Kidsday: Interviewing Elizabeth Gillies

We recently interviewed actress Elizabeth Gillies who plays Jade West on one of our favorite Nickelodeon shows, "Victorious."

How old were you when you started acting?

I started doing community theater and stuff like that at [a] very young [age], like when I was 8 or 9. Professionally, when I was 12.

As a kid, was your dream to act . . . ?

As a kid, I had a fleeting moment where I wanted to be a veterinarian, but that passed. I was always enamored by . . . movies, and I really wanted to be on Broadway at a young age. So it was cool to get to do that.

We heard that you play the piano. How long have you known how to do that?

I really wanted to be able to sing and play . . . the piano for awhile. So I taught myself last year. I'm fresh into it. I'm not great, but it's pretty good.

Your character on "Victorious" is mean and hurtful to your classmates. What do you do to get into character?

Nothing. I think at this point, I'm just very used to playing Jade, and it's become second nature to me. So all of us are like that with our characters. So I just go onstage. We have good writers, and they write good stuff, and I just say the lines.

What's it like working with other [cast] members?

It's wonderful. We're so close. Ariana [Grande] and I have been best friends for the last three years. We've been on Broadway together, and we've lived together. So we've been through a lot. We're all so close. We're like a family. We hang out all the time off set. Like we're best friends. I'm lucky to have a cast member that's close. All of us, we're all close.

What do you like to do in your free time beside singing and acting?

I love taking pictures, I love art, more artistic stuff like that. I love stuff like that.

What would you say to a person who has trouble expressing themselves?

Find an outlet. Find a creative outlet. If you're a very creative person, then fine. Get into art, get into singing, just find something that you love. It will help release all that. I think it's very important to have a hobby that you love. And the arts are a great way to express yourself and to release all that creative energy. Find a hobby that you love. Find something and get into it.

Where do you see yourself in the mode of show business in 10 years?

I want to have a singing career. I'm working on my album now. I hope to be in movies. That's what I kind of want to do. I like TV, but I think down the line. And then when I'm really old, like 60, I think I would like to be like an old leading lady on Broadway.

Are you seeing anyone?

Like a boyfriend? No. Single.

What is your favorite song from the show "Victorious"?

I like "Take a Hint." It was really cool to do that with Vic. That was really fun. We had a great time singing that one.

When people meet you on the street, are they surprised you're not like your character?

Yeah. Kids used to be really disappointed when I wasn't like my character. They would ask me to yell at them. I was like "No!" But now, I've done a lot of interviews, and they've seen me outside of my character, so they know that I'm not as intense like I am on the show. Thank God. No, they're always surprised and disappointed. They're actually disappointed. They want me to be really mean. Kids are really weird these days.

Do you still get to see your noncelebrity friends?

Yeah, I do. I have a couple coming today. So it will be fun. I'm close with all my friends that I grew up with. I think it's important. I live in New Jersey, and I go to L.A. to work, so I keep them separate.