Maddie Ziegler has been in dance trios since she was very young, but she's got a whole new kind of trio coming up—and this time Kate Hudson is involved.
Ziegler, Hudson, and singer and frequent co-collaborator Sia are working on a secret upcoming project in downtown Los Angeles, and we literally can't wait to see what they come up with. The three were spotted entering the same set on Wednesday, only one week after Hudson posted a photo with the 14-year-old dancer.
So you’ve been branching out from dancing, and you’ve been doing a bunch of different stuff, is there a celebrity that you want your career to be like in a few years? Is there someone’s career you’re kind of modeling yours off of?
There are so many people, Jennifer Lawrence – love her. Her career is somewhere I’d aspire to be. Even Sia. I hope to become as successful as her, but I love how she doesn’t get the paparazzi all the time.
Yeah, it’s actually kind of interesting because Sia came into the mainstream later in her life, whereas you have become famous at such a young age, so it’s kind of a funny pairing with you two.
Yeah for sure. She always tells me, “you’ve been in the industry more than I have,” and I’m like, “Sia!”
I mean, she’s been in the industry for a long time, [but] she recently got really popular.
Totally. Do you ever worry about peaking early because your career launched with a huge bang at a young age?
Yeah. I mean, like you were saying, my whole career has been moving really fast. So yeah, I do sometimes think it’s moving a little fast, but I always have to stay grounded and just remember I’m a girl from Pittsburgh. Now my life is going crazy, I’m in LA. I just need to remember to take it slow.
So you’re in LA – are most of your friends in the industry or do you hang out with “regular” teenagers?
It’s a little of both. I’ve actually made so many friends from the industry now, it’s just where I can have someone to relate to, who feels the same way I do. But then I still have regular friends that go to a public school, I still love them so much.
Sounds like a good balance. A lot of media outlets like to harp on young stars and say they’re like “going wild” when they leave the house in a short skirt or something ridiculous, have you ever had any moments like that?
Yeah. If I wear one thing, that maybe they don’t like, they’ll be like, “Oh, she’s inappropriate, she’s too old for her age. How are her parents letting her wear this?” But the thing is I dress so conservatively, I mean I just never dress older than I look. So it’s interesting. It’s like people always just need something to talk about.
When Dance Moms first premiered in 2011, the world was introduced to the then unknown Abby Lee Dance Company and a group of talented young dancers. However, there was one in particular who stood out for her natural talent: Maddie Ziegler. The 14-year-old left the ALDC and the Lifetime series in 2016, and now she is one of the most famous young celebrities in the U.S. But that's not actually what she wants. Ziegler doesn't want to be called a "celebrity."
"I don’t consider myself, like, 'Oh, I'm a star, a celebrity, or famous'. I am just a girl from Pittsburgh," she says candidly when we speak via phone in late September.
Ziegler — whose latest gig is starring in the video for Sia's "Rainbow" from the My Little Pony: The Movie soundtrack — obviously isn't the only one who has made it big at a young age. There are those of the past, including the Brady Bunch kids, Home Alone's Macaulay Culkin, the stars of Full House, and the Harry Potter cast. More recently, there is Jacob Tremblay, who made his way to the spotlight after starring in Room with Oscar winner Brie Larson; and the kids in the Stranger Things cast, who can't go anywhere without being recognized for their roles in the beloved Netflix series.
Maddie Ziegler wasn't just celebrating the arrival of a brand new year this week, she was also marking a special milestone in love.
The 15-year-old dance sensation has been dating her Australian Instagram star boyfriend Jack Kelly, also 15, for one whole year, and declared her happiness about the anniversary on Instagram.
'Today is such a special day for us,' she wrote. 'It’s been 1 year with the most amazing boy I’ve ever met. We’ve grown so much together and i’m so thankful for all of the laughs and smiles together!'