Apparently, there's a certain recipe for success when it comes to super-stardom in Hollywood concerning raven-haired teen queens; step one- have southwestern origin. Step two- get your start on Barney & Friends. Step three- find your way to a critically acclaimed show for youths to cut your acting teeth on. Step four- have enough talent, charm and charisma to keep audiences talking and build your success into an empire. Lather, rinse, repeat. And having already seen this formula work for the likes of megastars such as Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, it's no wonder why the world is falling in love with Mika Abdalla.
Poised and well-spoken, the intelligent young talent is quickly getting mountains of praise for her work on the Emmy nominated Netflix series Project Mc² where she plays a specially gifted secret agent that is trying to also cope with the stresses of being a regular teenage girl. The show is being widely applauded for its merits, and Abdalla is being celebrated by critics, parents and fans everywhere as both a phenomenal actress and role model amongst her generation.
And maybe that's in part because the intelligent starlet encourages fans to remain educated and even realize that subjects like math can be fun. A proud feminist with a good head on her shoulders, Abdalla is a great example for young girls everywhere as she hopes to empower viewers with messages of girl power and female camaraderie. On top of that, she is clearly one to watch for acting purposes as she lists talents such as Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as people who motivate her to better herself in her process. With her show already garnering so much praise, and even an Emmy nomination, it most likely won't be long until she gets her own nomination.
Sitting down to talk about the issues that are important to her and what fans can expect from the new season of her hit show, Project Mc², Abdalla takes some questions about her cool and collected character, who inspires her, and what she would love to do in the future. Keep reading to find out what the actress had to say!
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Congratulations on all your success and critical acclaim! What can fans expect as "Project Mc²" comes into its third season, particularly for McKeyla?
It's kind of the same with season two. A lot of character development, and we get to see how McKeyla is trying to hide the fact that she is a secret agent from everyone at school, but she is also trying to do her best at her job, while still being a normal teenager and balance all her new friendships. It's really crazy, but still really interesting- and not just for McKeyla. It will be great to see how all the characters change and learn to work with new situations that arise.
Talk about your Emmy nomination for the show and how that felt? That must have been a huge honor.
Oh, that was insane! After one season and three episodes we got nominated for an Emmy- that was crazy. It wasn't something I was expecting at all. Obviously, I knew the show was great and I was really proud of it, but it was definitely something I could have never expected. I just remember the moment the moment we heard about it, we were on set and we were all filming and someone told us- it was just so surreal. And it was great that we were all filming at the time and all girls were present so that we could all celebrate together.
Each character on "Project Mc²" has their own special gift. If you were recruited, what would your gift be?
If I were recruited my gift would probably be something math related- probably because I've always been really good with numbers, and math has always been my favorite subject. Something about it is really interesting- the way that it's like a puzzle and it can be really fun. If you try and make it fun, it can be fun. So, that would definitely be my gift.
How different are you from McKeyla, and how much are you two alike?
We are both very similar in the way that we are both socially awkward, but we are both very smart, we both think education is very important, and we're all about girl power. We are both into the idea of doing anything and not letting the fact that you are a girl hold you back. But McKeyla is definitely a lot more calm under pressure, and she can definitely handle certain situations better than I can!
Your career is really taking off now and you're moving on from child roles to adult roles. What kind of parts would you love to play and who would you love to work with?
Two people that I definitely look up to are Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio. Jennifer Lawrence because she does her own thing and she is who she is- she's very true to herself, despite how famous she has become. And Leonardo DiCaprio because he really immerses himself into every role. He really puts himself into every project he is in. And that kind of goes with the projects that I look to hopefully be a part of- the more serious and demanding roles. The things that will take me to crazy places and push me to limits of how good of an actress I could be.
Like Selena Gomez, you are both from Texas and both got your start on “Barney & Friends,” both to move on to your own shows. Is there any chance that you're at all musical and might follow in her footsteps with an album?
I don't know about a musical album. I used to sing, but it's not my thing anymore. But, I do definitely look up to Selena- I think she's gorgeous, talented and she has been involved in some really good projects and causes, and she is definitely someone I aspire to be like.
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And the same way Gomez, Lawrence and DiCaprio have proven to be excellent role models for Abdalla, the smart young talent will undoubtedly soon be cited as one of the biggest inspirations for other up-and-comers starting out their careers. In fact? Thanks to her amazing work on Project Mc², she already is.
Project Mc² is now streaming on Netflix.