went in and I did that, and then it took a few weeks to hear back. I was home from school one day and my mom called me saying I got the part, and I was freaking out and super excited. Then we had to sign the contract and everything, and we did all that. A month later we were on our way out to Iceland, so it was all pretty fast and exciting.
CC: So you said that before you had heard about the part of Stephanie, you had no idea about
LazyTown at all?
CL: Yeah, I had never seen it or heard of it before.
CC: It's actually been around for about fifteen years, even before you got started working with the television series. Were you surprised to learn that the brand is actually older than you are?
CL: Yeah. It was really cool because their was another [actress] who played Stephanie before me. It was hard picking up from where she left off. I felt like I had to try to be like her, but soon I realized that I was Stephanie in my own kind of way, so I could do it how I liked it. Everyone really accepted that nicely, so it was nice.
CC: The actress who played Stephanie before you, her name is Julianna Mauriello. Did you ever
speak with her about playing Stephanie at all?
CL: No, I've never met her or talked to her before.
CC: What kind of things did you do to prepare for, or what kind of things did LazyTown have you do to prepare for the part of Stephanie.
CL: When I first got there, they had a meeting with me and they were seeing what I could do. I went into training every day before we started filming, just to learn how to catch balls better because Stephanie is very active, so I was going to have to do a lot of that stuff on set. I was only ten years old, so I wasn't really great at some stuff. I was learning how to jump rope and Hula Hoop, and do all stuff that ten year olds should know how to do, and that Stephanie had to do on the TV show.
T: And they actually gave you the entire series and said, "Go home and watch it."
CL: Every night I watched an episode of season one and two.
CC: So they had you watch literally the entire TV series from start to finish?
CL: Yeah
CC: Wow. How long did that take you?
CL: I actually really enjoyed the show, so I would watch ten a day.
T: You watched them all I don't even know how many times
CL: Just whenever I had free time I would watch them.
CC: I'm sure that during production of LazyTown there is absolutely no such thing as a typical day, but could you give us an idea of what your day to day life was like while filming?
CL: I would wake up at seven-ish, and I would go to the studio by eight. I would get an hour of school with my tutor. By nine I would go into hair and make up, and that took about an hour to do my hair in braids and pin it up, put it under the wig, and then get my makeup done and get dressed, to be all ready to go on set. So I'd be onset by ten usually, and I'd do a bunch of scenes, and then by twelve or twelve thirty, I forget...
T: One o'clock, precisely.
CL: One o'clock we went up to the cafeteria for lunch. Each day they had fresh food that was different each day. So, we would eat, and we'd have a half hour lunch. I'd go back on set, and here and there when they didn't need me for scenes, I'd go back to work with my tutor, or just hang out. I was done by seven, I would get out of there by seven. Normally I would either go home and shower, do my homework and eat dinner, or sometimes I'd go out to the movie theaters with friends, or go out to eat.
T: Or Cross Fit; you'd go exercise.
CL: Oh yeah, I had Cross Fit three nights a week with my mom and some other people who worked at LazyTown. So that was just a normal day for me.
CC: I remember being that age and really despising homework, I think that all kids despise homework. What was it like for you to have to do all that, plus all the schoolwork.
CL: My tutor was really good about it because she understood that I was on set all the time, really exhausted by the time I got home, so I could get away with not doing my math homework that night or something. She was really good about not giving me homework. It was mostly just while I was with her we'd have to do work, but it was really hard having to go into that tutor, when [in] the room next to me were the puppeteers. They were always so fun and fun to be around and funny, and there was always things to do around the building, running around and stuff. Especially when we had visitors that was the hardest because I would have to be stuck in school while my mom was bringing the visors out to the mall you know? It was really hard for me to try and focus on schoolwork, when there was a million other things going [on] around me.
T: Or sometimes she'd be right in the middle of, lets say, a Math test, and the knock would come on the door, and they'd be like, “We need you on set,” and she's like, “Aargh!”
CC: Sure, sure.
T: “I've just got to finish this problem!” So we tried to work out those kinks as best we could.
CC: How much school did you end up missing, physically missing, from working at LazyTown?
CL: Well, I left at the end of fifth grade, so I was gone for the summer. I was also gone for the end of half way through sixth grade, so it was six months that I missed of school.
T: The first season we left April 12th, then I believe we came back in time for Halloween, so we were there through October.
CL: Yeah, and then the next day I went back to school.
T: For the next round we left also in April and then we didn't come back until November. She missed chunks of school, but she was right where she needed to be, because when you get tutored, they could actually work at a more accelerated rate. Her tutor kept right up on what she was learning back here at home. She did really good with just coming right back in and getting into school. She likes school, so it wasn't like you had to force her to go, or, “Oh my God I've got to start this life again.”
CC: So you don't feel like you missed out on anything by not physically going to school for that much time?
CL: Well, when I came back I already had my friend group and I had to jump back in. We'd be hanging out, and they'd be like, "Oh yeah! You didn't hear about this! Blah blah blah,” so there was a lot of stuff that I did miss.
T: More socially.
CL: Yeah, more socially than schoolwork-wise because I had already done what they were all doing in class with my tutor.
CC: Yeah, it's tough to keep up on the gossip when you're halfway around the world.
CL: Yeah
T: And in a different time [zone] there
CC: Right, definitely.
