Aubrey K. Miller is a rising star.

She’s an actress and dancer with a commitment to spread positivity and use her platform to live her passion and empower others.  The 16-year-old talent stars on the Amazon Kids series Just Add Magic, posts singing and dance videos on YouTube, and engages with her followers to connect, support, and promote powerful causes.

Everly Mag talked to Aubrey about how she got her start in the industry, the ups and downs of social media, and what’s next for this talented teen.

Getting Her Start

Aubrey’s first professional gig came through her dance talent.  “I’ve been a dancer since I was 3,” she said, “and I wanted to come out to LA to further my dance career.”  After booking a dance agent, Aubrey got her first role on Nickelodeon’s The Fresh Beat Band.

“Once I booked the show, I fell in love with the atmosphere of being on set,” Aubrey told Everly Mag.  “They started throwing lines at me and giving me more of an acting part within the show.  I fell in love with the acting world.”

When it comes to dance, Aubrey is classically trained in a variety of genres.  “I put my emotions and my heart into dancing,” she said, “and [that] helped translate to acting because I was able to connect with those emotions in a different art form.”

The biggest difference between dance and acting?  Training.  “It’s more emotional and mental training [for acting], than the physical training [for dance],” Aubrey said.  “I don’t take classes for acting, but I’m constantly in dance classes, dancing and improving.”

After Aubrey discovered her love for acting, she started to get involved in the acting world.  Soon, she booked a part on the Disney Channel sitcom, Austin and Ally.  “That was a really exciting role for me – my big acting start,” Aubrey said.  “My character ended up becoming a recurring character on the show.  It was an incredible experience working with an amazing cast.  Being able to really create the character from the ground up was so much fun.”

The set of Austin and Ally was a blast for Aubrey.  “The cast was so welcoming and loving toward me,” she said.  “It was a really fun environment.  On channels like Disney and Nickelodeon, the environment is really uplifting and exciting.”

Just Add Magic

Aubrey’s big break came when she booked the leading role of Hannah on the Amazon Kids series Just Add Magic.  However, she was actually auditioning for another Amazon show when she got the part!

“I was at the final audition [for the other show],” Aubrey said.  “I remember going into the room, reading in front of everybody, and then they pulled me aside and said they had another show that they thought I’d be perfect for.”  She went straight to the audition for Just Add Magic.  “I did a chemistry read with other girls on the show, and I booked it.”

When it comes to her character Hannah, Aubrey sees a lot of similarities between the two girls.  “Hannah and I share quite a few traits, which is pretty cool because it makes it easy to play her,” she said.  “We’re both a bit of a worrier.  She worries more than I do, but we want to make the best decisions and think through everything before doing it.”

“We love our family and friends and find the importance in them,” Aubrey continued.  “One of [Hannah’s] lines in the show is ‘Magic or not, it’s brought me closer to my two best friends and that means everything to me.’  Family and friends come first for us, and we can overcome anything if we do it together.”  Aubrey and Hannah both share a love of cooking.  Aubrey loves baking on the show using new ingredients and recipes.

A fun fact about Aubrey is that she’s actually vegan.  Everything Aubrey eats on the show is vegan – even the crazy dishes like oysters and beef Wellington.  She’s been a vegan her entire life!  She was even featured on Mercy for Animal’s recent 30 Under 30 List.

What does Aubrey love about Just Add Magic?  “Something that’s really wonderful is that it’s such a family show,” she said.  “It’s wonderful that, whether you’re a toddler or a grandparent, you can sit down with your whole family and enjoy the show [and] the morals.  I was really happy to see the respect toward parents and grandparents in the show.  The younger characters weren’t in charge, they wanted to come to them and wanted their help.  That was important.  The friendship aspect of it is also important.  [It] shows that you can overcome anything by having your family and friends by your side.”

Social Media

Aubrey loves how social media gives her the opportunity to express herself and connect with others all around the world.

“I [love] being able to share the messages that I want to send – positivity, love, and joy – and I think it’s really cool that I’m able to do just that by posting a picture or video,” she said.  One of Aubrey’s favorite way to spread positivity is by posting dance videos.  “I love dancing and being able to share it with people,” she said.  Posting dance videos “is something fun and different and me that I get to do.”

One of her favorite dance genres?  K-Pop.  “I love the performance aspect,” Aubrey said.  “Their vocals and their dancing is insane, so I definitely connected to the art form.  Music is a universal language, and talent is talent.”  She loves how K-Pop groups like BTS are trying to share an important message.  “It’s not just a love story, it’s geared toward youth,” she said.

When it comes to the downsides of social media, Aubrey thinks it depends on how it’s used.  “People can get carried away with social media or it can get out of hand,” she said.  “It’s a highlight reel and it can create a fake image.  I try to be real and true to who I am on my social media and not put on a facade or anything.”

Her biggest advice for teens?  Stay true to yourself.  “I’m really grounded by my faith and my family,” said Aubrey.  “[The key is] knowing who you are and not changing for anybody; not changing to get another like on a picture.  The right people will love you for who you are, and it’s not worth changing.”

The Latest on Aubrey

When Aubrey’s not performing, she loves to watch classic movies like My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music.  She’s also a big fan of The Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan.  “I’ve seen it like a dozen times, I never get tired of it [and] it’s so cute!” she said.  She also loves reading vegan cookbooks and jamming to Broadway show soundtracks like Wicked.

Speaking of Broadway, her favorite place she’s been is probably New York City, and she’d most like to travel to Seoul, South Korea.

Fans and followers of Aubrey can stay tuned for lots of new projects in the works.  She has a lot of dancing coming up, so stay tuned to her social media!

Find Aubrey K. Miller on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

If you liked this interview, you might also enjoy reading:

• Interview: Actress Siena Agudong
• Interview: Just Add Magic’s Olivia Sanabia
• Interview: Actress Maya Jade Frank
• Interview: YouTube Star Kamri McKnight

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Feature Image provided by ICON PR and Aubrey K. Miller