Plus Sunday With Nashville ’s LENNON & MAISY
Singing sisters Lennon, 17, and Maisy Stella, 13, share the small screen as the daughters of the late Rayna Jaymes on CMT’s Nashville, which airs its season finale Aug. 10.
What’s been the biggest moment for you this season?
Maisy: Definitely our [TV] mother dying—that was massive. That’s such a hard thing to imagine yourself going through in real life, to put yourself in the shoes of a young girl whose mother passes away. There’s no way to know what you would actually do in that situation.
Lennon: The intense storylines have been really challenging. They are so hard to play, but also so exciting. I feel like the amount I’ve learned in this season is just insane, acting-wise.
Maisy: It’s crazy because we’ve gone from going in the kitchen and getting a bowl of cereal and going to school to having super-intense, really detailed storylines. It’s fun to test yourself and challenge yourself with that.
You both had milestones on and off the screen this year, with Maisy graduating from middle school and Lennon graduating from high school.
Lennon: [The show] has been a big chunk of our growing up, a big part of our life. It really is a cool thing being around the same people for so long. We have moved around so many times, our family is just a bunch of gypsies. The longest we’d ever lived in a
house was a year—so it has been cool having this consistency every day.
What’s it like to grow up on camera and know so many people watch and love the show?
Lennon: It’s so crazy having people watch us grow up and love or hate our characters. And when the show got canceled [on ABC], it was an overflowing amount of love from people. We had no idea that there was that much love for it.
What do you hope for your characters?
Maisy: I hope that Maddie and Daphne are singing together and happy, because I feel like they’ve gone through enough and they shouldn’t go through anything else.
Your family moved from Canada to Nashville so your parents could further their own musical career as the Stellas. How has living in
Nashville influenced the way you make music now?
Lennon: Nashville is so inspiring because everyone is making music, everyone is encouraging you to make music and everyone loves music so passionately. Everywhere you walk, you can hear music.
What were Sundays like for you when you were younger?
Lennon: We grew up on a farm with no internet, no TV, no phone. The most peaceful time of my life was our Sundays in Canada just making music and being outside.
Maisy: We would go out to this huge field by our house and have picnics. Our aunt Tracy made the best shepherd’s pie, so that was a family thing—we would all get together and eat.
What are Sundays like for you now?
Lennon: I like writing sessions on Sundays. We film during the week, so Sundays are usually days for [song]writing.
Maisy: I like to go out and have fun with friends on weekends.