Written By: Jayme Face
You’ve seen her on K.C. Undercover and Just Add Magic and you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more of her with shows like The Who Was? Show series on Netflix and Butterbean’s Café on Nick Jr.
Photo Credit: Brett Erickson
upfrontNY: K.C. Undercover just wrapped and showed its final episode recently, what was it like to be a part of that show?
Kirrilee Berger: Oh, it was so wonderful! I was obviously very nervous to start. Zendaya is such a huge celebrity. I didn’t know what she was going to be like. I had no idea what the rest of the cast would be like and they were so kind and so friendly it was wonderful to be a part of it. Going in I had no idea what the character’s arch was going to be like. They actually gave it to me as we filmed. We filmed episodes and it was like you were watching it; you were on the edge of your seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. It was such a wonderful experience. I was so glad I got to be a part of it!
upfrontNY: When you booked K.C Undercover you also booked Just Add Magic tell us about Just Add Magic and was it difficult juggling two characters at once?
Kirrilee Berger: Yes! So Just Add Magic is on Amazon Prime and it’s a show that follows three best friends and their discovery of this cook book. With that cook book they have the power to cook up magic. It follows them through their teenage years and their struggles with school, friendship, family and how magic can help and hinder them through some tough situation. I play the older sister to Hannah Parker-Kent played by Aubrey Miller. I had been playing Hailey for several years. I had been a part of the show for quite a while. I think when you are playing a role for a little while it kind of becomes part of you. You know that person is fully in tact, but I definitely have things I do to get into character. Something I always like to do is listen to music I think that my character would like and that will tap me right into who that person is and their headspace.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about the upcoming series The Who Was? on Netflix? Did you read the books before getting the role?
Kirrilee Berger: Yeah, so The Who Was? show was obviously based on The Who Was? book series that’s in elementary schools throughout the country. Netflix picked it up and turned it into a crazy, zany comedy that has to do with history. So, we teach kids about these amazing historical figures that have shaped our world and out society in ways that you might not even expect. We do it through sketches and musical numbers and we also get to play ourselves which is really really cool. Kids will watch it and have such a fun time. They might not even realize that they’re learning, but yet they’re absorbing these awesome facts. A lot of us filming the show didn’t know all of this about these people. We were learning while we were filming it. I personally didn’t read them as a child, however I used to be a nanny for several children and they loved books.I used to read to them every night, read them these books. When I was auditioning for the show it never really clicked in my head that it was the book series until I was reading the books to one of these children and realized Oh my gosh! they made the TV show out of this! I was ten times more excited because it got those kids excited about learning which is so important and education is so important. I think it’s an opportunity to expand on their education and get excited about learning.
upfrontNY: You also lent your voice to Butterbean’s Café, can you tell us more about that?
Kirrilee Berger: Yes, it’s an animated show on Nick Jr. and it follows a couple of fairy friends that own a café called Butterbean’s Café. It teaches healthy eating, farm to table eating, friendship, leadership skills, and that it’s important to ask for help when you need it. If you need a helping hand, ask a friend and I think the show has helped me learn that lesson as well. I think we all want to reach for independence, but we can’t always do it alone but there is always a helping hand ready to help.
upfrontNY: What got you interested in show business in the first place?
Kirrilee Berger: Both of my parents are artists. My mom was a dancer and a performer. She was a Rockette, she toured around the world with Crazy For You, Sugarbabes, and 42nd Street. She’s done other Broadway shows. Funny enough my parents didn’t necessarily want me going into the business, but as a little girl I would watch tapes of my mom dancing and I would copy it and I would start dancing around the living room. Then my father would play Annie and I started instantly singing in the car and my parents thought okay let’s do this. So, they put me in dance class and local shows and I fell in love with it and that’s led me to where I am today.
It’s also really cool to have parents in the business because there are certain things that happen in the business and the struggles you go through that not a lot of people can relate to and help you through. I think it’s so wonderful that when I’m faced with these difficult times they know exactly how to help me because they’ve been through it as well. It’s truly a blessing to have parents that have gone through it. They know. They know what it’s like getting up at 4:30 in the morning.
upfrontNY: You have already accomplished so much in various categories (acting, singing, dance, theatre) what is something you would like to accomplish in the future?
Kirrilee Berger: I’m kind of a person that wants to sort of do everything, but I’ve been writing original music since I was little. I have memories of running around my grandmother’s house making up songs, being like this is my brand new song, just so everybody knows. I would perform my original songs as a child. I’ve been working on an original album since October and I’m really hoping that in the next year everyone will hopefully just enjoy it. So I really just want to explore music a little more and even writing. I have a bunch of ideas in my head that I would hopefully like to write and someday produce.
upfrontNY: I saw you are from NJ, but reside primarily in California now; what is something you miss about the east coast?
Kirrilee Berger: Obviously, I miss my parents, both of my parents are still on the east coast, but I really miss there being a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. They have the best iced coffee and it’s really hard to find Dunkin Donuts in California. So, it’s been pretty difficult for me, but truly the thing I miss the most is my family. I facetime my parents every single day because I miss them so much.
Favorite Fast Five
- Favorite food– Chipotle
- Favorite TV show to binge watch– I have a top three because I can’t choose just one, The Office, Law and Order SVU, and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
- Favorite activity outside of acting, singing, dance, etc.-Going to Disneyland. I love Disney!
- Favorite go to fashion accessory –A great handbag. I think if you have a great handbag you feel on top of the world.
- Favorite actress- I have a top three if that’s okay, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, and Toni Collette
upfrontNY: Is there anything else you want to let our readers know?
Kirrilee Berger: Toni Collette is one of my favorite actresses not only because she’s Australian and I’m also Australian, but she’s also able to completely transform herself and that’s also the reason I love Meryl Streep and Judi Dench. They have some of the most amazing power and ability to tap into a completely different human being to the point where you don’t even know you’re watching Toni, Judi or Meryl. You’re literally watching a completely different person and they engulf you in whatever character they’re playing. I think that’s spectacular. I could talk about them for hours.
Get to know Kirrilee!
Instagram: @KirrileeBerger
Twitter: @KirrileeBerger
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