Jaidyn Triplett shares what her experience is like being the only child lead on the iCarly reboot

Jaidyn Triplett is an actress who can be seen in the iCarly reboot. The show was released on Paramount+ on June 17, 2021. iCarly is a comedy and reboot of a Nickelodeon 2007 TV series of the same name. Jaidyn portrays the character of Millicent who is Freddie’s adopted stepdaughter. YEM was able to speak with Jaidyn about being one of the only child leads on the show, her character, and the experience of being on the show.

Young Entertainment Magazine: Did you grow up watching iCarly? How did you feel about the series before taking on the roll?

Jaidyn Triplett: I started binge watching the original iCarly series when it was released on Netflix. I watched a couple seasons before my audition for Millicent came in. I was shocked! It was so fun going through the casting experience while I was falling in love with the iCarly universe at the exact same time. See mom, watching TV paid off after all lol.

YEM: How does it feel to be one of the only child leads?

Jaidyn: I’m the youngest yes, but I’m definitely not the only child, Spencer! Cough cough. I was raised as the only child at home until I was 7 years old and became a big sister so I’m actually used to being surrounded by adults. I’m just grateful that I’ve been adopted into a larger and even crazier family, and that’s saying a lot because my dad is nuts. Lol.

YEM: Growing up with a family of entertainers must be amazing! In what ways does your family encourage your acting career?

Jaidyn: I’m lucky to have the amount of support available that I have. My dad has been acting, singing and recording since before I was born. He literally vlogged my entire birth lol. He was trained in musical theater in New York, so moving to LA was a new adventure for all of us. Fun fact: we booked our very first TV commercial together when I was three years old. He would always take me to his commercial call backs and a couple times I would end up booking the gig even though it wasn’t my audition lol. After that more opportunities opened up and collectively my family has racked up over 150 national commercials! Oh, and everyone knows I’m the best at memorizing lines in the house. Having a live-in acting coach has definitely paid off. 

YEM: Is your character Millicent similar to your own personality? Where do you differ?

Jaidyn: My character Millicent is business minded which I could relate to. Her style and confidence is so beyond this world! I think our love language is a little bit different. I film my scenes and remind myself that my mom would not accept any of that, I would have been killed after the first sarcastic one liner lol. So, I let it all out on set. Haha.

YEM: What has the experience been like so far? What has the fan reaction been like?

Jaidyn: All the fan reactions to the new iCarly have been really positive so far. It seems like a lot of people can relate to each of our characters and where they are in life right now. A lot of people seem to say it’s so much better than they were imagining. It’s hard to do a reboot. But we got it right with iCarly. It feels like a more modern show with the same characters everyone loved. Plus, new favorite characters like Millicent everyone can fall in love with. Our writers are literally the best.

YEM: What was your favorite scene to shoot and why?

Jaidyn: My favorite scene we’ve shot so far has to be my singing number in episode 3 “iFauxpologize.” Fun Fact: I had to sing this song in almost every round of my audition process. So, it’s been stuck in my head a lot longer lol. “Unless you pay me moneyyy!” Another favorite scene is in an unreleased episode, so I won’t talk about it, just know that I had to learn some Shakespeare for a huge school production. 😉

YEM: What was one challenge in this role that you had to overcome and how did you overcome it?

Jaidyn: I think the biggest challenge was learning the stage. I had only really done commercials, episodic tv and feature films before so I had to make sure I learned to “cheat to camera,” and proper stage directions, doing my lines with very specific blocking and movements… but I got the hang of it all pretty fast.

YEM: What will be different about the iCarly reboot from the original iCarly? 

Jaidyn: This iCarly was created with those who grew up watching the original show. It’s going to be way more mature. The story lines are a lot of fun. And the ensemble cast makes it really, really fun.

YEM: iCarly has been known to have the craziest props on set, like the Bottle Bot and Spencer’s baby crib. What are your favorite props that you’ve seen or used on set so far? 

Jaidyn: There’s an ice cream sandwich seat in the iCarly studio that is pretty cool and comfy. But my fav so far has to be the props you don’t see. They use real food in the kitchen so we have been known for taking the good juices straight from the fridge.

YEM: How have your female adult co-actors on iCarly influenced you? Especially Miranda Cosgrove and Laci Mosley? 

Jaidyn: Unless Jerry and Nathan are hiding something, those are my only female co-actors. 🤣  

Girl power is in full effect when the ladies walk onto the stage. I look up to both Maranda and Laci like big sisters. Miranda is a living icon and Laci is a boss. This kind of energy is what’s guiding me as a young actress on the show. I love working with them and even more so hanging with them off set. Not sure if you saw photos from out trip to Disney but that was literally the best day ever!

YEM: What is one piece of wisdom you can give to encourage young actresses like yourself?

Jaidyn: I would encourage young actors to never give up because hard work definitely pays off. I’ve been at it for about eight years. I for sure had some great wins along the way, but iCarly is that life changing opportunity that we all decide to do this for. So grateful. So don’t give up. I would also say what my dad always tells me, what’s for you will be for you. You can’t take someone else’s blessings. If you didn’t get it, this time, then that blessing was for someone else. But your blessing will always come and it will be right on time. And I’ll share one last thing, my mom always says to me, keep a grateful heart.

YEM: What was your reaction when you got your role for iCarly? 

Jaidyn: Our reaction was nothing less than a completely packed stadium, during the biggest sports event ever! Lol – My entire family screamed, cheered and cried real tears of joy. It was a day or two after my chemistry read, late evening and a call came in from my manager and agent. My mom says, she just knew this was the call! Of course my dad filmed the entire thing, I’m sure he will post it on our YouTube channel, The Triplett Family Network, soon so everyone can re-live that amazing moment with me.

See Jaidyn Triplett in iCarly on Paramount+

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