Veronica Dunne, Kamil McFadden talk ‘K.C. Undercover’

We met Disney’s “K.C. Undercover” stars Veronica Dunne, who stars as Marisa Clark, and Kamil McFadden, who stars as Ernie Cooper, at the Disney offices in Manhattan recently.

Veronica, in what ways are you like your character, Marisa?

Veronica: I think Marisa is really outgoing and has a wonderful spirit and a love for life. And in that way I think I’m very similar to her. I like to make people laugh, smile, and I have a love of life as well, but I think we’re different in some ways because she doesn’t really like to read books and I love books.

What made you want to star in “K.C. Undercover”?

Veronica: So many things. The incredible cast. Everyone is so amazing and funny, and Zendaya is just a beautiful human being and extremely talented. And of course, the concept. I think it’s amazing that there’s a show about a girl who is kicking butt and saving the world. I think that’s a beautiful concept.

Kamil: I think having a family on TV that kind of saves the world together. I think that’s really cool. It kind of brings back “The Cosby Show” vibe, “That’s So Raven” also. Just to have that and we are really a family. I’m just happy to be a part of that.

What is your worst bad habit?

Veronica: Eating really fast. I don’t know if you guys saw, I literally got the pizza when you guys walked in and it’s gone. I have to remind myself . . . to chew my food and slow down because they put a plate down in front of me, and my mom would go to the bathroom and by the time she gets back they’ll be nothing left.

What is your favorite part about working on the show?

Kamil: My favorite part is definitely the people. The people on set and the people that work behind the scenes — the guys that you don’t see, like the camera crew. Everybody is just so nice. We’re really a family and we enjoy each other’s company.

If you weren’t an actor, what job would you prefer?

Kamil: I thought about this a lot. I would have to say I would want to be a basketball player. One of my favorite players right now is Stephen Curry, probably because he is an average-sized man, as I feel I am. He gives the average man a chance to shine. Because LeBron [James] was a star and a big guy, weighs a lot, like 200-something pounds, like 6’8” something like that. So just to have this guy who’s kind of normal shine is really cool.

Veronica, why do you think they picked you for the role of Marisa?

Veronica: I don’t know. There were so many girls who auditioned. I think they weren’t really sure what they wanted because originally the role was written for kind of a completely different type. Even when they narrowed it down . . . to three girls, we were all very different. I think one of the reasons was because me and Zendaya have really great chemistry and we got along really well and we were able to work off of each other. Also I improv a lot . . . and I guess it worked for me because for my final call back they wrote a lot of what I improved into the script and I kind of created a character that wasn’t really there and I guess they liked it.

Kamil, are you like your character Ernie?

Kamil: I am similar to my character in that we’re both goofy and smart, but we are different in that he’s a computer genius. I don’t know as much about computers as he does.

In all the acting you have done, what character was the easiest to play and what was the hardest?

Kamil: I would have to say the easiest I had to play was a character I played in “Grown Ups 2,” his name was Bumpty. It was so easy because my lines rhymed. It was really easy to remember. It was like a rap. It was like Dr. Seuss. It was real easy to remember. My hardest I would have to say Ernie just because he knows so much about computers and me, personally, I don’t. That’s the only thing that’s hard about that.

When you visit NYC, what do you like to do?

Veronica: See Broadway shows and eat and shop.

Kamil: I also like to see Broadway shows and take pictures.

Veronica: I am the biggest theater geek. I grew up just doing theater and doing so much musical theater I’ve wanted to do it my whole life. I was going to go to school for it so coming to New York and being able to see Broadway shows is really surreal for me. I love it.

Kamil: And taking pictures. This is such a picture city. It’s so beautiful, and where I’m from, we don’t have as many buildings.

Kamil, what made you want to be Ernie?

Kamil: I felt like he was a little bit of an underdog and I like that in him. There is something that resonated with me with him being the underdog. Not really getting as much shine as K.C. And I felt like I could play that to where people would enjoy seeing him, would want him to succeed. A lot of people are rooting for him. That’s why I wanted to play him.

Are you all close friends outside of the show and which cast member do you spend the most time with?

Kamil: Yes, we’re very close.

Veronica: I think it depends on the week. Some weeks I have more scenes with Kamil, some weeks I have more scenes with Z. Depending upon the scripts, I spend more time with whoever I’m working with usually, but we all kind of congregate together, especially if we have like an event or somewhere to go. We’ll go to eat first or after and everyone from the parents to the writers. Everyone just loves each other so much. We can’t help but hang out.

Kamil: I think the person I hang out the most with is Zendaya just because she plays my sister and we really created a bond, a brother and sister bond. And her mom and my mom are very good friends.

What is your favorite movie?

Veronica: Oh my gosh, that’s actually a super hard question, and I always remember my favorite movie after I leave, but I definitely have a few. I love “When Harry Met Sally,” “Singin’ in the Rain” is an old one, too. It’s one of my favorites. I could probably name a million.

Kamil: My favorite is a Disney movie, “The Lion King.” Simba, that’s my guy. That’s definitely my all-time favorite.