T: Production was really good when Chloe was in sixth grade, there was a sixth grade everyone-goes camping trip. It was like a week, and we asked production if they would release her to go home so that she could be involved with that big anticipated social event with her school, and they were really good. So we were there, I think you worked two weeks and then you left, right?
CL: Yeah.
T: You weren't there very long, and then we left and we went home for a week, so that was really nice of them that they held up what they needed to do with her to let her go home so she was part of that social stuff with her friends.
CC: I'm glad to hear that they were kind to you, and gave you a little bit of leeway, cause it's tough you know, it's tough. It's a weird show to film, there's actors, puppets, CGI, it's quite a unique thing, I don't know of any other shows that have quite that combination, at least in the same integrated sense that LazyTown has. A couple of fans were wondering about what it was like filming LazyTown under such bizarre conditions.
CL: When I first got there, I went into the puppet room just to see all the puppets I would be seeing every day and get to know what they looked like. The puppeteers were acting out their characters so I knew what the other characters were like. They actually taught me how to control it and stuff, so I was really familiar with the puppets by the time I started filming. Then we were on catwalks like, in my first episode, I had to go running on a catwalk through a door. It was really tempting to look down because you don't want to fall off of it. Especially, in the first episode, the birthday one, I was carrying this huge cake, and walking on this skinny platform, and I was really scared inside. I didn't want to fall off. I just got used to how it's just supposed to be, and you've just got to do it. With the whole CGI thing, they were pretty good with putting marks on the green screen, so I know exactly where I'm supposed to be looking if a fake ball has to fly across, so it wasn't too hard but it was still a little tricky.
T: They let her touch the puppets. They were not fragile in the sense, so that when she was filming and she had to hug Stingy, that she really felt she could hug the puppet without causing any damage. They were really good that way. The puppeteers were all amazing.
CC: What was it like acting with the puppets, was it unusual to get used to, or not even puppets sometimes, sometimes just heads on a stick.
CL: When we were doing a scene and the camera was at a certain angle, and you had to be talking to Stingy or Ziggy, you couldn't exactly look at them. You'd have to look to the side of them so you could still get your face on camera. That was really hard. If I was talking to them, it's not a real face, so you're not supposed to be getting a reaction from them, you had to give more than what you would than if you were with a normal person because it's only going one way.
T: And the voice, the actual voice for the puppet, was coming from David [Matthew Feldman] or Ron [Binion]. It's coming from their mouth, but you couldn't really look at them because you needed to do this off kilter and look at the puppet.
CL: I would have to be looking at the puppet, but the voice would be coming from underneath me, so it was really tempting and sometimes I would look down, and they'd be like, “Cut! You have to redo it.” Or sometimes, we'd be in a scene and we'd all have to run off screen, and they had their little platforms that they had to roll on and they would roll over my toes and I'd be like, “Aaargh!”
CC: Did you ever forget that they were puppets and begin to see them as kind of, real?
CL: When I became closer and closer with the puppeteers themselves, I was really getting to be comfortable with them, and then I could be comfortable with their puppets more. I knew them well, so I felt like I started to actually become friends with the puppets!
CC: How did filming LazyTown differ from your expectations?
CL: When I was there I knew that I would be filming with puppets, but once we started, I didn't know that it would be so much work, because I would be non stop all day, and by the end of the day I was just so tired. It'd be six o'clock and I'd be like, "Urgh, I just want to go home and go to bed," and they'd be like, "You have one more hour." It was a lot of fun, but it was so tiring. I think when I went there I wasn't really sure that it was going to be that much work.
CC: Was that the part that you found most difficult? The sheer amount of work that went into filming?
CL: Yeah, and also the fact that I was the only kid on the whole set, the whole cast and crew were all adults. Sometimes they'd treat me like an adult, and I liked that, but then sometimes it'd be too much for me, and they'd have to stand back and say, "Oh yeah, we can't forget she's a kid." So sometimes they would give me a day off just to be nice. The only days I had off were Saturday and Sunday, just like a normal weekend, and since my days were so long all through the week, sometimes they'd give me a day off just because they know I'm a kid and stuff.
CC: What was it, twelve hours a day or something?
CL: Yeah, twelve hours.
T: Eleven.
CC: You shot 26 episodes there over two seasons, which episode do you think was the most fun for you to film?
CL: I've two in mind. One is Who's Who, because I got to play two different roles, and you'd be standing right next to each other, and then seeing it on screen, I'd see myself, two of me right next to each other, so that was pretty cool and it was just fun. One scene I'd be like, "Hi I'm Stephanie," and the next scene I'd be all sassy, back to back, it was interesting doing that. Also, in two episodes, the moon one and Little Pink Riding Hood, I got to fly! So that was really fun. I was literally all the way up to the ceiling. In the moon one I had to wear this huge space suit with the harness under it, and I was really suffocated. I'd actually take it off and be like, "Ah! I need to breathe!"
T: Wasn't that one of your most difficult costumes? The moon one?
CL: Yeah, there were so many pieces. There was this cone thing that had to go over my head, and it was around my neck. It was a cone! Around my neck! So it was tight.
T: You had a lot of layers on, and the actual helmet from that episode, they ended up putting a fan in there so that you had a little bit of fresh air. That was a tough costume. Someday we'll post a few behind-the-scenes of just getting in that costume.
