Interview from "Life Story: Jonas Brothers".
Up close and personal with Alyson Stoner.
Transcript by Cameron.

Toledo Ohio born and bred, Alyson Stoner always seemed to know that she wanted to be in front of cameras. When she was just a little girl, she took ballet, tap and jazz dance at Toledo's O'Connell's Dance Studio. She also took modeling classes and assignments through the Margret O' Brien modeling studio. The young Ms. Stoner was well known in her hometown, but let's face it... Toledo is, well, Toledo, and Hollywood is the big time. So, in the late 1990's Alyson and her mom took a spin out to Tinseltown. Alyson wanted to learn hip-hop dance and she studied with Wade Robson of N'Sync, Justin Timberlake, and Brittney Spears fame. She danced in music video's such as Missy Elliot's "work it" and on TV shows such as The Tonight Show and many others. With guest shots on Nick's Drake and Josh, and Disney's That's So Raven and Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and movies such as Cheaper by the Dozen 1 and 2, it wasn't surprising to see her signed on to the Jonas Brothers debut TV movie Camp Rock. As Caitlyn in Camp Rock, Alyson is definitely joining the ranks of the Disney Divas!

Life Story: What is Caitlyn like?
Alyson Stoner: Caitlyn is an aspiring music producer. Fashion wise, she mixes and matches a bunch of crazy colors with what she wears everyday. She befriends Mitchie, but she unfortunately watches Mitchie fall into the trap of the mean girl. So, she's very sarcastic, funky, and kind of creative I'd say. She's an artist.

LS: Are you similar in any way to Caitlyn?
Alyson: Well I actually do compose my own music at home on my electronic keyboard and computer. So, that's definitely similar, but I'm not as confident.

LS: What about Caitlyn do you like?
Alyson: For her, nothing is too much. The more the better--that's Caitlyn's motto. She mixes and matches cloths that I could never imagine wearing, but somehow I always got compliments n set for my outfits. She has an eye for color schemes. Being able to pull off all these colors is something I've always wanted to be able to do, so I got to on set.

LS: Has she become a part of you?
Alyson: No, I try to keep my work and personal life separate. I'd be on Hollywood's worst dressed list.

LS: How is it working with the Jonases?
Alyson: What a joy. I had previously met them a couple of times, so knew a little bit about them, but I had no idea what a following they had. We had girls trying to get into there hotel rooms, we had girls following them to dinner. IT was extremely crazy. They're famous, but you would never guess it because they're so down-to-earth. They have a really tight, supportive family. Its good to see that because you don't see that often in Hollywood.

LS: Did you have fun with the cast on set?
Alyson: It was just a bunch of fun. Everyone was playing off each other, and the director let us play with the lines so we didn't have to get them exactly. We could improvise. It was like the biggest family. I could count on any of them for anything.

LS: You started as a dancer. Why did you chose that?
Alyson: My sister is an amazing dancer, and I wanted to be just like her. At age three I enrolled in dance lessons, which took me to this convention for dancing, acting, singing, modeling, and everything performing. I met with agents and managers there who told me I have to be in LA. And I have to be in the business. We tried it out for a couple of months, and my first big job was dancing for Missy Elliott. That pretty much launched my career.

LS: What style of dance is your favorite?
Alyson: My strength is definitely in hip-hop, but my favorite is probably lyrical. I'd like to start training in the technical areas again. I just think it's so beautiful. My sister is proof that its an amazing dance form. Lyrical is somewhat like jazz and ballet. It's more flowy. It concentrates on the music and blending your dance with the melody of the music.

LS: What draws you to dance?
Alyson: There's absolutely every kind of song and every kind of move you can do to express every emotion. If you're sad, you can do this, if you're happy you can do that. The possibilities are endless. You can be creative and just be who you want to be, and that's what I love about choreography. I can design my own dances to fit my personality rather than following someone else's.

LS: Do you have any dance role models?
Alyson: I'm still trying to find my own style. In your teen years, everything is so dramatic and changes every day, so my personality is changing.

LS: Have you always liked to sing?
Alyson: I had to sing for different jobs in my character voice for animated series. I wanted to explore singing as myself. I began training vocally about a year-and-a-half ago. From there, I've been writing music. My love for music is extremely strong because I'm a dancer. It's fairly new to me, but I feel like it's been there my whole life. I'm ready to take off and pursue that whole area.

LS: What kinds of music do you prefer?
Alyson: I would say it is soulful pop.

LS: Are most of your friends in the business, or outside the business?
Alyson: It's definitely a big mixture. I need to incorporate elements from Hollywood and regular life so I don't go crazy. I have all my family and friends still from the beginning in Ohio. Here, I've met friends from regular schools that I've gone to. They definitely treat me like a regular kid rather than a celebrity. I think its nice to have the valence It allows me to tell certain friends about my acting who actually care about acting, and talk to my friends about basketball who actually care about basketball.

LS: Describe what you look for in a boyfriend.
Alyson: I'm not into the whole dating scene right now at least. They have to be funny. But not necessarily crack me up all the time, but can have a good time. They have to be loyal so I know I can trust them. They need to be smart. I love having intelligent conversations with friends. Another thing I look for is someone with good morals. That's the most impotent thing.

LS: Who's the most famous person you've ever met?
Alyson: Miley Cyrus! She's really sweet, and I got to go to her concert because the Jonas Brothers were playing... and the way she rocks the stage???!!! She's fifteen years old, and I think that could be me in a year! She's such an inspiration to look up to. her family is very supportive and it's a great tight unit and I like that about her.

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