Star of Zoe Gone – Sammi Hanratty Interview!

Actress, Sammi Hanratty, recently sat down with Glitter Magazine to talk about her upcoming Lifetime movie, Zoe Gone, what show she gets recognized from the most, the person she’d love to have dinner with, and what it was like growing up a child star. Sammi is so down-to-earth and we loved talking to her. We hope you love her interview as well. Read on to find out more about this talented actress.

GLITTER: You are going to be in a Lifetime movie this weekend called, Zoe Gone. Tell us about that!

SAMMI: Well, Zoe Gone comes out March 29th on Lifetime, which is very soon! I’m super excited to see it, and I really got into the character. It’s such an opposite character from what I’ve ever played before because I play a mom.

GLITTER: I’ve never seen you play a role like this so that’s really cool.

SAMMI: I know! I read the script and I was like, “Holy smokes!!” It’s cool. I love kids and I want to be a mom one day, and it was hard because in the whole beginning of the film I don’t like this baby. I don’t treat her the way a parent should treat their child. It takes losing her [being kidnapped] to realize how much I really loved her, and that I’d do anything for her. That was so hard to play.

GLITTER: Were you nervous playing a character like this? Did you have to prepare for the character?

SAMMI: I gotta say the hardest part was acting as if I didn’t like the baby, because I loved the cast and she was just adorable. It was really easy for the emotional scenes, because I just looked at her and I was like “Oh my gosh”. Whenever I did a crying scene with her, I would look at her, and she would look at me and start crying because I was crying. It was a crying fest.

GLITTER: How do you think people will react to the movie and this type of character?

SAMMI: I think people will be surprised. It’s a little more of an edgier film than I’ve ever done before, but I think the film will be a tear jerker. You will shed a tear while you watch. It’s so suspenseful, and it will keep you on your toes.

GLITTER: You’re also going to be in a feature film that comes out in May, called Mom’s Night Out. What’s your character in this movie?

SAMMI: It’s funny because in this movie I play Zoe. My mother is Patricia Heaton in the film, and it’s such a funny film. My character is the teenage girl that wants to go out and do whatever I want, and I can’t really do that because my dad is a pastor, and I’m the “pastor kid,” I have to be a good kid even though I want to go out and push the boundaries.

GLITTER: It’s great that you can switch it up and not play a standard character!

SAMMI: It’s one of my first comedy films, I usually do more dramas! So it was nice. And it’s cool because I got to work with a lot of the same people. Like, I got to work with Sean Astin for the second time, and Kevin Downes. It was really nice because it felt like home because I knew so many people on set.

GLITTER: Super fun! So you’ve been acting for forever pretty much, but did you always want to be an actress? How did you get in the business?

SAMMI: When I was about two-years-old, I was like, “I want to be on stage, I wanna be on TV.” and my mom was like “No.” She turned it down, and I kept begging her until I was six, and she was like, “Okay, okay. We’ll turn your picture into an agency.” They called a few days later and it was really fast. I had an audition for a commercial, then booked it, and four runway shows. It started from there and I loved it.

GLITTER: Is she feeling better about it now? Is she more used to it?

SAMMI: Sometimes. Sometimes she’ll ask me, “Why are you still doing this?” It’s more of my thing, I don’t think she always understand why I chose this path, but she’s cool.

GLITTER: You were acting at such a young age, what was it like being a child star? Was it hard to go to work and not as much time to play?

SAMMI: A lot of times what would happen is, I would work throughout the year and my mom would be like, “Okay, we’re taking a few months off. We’re taking summer off, we’re gonna go home and relax and have fun.” So, I spent time away and had a normal childhood as well. I met so many friends on set though, so I was with other kids. I’m still friends with most of the kids I worked with on those shows. One of my best friends I worked with on American Girl. We’re still best friends. You meet people and create friendships on set. Even when we were on set, we were still kids having fun!

GLITTER: That’s awesome. Is there anyone you would love to work with in the future?

SAMMI: I think anyone would want to work with Jennifer Lawrence. I loved her in The Hunger Games.

GLITTER: Did you read the books or are you more into the movies?

