Maiara Walsh was born on February 18, 1988; she is from Brazil and can speak languages like Portuguese and Spanish, her acting background rages from small theater production and TV roles, but her big break came in 2007 when she got the role of Meena Paroom; in the Disney Channel spin-off series to “That’s So Raven,” “Cory in the House.” However, the show only lasted two seasons before getting canceled; she has not stopped perusing her acting career, and is still working hard to succeed in Hollywood. She also keeps up her education; she has been accepted to the University of California at Irvine, and is taking online collage courses. She has got a lot on her plate and I hope we can see a lot more of this promising actress in the years to come. I was very glad that she was able to take some time out of her very busy schedule to do an interview with Sparkling Stars, below you will find the interview; I hope you enjoy it, because I had a great time doing it. I can truly say Miss Walsh is a wonderful girl and actress.

Sparkling Stars: How is your day going?
Maiara Walsh: My day is going great, thanks for asking! It’s another sunny, beautiful California day.

Sparkling Stars: How did you get started in the acting business?
Maiara Walsh: I started taking acting classes, and then I got a commercial agent. I ended up booking my first commercial audition and I remember thinking how easy booking jobs was… I was wrong! It took a lot of hard work. I finally started auditioning for TV and movies and I began booking roles. It’s not an easy business, though. You hear a lot of “no’s” before you finally hear a “yes”, but I think if you are really passionate about it, you won’t let the rejection get to you.

Sparkling Stars: What was the auditioning process like for Cory in the House?”
Maiara Walsh: It was a little crazy. I remember going to the first audition and sitting on the ground for almost two hours there were so many people there. I went in without caring if I booked it or not, and that took the pressure off and it ended up working for me. There were about 3 or 4 more auditions and then a final test between me and one other girl. They kept asking me to try different accents, and for some reason the one that stuck in my head was the one I ended up using for Meena.

Sparkling Stars: How did you feel when you found out you got the role of Meena?”
Maiara Walsh: It was surreal. I don’t think it really hit me until I went to our first table read (where the cast, producers, and directors go over the script for the first time). It made me think back to a moment a couple of years back when I was watching Lizzie McGuire on TV and I thought to myself, “I could do that”. Haha. And then there I was on a Disney show.

Sparkling Stars: Are you and Meena more a like or different?
Maiara Walsh: I think we are more alike. We both come from multicultural backgrounds (my mom is Brazilian and my dad is American), and we both had to figure out how to balance growing up in an American society without losing our ethnic roots. She cares deeply about the people close to her, and she’s always the peace maker. I think we are similar in those ways.

Sparkling Stars: What was it like on set?
Maiara Walsh: Set was a blast. I don’t think a day went by when we didn’t laugh. It was really like hanging out with family. We are all very close.

Sparkling Stars: What has been you favorite episode of the show so far?
Maiara Walsh: My favorite episode is “Meena’s Bahavian Sweetishka.” A Sweetishka is like a Quinceanera, or a sweet 16 birthday party. A TV show decides to follow around Meena as she prepares for her party, and she turns into a complete brat. Meena is usually so sweet to everyone, so it was fun playing such an opposite side of her.

Sparkling Stars: Your character Meena sings in a band, is singing something you would like to pursue in the future?
Maiara Walsh: Singing is definitely something I’m interested in. It has been something I have put off due to pursuing my acting career, as well as getting over some personal fears. I’m starting to write my own music now, though, and it’s an exciting journey! I also just started playing the piano, which is really fun and difficult at the same time!

Sparkling Stars: What are the best and worst things about being an actress?
Maiara Walsh: The best part about being an actress is all the different roles you get to play. I love the art of acting. Also, you get the opportunity to travel and you are constantly meeting new people, two things I really enjoy doing. I’m not a fan of the superficiality you often encounter. I think the emphasis on image in the media is completely overrated. But I think that all jobs have their upsides and their downsides, and I believe that if I’m genuine with those around me, my experiences will be genuine.

Sparkling Stars: You are staring in the new 2009 film “The Prankster,” can you tell us little bit about it?
Maiara Walsh: Of course! It’s a high school comedy about pulling pranks in high school. It follows Chris Karas and his fellow classmates as they make their way through adolescence and figure out what they want in life. It’s a lot of fun!

Sparkling Stars: In “The Prankster” you play Sage, what is she like?
Maiara Walsh: Sage is a complete free spirit, and a bit of a dork. She isn’t interested in what people think about her, and she’s the youngest of the group. She wears eccentric clothing and marches to her own beat. She is new to the school, and when she hears about the group called The Pranksters, she wants to join in, and she ends up falling for the last person she would expect to fall for.

Sparkling Stars: Are you more like Sage or Meena in real life?
Maiara Walsh: I think I am more like Sage. I try not to let other people’s judgments affect me, and I have my own way of doing things which might seem outside the norm to most people. I’m definitely a dork, and if there were a group of pranksters at my high school, I would have wanted to be a part of it too!

Sparkling Stars: So besides your new film what else do you have coming up?
Maiara Walsh: I shot a pilot called Revolution for the Sci-Fi Channel that will air this year. It was my favorite character to play. I played Emily Hart, a seventeen year old rebel/ political activist living in the future on a new planet. She was such a strong and independent character, and I had the opportunity to work with some really talented actors. Revolution is a family/political drama set on another planet in the future.

Sparkling Stars: Thanks for doing this interview with us to day it’s be a lot of fun.
Maiara Walsh: Thank you!