Highlights
- Laura Marano reflected on her time on Austin & Ally.
- Many stars have had challenges with their Disney Channel experience.
- Marano has since pursued different projects.
Thanks to the fact that the two main characters love music so much, Austin & Ally stands out from other similar series. While the sitcom, which aired from 2011 to 2016, is as cute and innocent as other Disney Channel shows, it was always special to see Laura Marano and Ross Lynch sing in each episode.
While the Austin & Ally cast members have all moved on from the Disney series, it’s possible to say that Laura Marano has had the most compelling trajectory. Fans still wonder about a possible Austin & Ally reboot because they love the two main actors so much. While that might never happen, Laura Marano is still a star to watch.
However, no matter what else she does, fans will never stop associating Marano with her Austin & Ally character. Everyone is eager to find out what she really thought about Disney…
How Did Laura Marano Feel About Starring On Austin & Ally?
Laura Marano played Ally Dawson on Austin & Ally. Ally enjoys singing but is much more shy and nervous than her friend, Ross Lynch’s character Austin Moon. The two connect over their shared love of music and even fall in love by the end of the Disney show’s four seasons.
While Ally is definitely a sweet and wholesome character, there are many Disney stars who had awful experiences portraying adorable kids on TV. However, when Laura Marano has addressed her Disney background, she sounds glad that she got this career opportunity.
While some Disney stars talk about sexist work environments or being treated unfairly, she has never had anything negative to say about being on set.
In 2019, Laura Marano talked about Austin & Ally in an interview with Backstage and shared that she could relate to the character that she played. Since she liked Ally so much, it seems like that made starring on the show a good experience.
The actress said, “I honestly had never seen a character so much like me. My mom and I were reading the breakdown and I remember thinking, Oh my God, are there cameras around me? This is so me. I love music. I’m a complete goody-two-shoes. I’m really quirky.”
But even though she definitely feels lucky that she got the chance to star in Austin & Ally, Laura Marano has also been honest about how people sometimes pigeonhole her and don’t think that she can do anything else. This definitely sounds frustrating. Unfortunately, it’s something that many former Disney actors have to deal with as they get older.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Marano explained, “I kind of look at that stage with so much gratitude. Of course, there are complications and challenges that come with that, and of course, there are perceptions that follow you because people have certain kind of ideas of what they think you are, of what they think you can do.”
The actress continued to Entertainment Tonight, “And that’s hard to break away from that, but I’m so beyond grateful for that chapter of my life. I look at it with such love and such happiness because it was so, so awesome.”
Since Laura Marano has been acting and singing since she was young, it sounds like she has a good, calm head on her shoulders and is used to being in the spotlight. Marano talked about her music and acting careers with Euphoria Zine in 2021 and shared that it was challenging to get used to being famous and being on social media.
She said, “I feel like Austin and Ally came at a good time because social media started becoming a thing. I didn’t have Twitter or Instagram when I started the first season. Everyone else did though. I did feel the pressure of getting it for my career after the first season. It’s strange that it has become such an essential part of the industry. It is an addiction. It is weird when you have it for both career purposes and personal use.”
The star continued, “There’s also a lot about it that I don’t love and are tough. There’s constant pressure about being on it as much as you can. I definitely have, as many people do have a complicated relationship with it, but I try the best I can to focus on the positives and create boundaries for myself to help me cope with the complexities.”
What Is Austin & Ally Star Laura Marano Doing Now?
Laura Marano has continued to act and has chosen projects that are very different from Austin & Ally. Since she’s getting older, this makes sense and feels like a natural evolution.
After Austin & Ally ended in 2016, and in the years since Marano has voiced a few characters on the popular animated series Robot Chicken. Most of all, though, she has focused on her movie career and has seen great success.
Marano played a teenage girl named Diana Greenway in Greta Gerwig’s quirky, clever, and impressive 2019 movie Lady Bird. Diana is a classmate of the main character, Christine/Lady Bird, and has some of the most memorable and shocking lines in the whole film.
The actress also starred in several Netflix romance movies including The Royal Treatment, Choose Love, and The Perfect Date. These movies feel like the perfect fit for her since they allow her fanbase to grow up with her and see her play characters who are dealing with more adult problems like dating.
Laura Marano is also focusing on her music career. According to StyleCaster, Marano didn’t have an easy road to releasing her debut album. After she was supposed to record an album for Big Machine and then Warner Bros. Music, she started a record label of her own called Flip Phone Records. After she put out her EP “Me” in March 2023, she released her first album “I May Be An Actress, but I Can’t Fake How I Feel” in September 2023. It’s a great and memorable title that proves that she writes songs from the heart.
When she talks about her career today, it’s clear that Marano likes expressing herself musically since she can be fully herself. Her music also allows her to keep growing up.
In an interview with Elite Daily in 2023, Marano said, “I am 23. I’m living different experiences, writing, and singing about different things then I would when I was 16 or 17. Just how it’s going to be when I’m 28, 29, 30. I want my music to represent my life and I want my music to represent where I am.”
Austin & Ally star Laura Marano has definitely been able to thrive after her time on Disney, and it’s amazing to see her releasing the music that makes her so happy.
Source: NewsFinale
