Kenzi Richardson on Becoming Vee for Disney Channel’s Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
The Disney Channel's new series Vampirina: Teenage Vampire is truly the perfect series to fall in love with this Halloween season, with plenty of lighthearted fun, unforgettable music and a supernaturally spooky twist. Even better, all episodes are streaming on Disney+ starting today, Oct. 15.
The series (inspired by the Disney Jr. show Vampirina), follows Vee, a young vampire who leaves the safe haven of Transylvania in order to pursue her love of music at a boarding school called the Wilson Hall Academy of the Arts. Not only is she figuring out how to interact with humans for the very first time, but she's forced to hide her identity as a vampire. That's made even tougher by her overprotective parents—who've sent a ghostly guardian to look after her—and the fact that a fellow student may be part of the vampire-hunting Van Helsing lineage.
Vee's misadventures as both a teenage girl trying to fit in and a vampire guarding a massive secret lead to plenty of laughs as well as drama, and actress Kenzi Richardson masterfully brings the beloved character to life—especially when she's singing her heart out. We got to speak with Kenzi on Zoom, alongside Janice LeAnn Brown of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, to discuss the new show, stepping into Vee's shows and the excitement around the Vampirina and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Crossover episode. Read the full interview below.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history acting? When did you first become interested in the craft and realize it was what you wanted to do with your life?
Kenzi Richardson: This has been something that I've wanted to do my whole life. Ever since I was little, I would turn on Disney—especially Frozen, Frozen was my A game—and I would jump on the couch when I wasn't supposed to. I would put on my best rock star outfits and I would rock out to Hannah Montana. It's something that I've wanted to do my whole life.
Then I went to a theater camp. I did theater for a couple of years. I loved it, but felt like there was still something missing. That I needed to fill this space that was in me, so I started acting in film. And then we got audition for Vampirina, and the second that I got on set and started doing it, I just knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. This is where my heart is, and it truly felt like home when I was filming.
(Photo credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
SH: We're stepping into the brand new Vampirina: Teenage Vampire series with you. Were you at all familiar with the book series or the Disney Junior show before you came on for the role?
Kenzi: A million, trillion, whatever-is-beyond-that percent! I loved Vampirina growing up. It was my favorite Disney Junior cartoon ever. When I was little, I was actually not allowed to watch Vampirina because my mom thought that vampires were too scary for me at the time, so I would sneak into the closet with my iPad and I would watch Vampirina without my parents knowing. That was my little secret binge show. It was my favorite, and 'til this day, I still do watch it. It's so inspiring. I loved reading the books when I was little and I still do have the Vampirina Ballerina book. I think it's such a beautiful story and one that I learned so many lessons from, and I still do. Once I got the call, I just burst into tearss, screaming. I mean, this is genuinely my dream role. I could have never asked for a better way to start out my career, because this is just so, so surreal. And to be doing it with such an incredible cast and crew and crossovers, I just have no words. It's so amazing.
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SH: What has it been for you to not just bring your acting to the role, but also lots of singing?
Kenzi: It's been so amazing. I love singing. It's been such a passion of mine. Dance as well. I feel like whenever I dance, I can truly express myself. The same with singing, and I love songwriting. So to have a character that also loves to sing, dance and write songs is so amazing. Every time I hear one of the new songs or I record a new song, it feels like I'm truly am Vee and I'm not just Kenzi singing the songs. It feels like at this point, Vee is just a part of me.
I used to take a second to get into character, but now I can just switch her on. I know her mindset. I know how I need to feel and I can just sink into the moment—and that's a little sneak peek of one of the songs!
It's truly so incredible. All of the songs that have been written are so beautiful and written by so many talented producers and writers.
(Photo credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
SH: You touched on a crossover. Is there anything you can share about what's to come, and how the worlds of Vampirina: Teenage Vampire and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place are coming together?
Kenzi: Get ready for a new iconic double-trouble duo!
Janice Leann Brown: We're coming for your screens, man.
Kenzi: This is gonna be so much fun. I know we made one video that was like…
Kenzi and Janice: "You're not seeing double. Everyone loves us! You're seeing trouble!"
Kenzi: And that is like the perfect description of Vee and Billie, because they're gonna get into some mischief.
Janice: We are, for sure.
Kenzi: And they're gonna be having a lot of fun.
Janice: So I'm really excited for you guys to see what we have.
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SH: What's been your most memorable moment on set this season?
Kenzi: For me, it was actually when the show premiered. We had the whole Vampirina cast and the Wizards cast over, and we did a little watch party. It was that moment when we all got to see each other after we wrapped filming and we were crying and just so excited for the show to be out and for the world to see it. To see our growth from when we first started just filming the pilot to now is insane. And not just as our characters, but as people. We've all learned so much from our characters and it's so beautiful to see how much we've grown.
(Photo credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
For more from our favorite Disney Channel stars, click HERE to read our interview with Electric Bloom's Nate Buescher.