SAMMI: I read the first one! I’m more of a movie fanatic, I love watching it come to life. My sister and I will argue because she’d rather read the book then watch the movie, and I’d rather just watch a movie because the book will spoil it!

GLITTER: Totally agree! Do you have a favorite celeb you’ve worked with before?

SAMMI: Oh my gosh, there’s so many people. Probably Jim Carrey when we did A Christmas Carol. Everyone that would show up on set, I’d be like “Oh my gosh, I love them.”  It was hard though because we were all wearing the same outfits because it was motion capture, so I couldn’t tell who people were until after. Like, I’d been talking to Gary Oldman all day! When I was on set with Cary Elwes, I was freaking out and reciting lines from The Princess Bride, and the next day he brought in a DVD of the movie, and he signed it and Robin signed it for me. I freaked.

GLITTER: What would you tell someone who wanted to be an actress?

SAMMI: It has to be your passion, completely. It has to be what you want, not what someone else wants for you. As fun as it is, there’s a lot that goes into it. If you’re not passionate about it, then it’s not worth it. If you love it, then you will have the most fun with it and it will not be work anymore, just the way of your life.

GLITTER: Do you ever get nervous before a new project to see what people are going to think about it?

SAMMI: Not the process, but the auditions. I get anxiety before, and it’s never gone away. It’s because I get so into the character and I get so nervous that I won’t get it, and it gets into my head. When I’m working on a set, I’m never nervous. I’m so comfortable with the people that I’m with.

GLITTER: And you love it! Do you think that you ever get bullied because of acting? What’s your advice to victims of bullies?

SAMMI: I think that being more in the spotlight you get picked on by everyone, everyone is judgmental unfortunately. It happens for everyone every time you go outside and you see someone new, they might be judging you. The only person that you should care about is yourself. The only judgement that matters is yourself, and God. And as long as you are making yourself happy, and God happy, then that’s all that matters.

GLITTER: Do you have any advice that has stuck with you from anyone?

SAMMI: Everyone says this, but “just to be yourself.” One of my favorite saying’s ever is, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” It’s Dr. Seuss and I love that. I’m one of the wackiest people, but I always stand by for who I am. I have my morals, and I always am myself. That’s what I’m happy to be like.

GLITTER: If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?

SAMMI: Shirley Temple. When I was young I would watch all her videos, sing her song, I literally thought I was her. I used to tell her I want the Shirley Temple curls, and my mom would curl my hair like her. I think that’s why I really started wanting to act. Because I saw that she could make me be so happy by just watching her, and I wanted to do that. If I could just sit down with her and just tell her how inspiring she is, and the thing I love most about her is that she was in the spotlight so much then decided to be a normal person. I love that so much.

GLITTER: Do you have any favorite fan experiences?

SAMMI: I think every time that someone knows my first and last name, that’s what I get so excited about. People will be like, “You’re the girl from this or that”, but when someone actually knows who I am are like, “Oh my gosh, you’re Sammi Hanratty!” I just find that to be the nicest thing ever. They not only know my work, but who I am.

GLITTER: What do you think you get recognized from the most?

SAMMI: Definitely The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and the American Girl movie I did. It’s funny because I don’t think I look like myself at all from that time, but apparently I do. I still look like ten-year-old Sammi. I was missing two teeth! It’s so embarrassing looking back at those and I was missing my front teeth!

GLITTER: Do you ever watch yourself on TV?

SAMMI: I do watch myself. Especially if I’m proud of my work. All my friends support each other, and it’s so nice when we get all sit down and get excited for one another’s work. I like watching things, but I HATE nitpicking. I’m really bad about that. If I see something I didn’t like, I’ll freak out about it. That’s the hard part. No one looks pretty when they cry in a crying scene!

GLITTER: It’s also a way to see what you want to improve on!

SAMMI: Exactly!

GLITTER: Why should people watch Zoe Gone on Saturday?

SAMMI: Because it will keep you on your toes, it’s suspenseful, and you gotta find out what happens to Zoe! It’s a really nice change to see my character go from selfish to selfless.