These days, reality TV has become a quick ticket to fame and super-stardom. All it takes is an outgoing personality and some crazy life drama, and a person can become an overnight sensation. Most of the time it’s easier to find a reality show than it is to find a scripted series, and the people who are becoming stars are looking quite different as well. In fact, half of the people who are popular on TV aren’t even actors or actresses. Thanks to Lifetime’s hit reality TV show, 12-year-old, Maddie Ziegler is on her way to becoming one of those people. That’s right, Abby Miller might have a little competition for the spotlight, and it’s from of her very own students. Well, what could be so interesting about a kid on TV star with no big time acting credits?Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Maddie Ziegler.
She’s only 12
That’s right, while most 12-year-olds are making plans to hang out with friends and complaining about their least favorite teachers, Maddie Ziegler is living in a completely different world. Although she’s just 12-years-old, Maddie is already making a name for herself, and by the looks of things, her future will be bright no matter what she chooses to do.
She used to share a bedroom with her sister called “the store”
It’s common for siblings to share a bedroom; however, for Maddie and her younger sister, Mackenzie, the room they shared was about storage, not sleeping. Before moving to their new home, both girls shared a room where they kept all of their dance gear including costumes and jewelry. The family nicknamed the room “the store.”
Dance Moms wasn’t her first shot at reality TV
Although she is most famous for her role as a cast member on Dance Moms, Maddie had previously tried her luck with another show. In 2010, Maddie danced on Paula Abdul’s now defunct reality TV competition series, Live to Dance. The show was similar to So You Think You Can Dance? but performers of all ages were allowed to compete. Unfortunately, Maddie’s episode never made it to TV, but as you can see, just a year later she made it on to bigger and better things.
Maddie isn’t her birth name
It’s pretty normal for people who are trying to make it big in the entertainment industry to change their name. However, Maddie’s name change doesn’t have anything to do with trying to make it big. When she was born, Maddie’s parents named her Taylor, but just a few days later, her parents decided they wanted to change her name to Madison. While there will never be a way to tell, perhaps changing her name has had something to do with her success.
She never leaves home without security
Safety first is generally a pretty good rule to live by, but it looks like Maddie and her family have seriously taken that phrase to heart. Maddie has body guards with her 24/7 who accompany her to all of her events and public appearances. She even has a favorite named Kipper who she thinks is “good-looking.”
She’s a little philanthropist
She may still be a kid, but Maddie’s got a good head on her shoulders, and she’s already interested in helping those in need. Both Maddie and her sister are ambassadors for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization which “seeks to improve hospital experiences for children and chronically ill teenagers.” Maddie says that her experience working with the group has been very rewarding.
Dance is her full-time job
She isn’t old enough to have a paying full-time gig, but Maddie has turned dancing into her job. According to Maddie, she dances about 40 hours a week, and sometimes is in the studio until pretty late into the night. While some may find that a little excessive, Maddie believes it’s what she must do in order to reach her career goals. Abby Lee Miller even pushed Maddie to home school in order to be able to take full advantage of her opportunities.
She’s been in music videos
Most famously, Maddie appeared in Sia’s video for her hit single, “Chandelier.” The video has over 1 billion views on YouTube, and has really helped boost Maddie’s career. Most amazingly; however, is the fact that Sia personally reached out to Maddie to ask if she’d like to be in the video. Apparently, Sia had seen her on the show and was impressed with her work.
Her little sister thinks she’s inspirational
Sibling rivalry is very common, especially among young siblings who are close in age. As you can imagine, trying to keep up with a big sister like Maddie can be pretty stressful at times. However, while Mackenzie does think her big sister can be a little bossy, she also says that she looks up to Maddie for inspiration. On several occasions, Mackenzie has said that she enjoys spending time with her sister, and doesn’t like to compete with her for things.
She hopes to make it to Broadway
Maddie clearly has no plans of slowing down any time soon. While she’s already working to get film and TV roles, one of Maddie’s biggest dreams is to be in a Broadway show. In fact, she even auditioned for the Broadway show, Billy Elliot, but after eight call backs she decided not to pursue it any further because joining a ‘professional’ musical would mean that she could no longer dance with Abby Lee Miller.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCtp5%2BXe6S7zGhoaWWknbavs9Jmm6Kcnql6rLrOsGSmmZSZtqZ52aKcoKSVp3w%3D