Every Witch Way Star Paola Andino On Acting!

Paola Andino is the 15-year-old star of Nickelodeon's new hit series, Every Witch Way. In the show she stars as Emma Alonso, a teenage girl who discovers that she is a witch!

In a recent interview, Paola told us all about how she got into acting, and divulges what makes Every Witch Way such a magical show!

Paola started taking acting classes when she was just 10 years old.

"I've loved performing ever since I was little, so when I took my first acting class I was like, 'This is the one. This is what I want to do,'" Paola said. "I knew it's what I wanted to pursue as a career."

Before starring in Every Witch Way, Paola guest starred in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. She also appeared in the Hallmark film Beyond the Blackboard opposite Revenge star Emily VanCamp.

When she was handed the script for the new Nickelodeon show, she was immediately drawn to the series because of its strong characters.

"They're all very different, and defined," she said. "I love how they handle situations in their own way because it gives everyone someone to relate to."

The new series begins when Paola's character, Emma, and her father move to Miami. There, Emma enrolls at a new school called Iridium High, where she meets her new best friend Andi, her crush Daniel, and the school "mean girl," Maddie.

She also gets a shock when she learns a family secret.

"Emma discovers she's a witch," Paola explained. "But she's not the only one. She has to learn to control and defend her powers, all while dealing with the difficulties of high school and adolescence."

As Emma struggles to get used to being a witch, she has to handle a new rival, Maddie, who is not only Daniel's ex-girlfriend, but also a witch herself.

Luckily, Emma has some great new friends and a powerful new set of skills to get her through it.

"Emma is the sweetest girl. She's so honest and responsible," Paola said. "She can be naive though and she's not the best at defending herself. Even when Emma gets herself into trouble, she tries to have a positive outlook on whatever she's dealing with."

Paola said she could relate to her witchy on-screen counterpart.

"Emma and I are similar because we both hate lying," she said. "Honesty is so important to me. Both of us are kind of clumsy and really like butterflies too."

Every Witch Way was based on the show Grachi, which aired on Nickelodeon in Latin America.

"I have seen some episodes and it's such a cute show," Paola said. "I'm so happy this adaption was made for the US."

Asked about her favorite scene from the show, Paola couldn't pick just one.

In an episode called "Monkey Business," Emma's school nurse and magical guardian, Lily, gets turned into a monkey. Paola loved filming with "Monkey Lily."

"I also laugh so hard at my scenes with my best friend on and off screen, Daniela," Paola added. "She plays Andi on the show."

Paola had an incredible time playing Emma on TV, but what kind of powers would she have if she was actually a witch?

"If I was a witch in real life, I'd love to have gills or something that would let me breath underwater," she told us. "I'm really fascinated by all of the undiscovered parts of the ocean and it would be amazing to see all of the weird animals that live in the dark depths."

Every Witch Way is also notable for its format. Every night since January 1, a new episode has aired every weeknight. The show will continue until the end of the month!

Paola said she loved being a part of this new television viewing experience.

"I'm really proud of the show and how everything has turned out," she said. "It's been so cool to introduce this format and the style of our show to kids. It's something different that they've never really seen before."

She's also had an incredible experience meeting and hearing from die-hard fans of the series.

"The fans are the absolute best," she said. "They love the magic and the rivalry between Maddie and Emma. They all root for Daniel and Emma, aka Team Demma. The fans are so funny too. They get really anxious for the next episode since they end in cliff hangers."

Every Witch Way plays every night Monday through Friday at 7:30/6:30c on Nickelodeon.

"The finale is coming up and you don't want to miss the magic that's coming!" Paola said.

Love Every Witch Way? Join us at Sweety High to share all of your favorite moments from the show with us!