Aubin Bradley is an actress who is in “A Loud House Christmas”. “A Loud House Christmas” is Based on the Emmy Award winning animated series, “Loud House,”. The film is a Nickelodeon live action original holiday movie that is out on Nickelodeon and Paramount+ and brings the town of Royal Woods to life for the holidays. Aubin portrayed the character of Lucy Loud. YEM was able to speak with Aubin about her first day on the set of “A Loud House Christmas”, her character Lucy, and her hair and makeup process.
Young Entertainment Mag: How did you know you wanted to pursue a career in acting?
Aubin Bradley: Well, pursuing a career in acting kind of just happened in the beginning. I mean, I am really lucky. My oldest sister, Catherine Bradley, loved acting and dancing and so my sister Alex and I began taking lessons like she did. Catherine really worked very hard when she was little – traveling the country, going to open calls and auditions with hundreds of girls and finally got one of the best agents. If it had not been for her hard work, I would not have my agent and be here. She inspired me, but once I took the stage or was on set, I was hooked. I loved it. I mean what’s not fun about playing cool parts and trying something new every day. Also – even though I want to be an actress, I may also want to be a rocket scientist!
YEM: If you could describe acting in one word, what would it be?
Aubin: This is hard one. What comes to mind is “risky.” I think the best actors in the world make choices or take risks in scenes or on stage or even in an audition that makes them unique. The risks actors take with their characters help them give performances that give the audiences goosebumps. So, for me, acting is taking risks.
YEM: What was it like going from being on Broadway to acting on television? Are there any similarities between theater and television?
Aubin: It was really cool going from playing Little Cosette in Les Misérables to tv acting. I have actually done more tv than theater even though I do love live theater a bunch. In live theater, I loved performing in front of thousands of people and feeling the energy of the audience, but I also love with tv, how I can do so many different tv shows and play so many different parts and still have a life at home. I think the biggest similarity between them is becoming the character. It is the same for me either way. When I am on stage or shooting on set, I leave being me for a while and become that new person. It’s a really cool feeling.
YEM: Have you ever seen the original The Loud House animated series?
Aubin: Yes. I watched I think every season and LOVE the show. I really connected with how it is one big family with one brother and a ton of sisters. My family has three sisters and my brother, Colin, and my dad and mom. Like the series, my brother and even my dad sometimes does not stand a chance against all of us sisters. And all of us sisters have a very different personality like the Loud’s. Also, one of my favorite characters in the show is Lucy so getting to bring an iconic character like her to life was really amazing!
YEM: What was your first day on the set of A Loud House Christmas like?
Aubin: My first day on set was very exciting. It was great because literally the entire Loud family was in this scene including my real-life sister, Catherine (who played Luan). Our first day was the last scene of the movie and it was the snowball fight scene. It was almost summer and very hot in Atlanta, and we were all dressed in winter coats and there literally was a crane making snow. Before this day, we had only met our director, Jonathan Judge virtually, so we finally met him (he was really nice) and he put us in a line and told us to run outside and just have a snow fight. We had to get moving because the snow was going to melt quick! So, we all did what we thought our characters would do. Catherine was a lunatic as Luan nailing everyone and laughing hysterically and me as Lucy just stared at first in wonder at the snow until I got hit with a snowball and realized that I kind of liked this. They may have actually gotten a smile out of me! …. It was the perfect first day and the cast really bonded over the snowball fight.
YEM: Do you share any similarities to your character Lucy?
Aubin: Sigh . . . . well, yes. I share many similarities to Lucy. I was born Halloween night, so Halloween is literally my favorite holiday. I also have a dry and sly sense of humor like her. And other than the bangs, I have her hair cut. My hair was actually longer before, but after they cut it, I decided the Lucy Loud hair suited me.
YEM: What was the process of going through hair and makeup like?
