Maddie Ziegler jumps in voice-first with ‘Leap!
14-year-old takes a leap into the next stage of her career
From Dance Moms fame to Sia music video stardom, 14-year-old Maddie Ziegler has quite the résumé — and now, she’s adding voice acting to the list with her role in the animated film Leap!
Aside from the movie’s focus on dance (which tells the story of an orphan girl who runs away to Paris to become a ballerina), Ziegler was attracted to its messaging.
“I think what’s really inspiring about this whole film is that it’s OK if you’re different, and it’s OK if you’re not perfect like maybe all the other people in your group,” she tells USA TODAY ahead of the film’s Friday release. “So it’s good to be yourself and to try new things.”
Ziegler was able to pull inspiration from her own life for her character, Camille, a competitive ballet rival to the film’s lead Félicie (Elle Fanning).
“As much as it was different for me, because I’m not used to being a ‘snobby’ ballerina — it was cool, because I do have so many experiences in my life from being a competitive dancer and knowing what it’s like to want that spot and to become the best,” she explains.
Though she was “skeptical coming in,” Ziegler says the film accurately portrays the dance moves of the characters through animation.
“They actually had professional ballerinas come in and they did the moves, and they filmed it and they replicated it onto our character, which was amazing,” she says.
Another production fun-fact? Ziegler’s part only took a day to record.
Being in the studio for such a short time meant she didn’t see much of the star-studded cast (which also includes Carly Rae Jepsen and Kate McKinnon) during production — but Ziegler was able to catch up with Fanning at a screening, and worked the red carpet with Jepsen at the Los Angeles premiere Saturday.
Her co-stars aren’t the only talented people Ziegler has been hanging out with. She presented at the Teen Choice Awards with Millie Bobby Brown and Grace VanderWaal earlier this month. in theaters Friday.
“I really enjoy getting to be around those girls, because, like especially me and Millie, we both act, so it’s really cool because we can relate to each other in different ways,” she says. “And Grace is an amazing singer. So we all kind of have our own thing, and it’s cool because our other friends that don’t really do jobs sometimes don’t really understand the whole meaning behind, like, working and being busy.”
Another source of her inspiration comes from Jennifer Lawrence, whom Ziegler says she would love to work with one day.
“I’m really inspired by all the films that she’s done. Silver Linings Playbook is such a good movie,” she says. “It would be really fun to learn from her.”
And her next dream project? A makeup line.
After releasing her Maddie Style clothing line in 2016, Ziegler says she would love to collaborate with Too Faced or Urban Decay, two beauty brands she loves.
“One thing that I would love to do would be a makeup line. I think that would be the coolest thing ever,” she says.
“I am obsessed. It would be amazing. I’m obsessed with hair and makeup.”