Jillian Shea Spaeder is creating magic in every facet of her career. Since bursting onto the scene, Jillian has captivated audiences in television and film with projects including Walk the Plank, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, To the Beat!: Back 2 School as well as through her music with singles like “i don’t know” and “Worth My Time.”
She can now be seen starring opposite Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell in Disney+’s Godmothered. It’s the perfect film for the holiday and Jillian shines as Jane, a character she shares a lot in common with.
We caught up with Jillian to learn more about her, her career, and Godmothered!
PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Jillian: I grew up in a musical family and started putting on shows in the basement when I was little. I was not only the star, but the ticket maker, ticket taker, usher, and emcee!
I joined choir and did all the musical shows in elementary school, and when I was about nine, I started singing a few songs when my parents’ band played. About that same time, I started playing clarinet and saxophone (and had already been taking piano for a few years).
I also started taking acting classes and working with a private coach, eventually doing a few equity theater shows near my home. Then around age twelve, I taught myself how to play guitar and began songwriting.
PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jillian: I came to Hollywood for a performing arts competition the summer before I turned twelve. It was there that I met my talent manager, Susie Mains at Trilogy Talent. I had done some local theater shows but had no desire to move to Hollywood and get into TV and films. Susie convinced me to come to LA for two months for pilot season to see what would happen.
I had a lot of auditions and booked several skits for DreamWorksTV. When we were packed and about to head back home, I got the first audition for Disney XD’s Walk the Prank. We ended up staying in LA a month longer while waiting to test for it, and I booked a guest star spot on a Nickelodeon show! I eventually booked the role on Walk the Prank, and we’ve been in LA ever since. While living in California, I’ve had the opportunity to work with music producers and release some songs. None of this would have happened without Susie!
PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Jillian: I remember getting the call from my manager and agents when I booked Walk the Prank. They were all on the line, and I was so excited that I was jumping up and down!
PC: In addition to acting, you’re also a singer-songwriter. How has your experience in music made you a stronger actress and vice versa?
Jillian: In both music and acting, you express yourself through emotions and words. In acting, you speak and emote from the perspective of the person you’re portraying; the same goes for singing. I write songs from the perspectives of different people, so I have to sing and emote as they would. The two go hand-in-hand.
PC: Of all the music that you’ve released, if you had to choose one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist, what would it be and why?
Jillian: For some reason, I like the solitude of sitting in a car when I write music. I wrote the first part of my song “i don’t know” while sitting in a parking lot waiting for my mom to come out of the grocery store and wrote the second half the next day while in a different parking lot. The first line of the song is, “I’m sitting in a parked car,” and the rest of the song is a stream of consciousness about what I see from that vantage point. So, that song is probably the one that best describes me.
PC: Actor-musicians have often said that there’s a different level of vulnerability that you have to tap into when you’re releasing your own music. Do you feel similarly? Is that ever a scary proposition?
Jillian: Whenever I put out a new song, it’s nerve-wracking because I want everyone to like it. But I also recognize that music is a personal thing and not everyone will connect with it. I do feel a little more vulnerable if it’s a song where I have more emotion vested, like “Something Better”.
PC: Tell us about Godmothered, your character, and what drew you to this project?
Jillian: Disney+’s Godmothered is about a young fairy godmother-in-training named Eleanor who finds out fairy godmothers are facing extinction and decides to show the world that people still need them. She finds a letter from a twelve-year-old girl named Mackenzie, tracks her down, and discovers that she is now a forty-year-old single mom working at a news station in Boston. Having lost her husband several years earlier, Mackenzie has all but given up on the idea of happily ever after, but Eleanor is bound and determined to give her a happiness makeover, whether she likes it or not.
My character, Jane, is Mackenzie’s older daughter. I was excited to play Jane because, like me, she’s a singer-songwriter. Being able to act, sing, and play guitar on screen was a big draw for me. I also liked the challenge of playing someone who is the complete opposite of me personality-wise.
PC: What should audiences know about Jane and how did you prepare to tackle her journey in the film?
Jillian: Jane is a talented musician but has a terrible case of stage fright. She’s quiet and introverted, which is definitely not me. I also have no trouble getting up in front of an audience playing and singing! To prepare for the role, our set acting coach had me keep a journal from Jane’s perspective. That helped me get into her head.
PC: What do you hope audiences take away?
Jillian: You don’t need a prince, a gown, or a castle to find your happily ever after. Just live happily!
PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jillian: The Office.
PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jillian: Booksmart.
PC: Favorite book?
Jillian: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jillian: Legally Blonde.
PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jillian: Frank Sinatra.
PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Jillian: Willa Skye.
To keep up with Jillian, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Watch Godmothered on Disney+ today.
Photo Credit: Storm Santos
Peacock’s new original comedy Laid is anything but your typical rom-com. When Ruby (Stephanie Hsu)…
Romantic comedies have long grappled with the question, “Why can’t I find love?” But in…
What if the search for love revealed an unsettling truth—that the problem might actually be…
Every so often, a film comes along that transcends art, offering not just a story…
Pop Culturalist is excited to be partnering with Paramount Pictures to give away tickets to…
Pop Culturalist is excited to be partnering with MGM to give away tickets to a…