CC: Yeah, you've done a great job at posting behind-the-scenes videos and pictures online so I have to thank you for that one. So, to play the role of Stephanie, you have to be a kind of trifecta; you have to act, you have to sing, you have to dance. Which of these parts of the role did you enjoy performing the most?
CL: At first, I was really overwhelmed with the dancing part because for each episode I had to learn a new dance. When I wasn’t in school I had to be with my choreographer to go over it. And then when I wasn’t with her I was back in school or I was on set or I was eating lunch or I was doing something. The dancing part was really tough because I was always had to make sure that I knew my dances.
T: You'd actually have to know them perfectly, and then, more often than not, Magnús [Scheving] would scrap the choreography, so you would have to start all over again
CL: Yeah, because he had to approve everything. The acting part, some of it came naturally, but I also had a few acting coaches out there to help me through it. My favorite, I'd have to say, was the singing part because each week was a new song and they were all fun and catchy and everyone in the whole building was always singing it. Whenever I was doing the music videos wed always have new ideas and all these fun things to do. Also, in the recording studio, Máni [Svavarsson] was always really nice about doing it as many times as I wanted until I got it the way I wanted. And shifting keys to make sure that I was comfortable singing it. So he was really good about that and I'd have to say that that was the most fun part.
CC: I'm glad that you mentioned the singing because I was wondering, over the eighteen songs that you sang between seasons three and four, which was your favorite?
CL: That's a really tough one.
T: You really liked the moon one.
CL: Yeah, I like the moon one because it really reminded me of a pop song, so I had that one stuck in my head for as long as I can remember.
T: Well, what happens is they all get stuck in your head because while they're shooting the video, it's on repeat. When it's not on repeat, people are going around signing it. You develop this crazy relationship with this song and then you move on and its like, “Oh, what was that song?”
CC: What about you Tina, what was your favorite LazyTown song?
T: I really liked, whats the name of that song now, Chlo?
CL: It's Little Pink Riding Hood, it's called -
CC: “Life Can Be a Surprise.”
CL: Yeah.
T: I really like that one. I like the one in Pyramid Panic.
CL: Oh yeah, I also like the one from the soccer episode. “Ooo-way-oh,” that was a fun one.
T: And I love the one, you're not in it, but its with the three additional Robbie Rottens.
CL: Oh yeah.
T: That was really good. A little bit of a ska beat to it.
CC: Exactly, that one threw me way off when I first heard it. I mean, it really just shook me. I was like, “What is this? This isn't LazyTown.” But I do really like it as well.
T: You could imagine what four of those guys on set were like. That was insane.
CL: One Robbie Rotten has me laughing all day, but with four of them all together, I was non-stop having fun on set.
T: Those outtakes are going to be priceless, really.
CC: Of all those songs that you performed though, which one do you think was the most difficult for you to perform?
CL: To sing or to do on camera?
CC How about both?
CL: Probably for the Who's Who episode, for that song, I had to be dancing with a partner. So, A month ahead of time, I had to be learning salsa classes and had to take all these different types of dancing. Then, I had to practice with my dancing partner because we had never met each other before but we had to all of a sudden dance together, so that was hard. Especially if it was new dancing that I've never done before, so that was probably the hardest one on camera. The hardest one to sing, hmmm, I'm not sure. Probably one of the high ones, because a few years ago, I couldn’t sing that high, so he would always have to be making it lower. But sometimes, there’s no way around singing it higher so I would have to sing really high. So that was probably the hardest part.
T: And you'd have to sing it, and you'd have to sing it in character.
CL: Yeah, because my normal singing voice is kind of different from my Stephanie voice so I'd have to be Stephanie while I was singing.
CC: I was actually wondering about that, just personally wondering about that. What do you think is the difference between Stephanie's voice and your own normal voice?
CL: Well, my normal voice is obviously just like this, and Stephanie is always very bubbly, kind of over-the-top, and that's what I had to be on camera, over-the-top happy, because I was performing for these little three-year-olds and five-year-olds so I kind of have to make it more than I normally am. So it was very, very outgoing.
CC: And how difficult was that to do at the eleven hour mark?
CL: That was very hard when I was halfway asleep and I'd have to be like, “Hey guys!” So especially when they would save the most energetic scenes for the end of the day.
T: Ah, yeah, how about that.
CL: Yeah, I was like, “no.”
T: They'd save the music video for six o'clock. But I have to say that Magnús brought a lot of energy to the set and to his directing, so that would help get people, including Chloe, over the hump when she was tired. He'd be like “You can do it! One more time! This is it! Crazy! Go crazy!”
CC: All the time people are wondering about what it's like to work with Magnús. Could you tell us a little bit more about what it was like to work with him?
CL: Well, he always kept me going, and he always wanted what was best for me, so I felt very close to him. He would invite me over to his house for dinner, and I knew his whole family, and we would always go places together, so he was more of a friend than a coworker. When I was on set with him I just felt really comfortable with him, and that's something that I needed to have in order to be myself on camera, so I was really lucky to have him always keeping me going and always being the one that was nice to me. Sometimes if the episodes were getting too hard he'd say, “Guys, give her a break.” He was always the one to tell them, “Back off,” so I'm really thankful that I had him there.
CC: Earlier, you were talking about the costume for the moon episode, Let's Go To The Moon, but I'm glad that you did because I actually wanted to bring up costumes specifically, because it's honestly part of the show that I overlook all the time, but some people don't. A lot of work goes into costumes for Stephanie, for Robbie Rotten, and you got to dress up in a lot, probably a lot that were really uncomfortable, like the moon suit. But what were your favorites in this grand, expensive game of dress-up?