Aubin: Well . . . . . this was one of the most fun parts. When I first showed up in Atlanta I had really long brown hair. They actually had to cut it twice. I didn’t want to wear a wig and wanted it to look real. They dyed it the darkest color brown which I learned reads black on film. I still think some of that darker dye is still left in my hair, but I don’t mind it. Because I could not run around as my normal self with bangs that covered up my eyes, they created a clip-on hair piece for me to put the bangs in before my scenes. I nicknamed this hair piece “squirt” and I still have it! The makeup artists taught me how to do my makeup and she let me do it every day on set. And the costumes were just epic. The costume designer, Chris Field, thought of every single detail. I really loved my winter cloak. When I put those clothes on, I felt like I was Lucy Loud. The transformation was complete!
YEM: What is your favorite line that you got to deliver?
Aubin: Oh, that’s an easy one. “Sigh …… the darkness suits me.” This was accompanied with a subtle sly smile at the end. I also had an improv scene that I did with my dad at the breakfast table with burnt toast that actually made the final cut of the movie where I did this hissing sound combined with a claw-like move with my hand. This is a new move that I brought to Lucy Loud. Who knows, maybe they will use this in the animated series!
YEM: Was there ever a time you faced an obstacle while acting? How did you overcome it?
Aubin: So, the biggest obstacle I faced while acting was when my school accidentally dis-enrolled me from school when I was away for a couple of months filming. I really love school – math, reading, science! I am very focused on keeping up with my school when on set and really freak out when I start to fall behind. So, when I was in my school on set and unexpectedly lost access to all the materials and assignments, it really stressed me out. I overcame it with the help of my mom and the on-set tutors. My mom purchased the actual textbooks or found lesson plans online that covered the same topics that were being covered in school and she and the tutors made sure I learned everything. I actually came back to school ahead. So, it all worked out in the end.
YEM: Who is your favorite character that you’ve played and why?
Aubin: Now this is another easy one! Let me give you a hint. SIGH. Lucy Loud was one of the most fun characters I have ever played. It actually was a challenge playing Lucy because even though she has a dead pan delivery and is dark and spooky, I wanted to bring a human side to her and show that there is some mischief and fun under this dark exterior. Playing Lucy was one of the best experiences of my life.
YEM: Who is your biggest acting inspiration and why?
Aubin: I really love both Emma Watson and Reese Witherspoon. But if I had to pick one – ooooh – that’s tough – I guess I would go with Emma Watson. First of all, I am a huge Harry Potter fan and she played Hermione Granger. Now that’s an iconic role. But what inspires me the most about her is that she is really smart and believes in empowering women and young girls. That is something that is also very important to me. Also, Emma stands up for what she believes in and is a strong person. I hope I can meet her one day.
YEM: What is a motto, quote, or saying that you try to live by?
Aubin: My mom is full of inspiring sayings. I am not sure where she knows all this stuff. But anyway, one of my favorites that she is always telling me is to, “follow your inner moonlight and don’t hide the madness.” What this means is to follow your inner voice and follow and do in life what makes you happy. The “don’t hide the madness” means to be yourself and let people see who you really are – even you’re not so perfect, crazy, quirky self. She tells me this kind of madness is genius and happiness. I really try to live my life this way.
YEM: What is the most helpful acting advice that you’ve been given?
Aubin: The best advice on acting that I have been given is to just be a kid and be a kid that “acts” and not an “actor” that is a kid. Even though it is hard at times, I still go to regular school, compete on a dance team with my friends and live a very normal life. I do not over rehearse before auditions and a lot of times I do my auditions after one read on the day I am taping. This keeps me natural and honest in my acting.
YEM: How have you grown as an actor from your first acting project to now?
Aubin: I have become a better actor over time and am a lot more confident in the choices that I make as an actor. In the beginning I did not know how to work with a camera or how to do a good self-tape. I have learned so much from my acting coach, “Reesa” and from the other actors and creative teams I have worked with. I am older now too so I can play even more fun parts.
YEM: Without giving too much away, do you have any upcoming projects that you would like your fans to know about?
Aubin: Well, you can see me right now in an episode on the new Gossip Girl and I am going to start filming this month for a new show on Apple TV. I am also a series regular on an animated series that is about to be released in the United States which I am pretty excited about. But I am most excited to work with Nickelodeon again on a Loudhouse Movie sequel or a series bringing Lucy Loud back to life!
