Olivia Rodrigo is opening up about her early days on Disney Channel.
The 18-year-old actress and singer started her Disney career on the series Bizaardvark, but she says she struggled with loneliness and an identity crisis.
While she did meet her BFF Madison Hu on the show, she still felt it was lonely.
“It’s a multicamera sitcom, so literally every set is within a yard of each other,” Olivia told Elle. “You just walk to the different sets.”
She also said that she went through “an identity crisis on steroids,” where she struggled with questions like, “Who the f**k am I? Who cares about me? How do I treat people?”
“Most 14-year-olds aren’t in a room with adults being like, ‘So, what’s your brand?’”
Can you believe that Bizaardvark is actually ending?!
JJJ has an exclusive sneak peek at the final episode, which airs TOMORROW morning, April 13th @ 10AM ET/PT on Disney Channel.
In “The End of the Beginning”, after Red and Grandma’s wedding, Liam informs everyone he must sell the Vuuugle house to pay off his debts. Meanwhile, Paige and Frankie are offered their own TV show in New York.
The two Disney Channel shows are moving to Saturdays, starting TOMORROW, January 19th and JustJaredJr.com has your exclusive first look at the episodes.
On Bizaardvark, Paige (Olivia Rodrigo) and Frankie (Madison Hu) try to urge Horse Face to finally reveal his identity to the world when his latest dance video goes viral.
Then, on Coop & Cami Ask the World, it’s a Pooper reunion when Coop’s (Dakota Lotus) crush Peyton moves back to town!
But when Cooper’s plan to surprise Peyton turns into an epic fail (including a fake tatoo gone orange), Fred enlists Ollie to help him devise a big romantic surprise for Cooper and Peyton’s reunion.
Bizaardvark and Coop & Cami Ask the World are set to premiere @ 10AM & 10:30AM ET/PT on Disney Channel and in the DisneyNOW app.
“Yesterday, we wrapped season 3 of Bizaardvark,” Madisonwrote. “I was ugly crying— as you might guess from this picture— because I just love these people and this show so, so much. This is where I grew up; I’ll never stop being thankful for everything this show has brought me. Love ❤️.”
“That’s a wrap on season 3!” Olivia captioned a cast photo.
“Today is our last day shooting Bizaardvark and I honestly cannot believe it,” DeVoreadded. “We have literally grown up together and its crazy to see how much we’ve all changed and experienced together! Ethan, Olivia and Madison, I love you guys so much. Thank you to every single soul that worked to make this show so enjoyable, not only for kids to watch but for us as actors to work on! This show will forever be my home. Thank you @disneychannel and Sheryl Levine for giving me such a wonderful opportunity.💞🍒🌸🌸.”
“We’ve grown apparently. At least I have,” Ethanremarked.
The live-action comedy centers around teenage comedy bloggers and best friends Paige Olvera (Olivia Rodrigo) and Frankie Wong (Madison Hu). Maxwell and Elie will star as tween bloggers Zane and Rodney, respectively, who have their own Vuuugle channels – Zane’s “Zane Unboxed” and Rodney’s “What’s in Ma’ Hair?” – that they each run with their moms.
The guys will join their castmates at Disney Channel GO! Fan Fest on Saturday (May 12), a special day for fans to meet dozens of their favorite Disney Channel stars at the Disneyland Resort. The festivities will begin with Disney Channel stars in a cavalcade down Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Park at 11:15 a.m., followed by panel discussions and fan meet and greets with Disney Channel stars at Disney California Adventure Park from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
“I love working with Eli and Max,” Olivia shared. “I think people are really going to love their silly, carefree characters. Their Vuugle channels are hilarious. I can’t stop laughing everytime I watch their bits! ”
“Elie and Max are some of the most talented and funny kids I’ve met,” Madison added. “Their characters Zane and Rodney are so much fun and add such a great energy to the cast. I’m so excited for fans to meet them!”
If you’re wondering where you’ve seen them before, Maxwell was in The Book of Henry and Inside Amy Schumer. Elie was a principal performer in the choir for The Greatest Showman‘s Keala Settle during her performance of “This is Me” at the Oscars. He also appeared in the TV movie Broken Memories.
We can’t wait to see what season three of Bizaardvark has in store!
Jenna Ortega is taking over Disney Channel tonight — and JJJ has an exclusive look and Q&A with her about her appearance on Bizaardvark
The hour will start off with an all-new Stuck in The Middle, before Jenna jumps over to Bizaardvark, playing Izzy, Paige’s (Olivia Rodrigo) childhood best friend.
At first, Frankie (Madison Hu) is a bit envious of Paige and Izzy’s friendship but once she meets Izzy and they bond over their love of horror movies (which Paige doesn’t really care for), they become best buddies and Paige starts to feel like the third wheel.
Jenna opened up to JJJ about her experience coming onto the set with Olivia and Madison, who are best friends in real life.
“To be honest, I was nervous at first because I didn’t want to feel like I was third wheeling on their friendship,” she shared. “They were really inclusive though!”
She adds, “Madison and Olivia are such sweet, funny girls. It was such an amazing week, filming and getting to know them better.”
Tune into both episodes, starting TONIGHT, March 16th @ 8PM ET/PT on Disney Channel.
Click inside now for our exclusive Q&A with Jenna, Olivia and Madison!
Jake Paul said goodbye to the Bizaardvark and Disney family earlier this summer after being tugged between his vlogging lifestyle and his acting career.
“Let’s just say I went in his room, in his old dressing room the other day, and I couldn’t stay in there without crying,” DeVore shared with J-14. “Jake was basically like my big brother and he just kind of gave me advice, like relationship advice and just life advice in general.”
She adds that he was always there for her for anything: “Anytime I was getting bullied or hate, he would always be there and be like ‘Hey, these people…they’re not even saying they know who you are, they’re just saying this because they’re jealous of you.’ He just kind of made, when I was upset, made me feel good. I miss that.”
DeVore did open up about how the cast, crew and set are feeling these days without him too.
“I think we’re just like, we all miss him and it feels very out of place on set is the word I like to use because it does feel out of place every day and we can definitely tell. But, we’re all really proud of him, me especially.”