T: I think you liked the cape.
CL: Yeah, I really liked the cape one. They took their costumes very seriously, so it was always real silk, real leather, hand-stitched. So it was really amazing going for the fittings and seeing the sketch of what they wanted it to look like, and then seeing it halfway done with all these little different materials all together, and seeing the final product on me, on camera.
T: María [Ólafsdóttir], the costume-maker, she was brilliant.
CL: Yeah, she was just amazing. Probably my favorite was the pajamas because they were just comfortable. For one episode, the troll one, when I found out that I was wearing the pajamas the whole entire episode, I was so excited, I was like, “I get to wear pajamas every day, and I get to wear slippers, and I just get to be comfortable,” so that was probably my favorite costume.
CC: Earlier you had mentioned that you had watched the entire series of LazyTown to prepare for the role, or at least the entire series before you had started with them. Between all those songs, and all the songs that you recorded, are there any songs that you will actually listen to because you enjoy them?
CL: My favorite part about the songs is also seeing the music video that goes with it. So sometimes when I'm sitting home and I have nothing else to do, I'll Google “LazyTown music videos,” and I just listen to all the songs. I like to watch Julianna's and then see mine, and see the comparison. When I look at mine I just like it because it brings back old memories, and since I was so little, I was ten and now I'm thirteen, so it's really touching just seeing them, so I enjoy watching them all the time.
CC: Are there any of your performances, when you look back on them on YouTube, that maybe you're really unhappy with?
CL: Not exactly, because I feel like I always gave it my all when I was there because I knew that this TV show was going to be seen worldwide, so I always wanted to look my best. There were definitely some, not exactly full music videos, but some shots that you could see I was just very tired. I'd feel like, “Oh, I don't really like that shot, because I don't look as happy as I should be,” or something like that, and you could just kind of tell through my eyes, because in all the other shots my eyes were super sparkly because I was just so happy, but then in some of them, especially when they shot it closer towards the end of the day, I was just super tired, so I wouldn't have the same energy in some of the shots.
CC: While working with LazyTown you mentioned that every day you go up, and in the cafe there's new food. Every day. That's amazing, I still can't get over that. Did you find any new kinds of sportscandy that maybe you hadn't tried before?
CL: Well, when I was in Iceland, they always got me smoothies, and now I happen to love smoothies. Also, I'm allergic to apples, and figs, and pears, so that was pretty hard because Stephanie's supposed to be eating those every day. There was a scene like, “Stephanie bites into an apple,” but I'm like, “Well, I can't, because I'm allergic.” So it was hard like that, but all of the fruits I love. Also, I don't eat fish
CC: Uh oh.
T: Right.
CL: Iceland's a very big fish country, so I'd walk up in to the cafeteria, and there would be fish or lamb or something, and I'd be like, “Oh, I don't like that.” Then they would just make me a pizza, and I'd be like “Oh, sweet,” and then I'd eat and I'd be all set to go back on set. They were very good about always making me pleased, so I was really thankful that I had the chefs up there, and I was always thanking them.
T: Yeah, no fish here, so that was a challenge. Fish and lamb, that's their two favorite dishes, so they were like, “You've just got to try it, you'll like it,” and she was like, “No, I don't, I'm sorry.” “Just take another bite!” “No, I don't.” Never stuck.
CC: Yeah, when I was out there I tried the hákarl, the shark that is soaked in its own urine.
T: You're brave!
CC: Yeahhh. I wouldn't try it twice. I don't think I'd recommend it either. I was told that now that I did I'm a true Viking, so I add that to my resumé now. On the days that you did get off, what kind of things did you do around Iceland to experience the country or just kill some time, even?
CL: One weekend we took this huge trip to the Glacier Lagoon. That was really amazing, I had never seen anything like it. We did it with two of the puppeteers, and they were incredibly funny, so it was just an overall really fun trip. Also, we always go on this hike to Thórsmörk once a year, so I've been twice, and the first year me and my mom were too afraid to do the huge hike where you have to go far up in the mountains, but two years ago (the last year that we were there) we tried it, and it was just such an amazing experience. Coming from Connecticut, not seeing any of that, going to Iceland, just seeing all these mountains, and glaciers, and volcanoes, it was incredible. We did that, but then also just a casual weekend we would go out to eat at Pizza Hut, because that was my favorite restaurant. We'd go to the movies and they have arcades in the mall, and they'd even have some rides. We'd always be with people and doing that. I also made a few friends up there, so I'd hang out with them or sleep over. So I was always doing things, or we would go downtown
T: Get a waffle, hot chocolate.
CL: Yeah, we were always keeping ourselves busy.
T: Yep, or just go hang out, just people-watch.
CL: Sometimes we'd like to just, if it was warm out, go outside and just paint the flowers or even just chill out inside and watch TV.
CC: I'm sorry, did you say “paint the flowers?”
CL: Paint pictures of them.
CC: Oh, okay, that makes whole lot more sense. You said you went to Pizza Hut often, which I kind of wanted to go to an American restaurant just to see what it was like, how it compared, if it was exactly the same. So, from your personal experience, is there any difference?
CL: Well, they had this one restaurant, I think it was called “American Burger” or something like American, it was supposed to be an American restaurant with burgers, fries, shakes, and it was actually pretty good. I didn't go there too often, because... I don't know why. But we went there sometimes, and we liked it. Our favorite all-time restaurant, because my favorite food is Italian, and my makeup artist, her husband owns the restaurant Rosso Pomodoro, and that was our all-time favorite. I liked either the pizza, the pasta with meat sauce, or the pasta with oil and veggies, and then we'd have a nice brownie and ice cream dessert, and mmm it's making me hungry just thinking about it! It was really good, so we'd go there all the time.
T: We don't eat Kentucky Fried Chicken here, but we started eating it there as an alternative to fish, and they did not have mashed potatoes, and I remember you were so bummed out, you were like, “What?!”
CC: Did they have coleslaw?
T: Coleslaw and french fries, it was a french fry, not a mashed potato, and we were telling the lady, “No mashed potatoes,” and they're like, “What? No.”
CL: I don't really eat fast food, but when I was out there I had KFC and I just got the popcorn chicken, because I don't like fancy things, so I just got the popcorn chicken, french fries, and a drink. I just did that once in a while, and I liked Pizza Hut because it tastes nothing like Pizza Hut here in America. It was actually good pizza.
T: Dominoes pizza was better there than here.
CL: Yeah, Dominoes was really good.
CC: I think Dominoes is the superior pizza, regardless of where you go, and I'm glad to hear that Pizza Hut was better there, because here I don't know why anybody would get it. I don't like it at all. (GetLazy is not sponsored by Dominoes pizza or it's affiliates.) Anyway, back to the point. You've been portraying Stephanie for a while now, and you did portray Stephanie outside of the television show as well on a couple occasions. What was it like doing that?
CL: Well, the live shows were always very fun because you could see how people were reacting to it. When I was on camera, I don't know how people watching it on TV are thinking, but it was really nice to see that they appreciate it when I was performing with them. Also, working with the people on stage, sometimes we would mess up, but it was just fun, it was just a great experience.
T: The first time she was appearing as Stephanie was in Long Island, and just to remind her that that character that she needs to go on set with is the same character that, for example, when she was walking through the mall to get to the stage, and even though she was walking with her friends, she still had to walk like Stephanie and not walk like Chloe. Stephanie couldn't have a cell phone near her. Her friends could drink soda but Stephanie can't drink soda. We didn't even want soda near her, so that if someone was going to take a picture while she's signing autographs and her friends were sitting there, there can't be any of that stuff around because we don't want that character to be seen with that, so that was just, as her mom, to see her, especially with her friends, pulling off the Stephanie character in person and in front of her friends was kind of funny to see.
CC: Did you find it at all difficult to do or was it pretty natural for you?
CL: It was difficult at first, but I don't really drink soda now, and they were also really good about it, they were cheering me on, so it was just overall fun, so now I'm just kind of used to it.
T: Just even how you would pose for a picture. Chloe poses for a picture a certain way which is different than Stephanie, so the first couple pictures I was like, “Wait a minute, this is this girl Chloe in a Stephanie costume. You can't pose that way!”
CC: Yeah, with the peace sign and the duck face, you know?
T: Yeah, yeah, no, none of that! I mean, we do have some of those, behind the scenes, but...
CC: Did you find any inspiration in the character Stephanie, or in any of the other characters from the show?
CL: Definitely everyone, because they all had something to teach me. Magnús always had to teach me his energetic and eating healthy, he always was that kind of guy. Then Robbie was always making me laugh, and teaching me certain ways to be comedic and stuff. Then the puppeteers were always teaching me how to fix the puppets, and work with them, and hold them up, and certain tricks. It was just so fun when we weren't doing our scene. We'd be goofing around all the time, and they were always acting like kids. Not in a bad way, but they were always making me feel not like I was the only kid and I was with a bunch of adults who were all business. They were always goofing around with me. Sometimes they'd be like, “Guys, focus! We've got to get this scene done!” But they were all really fun, we could all have a laugh, so that was really good.
T: I think you've become a better eater, though.
CL: Since back then?
T: Yeah, because when you arrived in Iceland, you were a chocolate, soda... I mean, she was just a typical kid who would eat junk, and she doesn't really drink soda anymore. People would tell her how bad it was and she was like, “You know what? You're right.”
CL: Like how LazyTown is teaching little kids to eat healthy, that's kind of what it taught me.
CC: You caught the bug?
CL: Yeah.
CC: That does happen.
T: And the activity bug! I mean, she's always been active, but Chloe's active.
CC: Well that's good to hear, and I'm glad to hear that you got along so well with the employees of LazyTown. But were there any employees that you really connected with and still remain good friends with today?
CL: Definitely the puppeteers, the American ones. I all love them and we still talk to them, but there was one specific, his name was Ron, he played Pixel. We still see him all the time. He lives in New York, so he comes down to visit us, we go up. He was my best friend when I was there. We'd always go to the movies together. He'd always be up for any adventure, He'd always be teaching me things and goofing around with me, and so we still talk today.
T: We are still in regular contact with Hanna Maja.
CL: She's my makeup artist, and every day I'd meet with her she'd be all up in my personal space doing my makeup so we just got really close like that. I was always over at her house, I was best friends with her little son. We'd always do things together, and she'd always be showing me places of Iceland and she was also one of our very best friends when we were out there.
T: And Stella [Rósenkranz].
CL: Yeah, she was the choreographer. All of them, we were good friends with all of them. They would always, especially the Icelandic ones, be wanting to show us more of the country, so they'd always volunteer to take us places. We became really close with all of them.
CC: Now, what do you make of the fact that LazyTown has a loyal adult following which is far outside the target audience?
CL: I think it's great that I can, because the show is made for little kids, also be entertaining adults because I am very happy that I can make other people happy with my show. I think it's just great that I can touch anyone, even though this was aimed for little kids, that older kids can enjoy it, too. It just makes me happy and feel good.
CC: What do you make of the criticisms that you get as your portrayal of Stephanie?
CL: I try to not pay attention to the people that don't like me. Obviously, I see what they have to say and I look at their opinions, but I don't really let it get to me, because what good is that going to do? I always tried my best on LazyTown, and if they try to compare me to Julianna, I know some people were used to her growing up, but then the new little kids are watching me so they're used to me. So everyone has their own opinions, I just try to ignore the people that don't like me, and I thank the people that give me compliments and everything, and I love the ones who love me, but I don't really let it get to my head. I just do what I do.
T: We try to remind Chloe that the target audience for the show is not going to be tied up in whether it's Julianna or whether it's Chloe. They're just tied into this bright-colored character, and they're just watching the show. She was hired, she was picked, she was hired to do a job, and I think she did the best that she could do under the circumstances she was given, and she had big shoes to fill, but she could not be Julianna; Chloe had to be Stephanie. Chloe couldn't be Chloe trying to be Julianna trying to be Stephanie, that would be ridiculous. And Julianna had to leave, it was her choice, and I'm not quite sure why she never chose to speak to people, or even speak to us, but it may or may not have had something to do with her overall experience, and it probably wasn't the experience she had with her target fans.
CC: Now, if you don't mind, Tina, I actually have a question for you specifically. What was it all like, in your point of view as a parent, filming LazyTown and this whole production? What was it like for you?
T: You know, it was a big decision to accept the role. Obviously when you're auditioning you're like, “Yeah, I hope you get it,” but then when it actually came in, it was like, “oh... okay, now we really need to think about what this is like.” It was a big decision, and we obviously decided to do it. As I do with everything, I want her to be prepared, professional, I want her to find something to enjoy every day when she was on set. I had to just kind of play the person who kind of kept it all together. They knew she needed school, but at the end of the day, I was the one who was going to have to answer to her education when she came back here, so I had to kind of make sure that was all going right, make sure that she was eating right, make sure she was sleeping right. So I really had to be that person, who was keeping it all in check. This kid could work hard, that's all I could tell you. You don't have to like the work she did, but you cannot deny that at ten years old, to be thrown in a professional environment in another country, away from family and friends and all the comforts of home, I don't think that that's a role that's cut out for just anybody. So I was very proud of how hard she's able to work, and if she can kind of take that work ethic and whatever she wants to put that towards, if she maintains that work ethic she's going to end up doing pretty good.
CC: What do you think was the most difficult part for you as a parent during this whole process?
T: Probably her needing to work really long hours and trying to mix that in with making sure that she was still having fun, because adult humor is different than kid humor. There was a point when Chloe went there and she was in love with Justin Bieber. It's not typical that adults care about that, but they were really good about listening to how much she loved Justin Bieber, and listening to the songs, and listening to them with her, so that was part of what I did, it's like, “Hey, she's working, but she also needs to be a kid.” That's probably the biggest thing I advocated for, I think.
CC: That was good to hear, because there's just so much about this whole thing that could make the experience turn sour, so I'm glad that it didn't, and that you contributed to that.
T: I mean, they were really great. Everyone was so good, I mean obviously people get caught up, they have an episode to produce, they got to get it out, they got to get this last scene. You know, everyone gets kind of caught up in their own, “me, me, me,” but when you took them out of that “me,” everyone was fantastic.
CC: I have one more question about your time at LazyTown, and that question is do you have a favorite memory about all that time working there?
CL: The people, and also just Iceland itself, because it was nothing like I've ever seen before. So getting to go to Iceland and seeing all these different places, and going outside the town, and going to all these –
T: We went to Westman Islands.
CL: Yeah, all these cool, crazy places. That was one of the best parts, and also getting to meet such nice people from a different part of the world that I'm still friends with today, and probably will be for a really long time. It's just great, it goes beyond the whole TV show part.
T: Yeah, I think it's not even the TV show part. It's not about doing that show, it's about the people that we met and that we spent time with. When we talk to the people today, we're not even really talking about the show, we're just talking about things.
CC: Now, we have a few questions, again from fans, about some things that aren't directly related to LazyTown. Maybe some things about your other talents, or your life in general. I have to warn you, I might start to sound like some relative of yours making small talk at a family reunion. But, to start off, could you describe yourself in five words?
CL: Funny, kind, creative, caring, and adventurous.
CC: Could you tell us about what your life was like before you worked at LazyTown and how it differs from your post-LazyTown life?
CL: Well, before I worked on LazyTown, I was just like a regular kid. I went to school every day, and did dance, everything that I still like to do now. I auditioned even before LazyTown, but I wasn't really as well-known. Then after LazyTown, I realized that people started recognizing me, and it felt really cool, when little kids would come up to me and ask for a picture or my autograph. So that's kind of how it's changed, because I can do appearances, and I'm on TV, that's pretty cool. So that's kind of how it's changed.
CC: Have you ever been approached on the street by random strangers that recognize you?
CL: It doesn't happen often, because people don't really recognize me without my pink hair.
CC: Right.
CL: But there was this one little girl that recognized me, and I was just out with my friends, out for ice cream just in my hometown, and she was like, “Oh my gosh, you're Stephanie from LazyTown! Can I get a picture with you,” and I was like, “Wow, you recognize me! Yeah, sure.”
T: The interesting part is if we choose to talk about it, there's always that, “Oh my god, no way, really,” reaction. You know, they're just not expecting it. So that's kind of the fun thing. So once again, if we choose to bring it up, we always kind of get that kind of reaction. Just recently, being in California, we were at a party, and Chloe saw someone from Vampire Diaries, and she felt a little shy to go and approach the actress and say, “Hey, I really respect your work.” I was kind of pushing her to do that like, “Please, go up, it's a private party. That's what people are here for, they're here for talking.” When she found out who Chloe was, she was freaking out and said, “Oh my god, I have to get a picture, I have to get your autograph, my kid loves you!” So that was a really cool experience, because here's Chloe was feeling shy about approaching somebody, and then she never thought that the lady would know who she was, or would care, so that was kind of cool. So that happens.
CC: So do you have any ideas about what you might like to do for a career? I know that it's a little early to be asking that question, but if you have any ideas floating around now.
CL: I definitely want to do something with performing. I'm not sure if it's going to be dance, singing, acting, but I definitely want to do something around that area because it's what I do every day, and have been doing for a really long time, and I find it so fun, and it's just what I see myself doing.
T: Or being an orthodontist.
CC: Is that really a backup plan?
CL: I mean, yeah.
T: I'm just saying.
CC: Why?
CL: I don't really know, because I've been going to a lot of orthodontist appointments lately, because it's almost that time to get braces. Everyone, there's just been talking to me about all this different stuff and I just find it really interesting, so I was just like, “Oh, Mom, that's cool,” and she was like, “Yeah, you should be that when you're older,” and I was like “Maybe.”
CC: So what about school? What's your favorite subject in school?
CL: Each year, my favorite subject changes, because you learn different things each year. Last year I thought science was really cool, but this year it's really hard, and we're learning about cool stuff in history, and so now that's my favorite. So it kind of varies, but right now it's history.
CC: Could you tell us about your experience as a dancer, how that has evolved over the years?
CL: I started dancing when I was eighteen months old, and I've been doing it ever since. I love it. When I was younger, I was part of a studio, and we were all really good friends, and it was almost like my second home. I went to Germany twice with that studio, and we had really great times, but then as I got older, I found that I wanted to do more on my own, so instead of being with the studio, taking the same class every week, I'd go to different teachers every week and try different classes and different choreography, and that really helped me grow as a dancer, because then you're getting it from all over the place, and I've been taking a lot of different classes. So, I think I've grown as a dancer.
CC: Of all these different classes that you've taken, have you developed a favorite style of dance?
CL: I have always loved contemporary, because you get to really feel the music. I can really connect with it, and it's just so much fun to do, so that's always been my favorite.
CC: You do a lot of modeling shoots and you post them a lot on Facebook and all that, and I had a fan wondering if those are usually for a clothing advertisement, or if it's just kind of all for fun.
CL: It depends. Some of the ones I did in LA were more for fun, but I've also done many that I've auditioned for and they casted me to model for clothes. I've done GAP., and with the photographer Sharkcookie we got some really amazing dance photos, and with a really great photographer Rena Durham, she took some really nice headshots and stuff.
T: And I think through that, someone saw Rena's work of Chloe, and then there was a magazine that reached out to her, that wanted to do a review on who she is and what she's done, so that is out, that just got released.
CL: Yeah, LVLTEN, right?
T: Yeah, LVLTEN, and then same thing with BCK, the Big City Kids, they had reached out and said they wanted to do something with her. So it just kind of happens.
CC: I assume, I think I'm safe to assume, that the first time that you went to Iceland was when you went to film LazyTown, is that correct?
CL: Yeah, yeah.
CC: In all your time there, did you ever experience any kind of a culture shock, or was there anything about the culture that kind of caught you off guard?
CL: Definitely the things that they ate, because I'm a very picky eater. Back at home, I don't eat fish, I only eat certain meats and stuff, I'm really picky about that. When I went over to Iceland, I kind of ate the same three things every day: pasta, hamburgers, and pizza. They're an island, so they're obviously all about fish. They ate shark and lamb, and all this other stuff I've never heard of, and I was like, “This is crazy and I'm not going to eat it,” so I had the same three things every day, and it was definitely a culture shock.
CC: Did you happen to pick up any of the language while being around natives so often?
CL: Yeah, because everyone on set spoke Icelandic, but then they could also speak English fluently, so they all spoke English to me, but after my first year being there when I was going back for season two, they said that they were only going to speak in Icelandic to me because that was the only way I was going to learn. My makeup artist would teach me at least two or three words every day in the makeup chair. I would learn it with my tutor, and eventually it just grew and I could know how to read it, and write it a little bit, and speak it. I still remember some of it, but it's kind of way back in there.
CC: Of all the places that you've traveled – and for being thirteen now, you are extremely well-traveled already – Which place has been your favorite, and why?
CL: I probably have to say Iceland. Since I was there for so long, I got to see everything there. I got to climb a mountain, go to the Glacier Lagoon. I got to do stuff that maybe if I were just to go for a week I wouldn't have done. I went to the movie theaters, all these different restaurants, and it kind of felt like a second home to me. I met so many friends, so many people that I still talk to today, that were really close. It's definitely one of my favorite memories, and that was one of my favorite places.
CC: And what kind of places would you like to travel to in the future?
CL: I want to go to some more tropical places, because I've only been to Mexico and Bahamas. I want to go to Greece, I want to Spain, I have so many places that I want to go to, it's crazy. I try to go everywhere, I think there's something cool to see everywhere you go.
CC: Yep, I agree. Is there anything special about Spain or Greece that drives you there?
CL: Well, with Spain, I know a lot of my friends have gone, because it's a school field trip that you do if you join a certain choir group in high school, and they all say the food there is so good, and the sights, and all these different places you can go, and just everything, and it's so pretty, and I've seen pictures of it and it just looks amazing.
CC: What kind of music do you listen to these days?
CL: I listen to a lot of pop, but I don't really have one particular artist. I kind of listen to whatever song is popular at the moment that I like. Right now, one of my favorite songs is “Good Girls” by the Five Seconds of Summer band. It'll probably change by next week, but that's just kind of how I am, I listen to a lot of pop, and that's also what I sing, too.
CC: Right, I just saw something about you going on the news with the song that you did called “Mirror,” right?
CL: Yeah, over the summer I recorded a song with my friend Peter, and after we recorded it and did the music video and released it on YouTube and iTunes and everything. We didn't really do anything with it until last week, Julie called my mom and said, “Hey, Peter wants to go on Connecticut Style and he wants to sing the song 'Mirror,' do you think Chloe would want to do it with him again,” and I was like, “Yeah, of course.” So we just practiced it for five days straight just trying to learn the choreography and practice the song and everything, I guess. Just this morning, we were on, and we taped it, and it should be on tomorrow, so I'm excited to see it and how it came out.
CC: Is that nerve-wracking to you? That sounds terrifying.
CL: I'll always have some nerves, but I definitely know that there's nothing to be nervous about, because I practiced it, I knew it, and I mean the worst that could happen was I trip or I forget a line, but then you just laugh it off and it's all fine. I think the nerves will always be there, but my mom always told me to use them as energy.
CC: Do you play any musical instruments?
CL: Yeah, just last year I started playing the guitar. I've always wanted to, I love music and I think the instruments are so cool, and I always wanted to play every instrument. When I was younger I tried to teach myself piano, but I only knew “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Happy Birthday.” My friend played guitar and she recommended me to this really awesome teacher that I go to now, and I go there once a week and I practice all the time, and I just love the guitar, it's so much fun.
CC: So, we are actually almost done with this interview, but before we go I would do kind of a lightning round of sorts, where I will ask you a series of short questions and you will respond with equally short answers, maybe a “yes” or a “no.” Do you think you're ready for something like that?
CL: Yeah!
CC: Alright. What is your favorite color?
CL: Blue.
CC: Cats or dogs?
CL: Dogs.
CC: Do you have any siblings?
CL: Yes.
CC: What is your favorite pizza topping?
CL: Just cheese.
CC: Who is one of your role models?
CL: Chloë Grace Moretz.
CC: What's the best holiday?
CL: Christmas.
CC: Who is cuter: Justin Bieber or Harry Styles?
CL: Justin Bieber.
CC: True or false: there's always a way?
CL: True.
CC: Do you like lizards?
CL: No.
CC: What is your favorite season?
CL: Summer.
CC: Well Chloe, and Tina, this brings us to the end of the interview now, and I just wanted to say that I am the first person to admit that being an adult fan of LazyTown is a little unusual, but the show does mean a lot to some people, and I just wanted to thank you for being a part of it, and for taking the time out to do this for some of the fans of the show. I'm sure they'll absolutely be delighted, the current fans, and fans that come in the future will also be delighted. Once again, I'm glad to hear that working with LazyTown has been such a positive experience for you, and I wish you the best of luck with whatever your future holds. If I can just squeak in one more question, I was wondering if there's anything you would maybe like to say to the LazyTown fans listening to this interview.
CL: Yes, of course. I would like to say all of you, thank you for being such good fans, I love you all, and of course if you want to stay updated with me and what I'm doing you can follow me on my Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube at chloe5lang, and then a have a Facebook at chloelang, and I update them all the time, and you should really hit me up on them! Oh yeah, I also just made a public Snapchat, so I'm posting to everyone, they can see what I do daily, and that is ChloeLOfficial.
CC: Alright well thanks for listening to this interview from GetLazy.net. If you'd like to keep up with Chloe and the things that she does, you can do so by following her at any of the social networking websites that she just listed for you. And if you're not a member already, come on over and join the fun at the GetLazy forums, which is at GetLazy.net/forums, respectively. We are an active base of LazyTown from all around the world, and while I don't have anything to announce right at this second, I can say that I do plan to do more interviews with LazyTown's cast and crew in the future. So if you'd like to be involved with that and participate in that, become a member at GetLazy.net, because that's where these things are set up. Once again, thanks for listening and I'll see you guys next time.
Special thanks to boblbee and Glanni's Girl for help with the transcription.
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