13 the Musical is a story about Evan Goldman, a Jewish boy who has just moved from NYC to the middle of nowhere Indiana because of his parent’s divorce, just as he’s about to turn 13. Evan must now make friends and make his Bar Mitzvah the coolest party ever, but in order to do that, he learns some valuable lessons about friendship and forgiveness. Lindsey Blackwell plays Kendra, the popular cheerleader that every boy wants to date and every girl is jealous of. I got to sit down with Lindsey and talk about Kendra, life lessons, and her upcoming EP.
Ky: Well, first of all, happy release day for the 13 The Musical movie. I watched it this morning, and I loved every second of it. How are you feeling? Like what are you most excited about for the reception of the movie from fans?
Lindsey: Honestly, I still feel like I don’t even believe this is happening. But honestly, I just want viewers to like, know, like, see how talented we are. And like, we spent so much time filming the movie, and I’m very proud of all of us. And, you know, I just want people to enjoy it. And you know, take it for what it is.
Ky: Yeah, I was going to say, y’all are crazy talented. I was so impressed with everything in the movie. It was amazing. Were you familiar with the musical before the movie?
Lindsey: I wasn’t super familiar with it. I just knew that Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies were in the original. And, you know, once I got the audition, of course, I did my research. And, you know, after listening to Jason’s music, I was a fan immediately. So at this point, I would say I know a lot about it.
Ky: What was the audition process like for you?
Lindsey: So I actually auditioned for a couple of the other female roles before I got Kendra. But when I got Kendra, I did the initial script audition and then I had to sing a song from 13 for callbacks. Then, I sent in a clip of Brand New You choreography, and then we had callbacks. And then we had chemistry reads. So I did a chemistry read with JD McCrary, who plays Brett, and then Frankie McNellis, who plays Lucy. And then we got the news that we booked it! So, I feel like it was over the span of two or three months.
Ky: That’s awesome! So Kendra is one of my favorite characters in the original show and in the movie, what were your favorite parts about playing this character?
Lindsey: My favorite part about playing Kendra was that we’re basically the same person! Like apart from Kendra not knowing Lucy’s intentions, I would say that me and Kendra are very much alike. And that was probably one of the best parts of playing her, but also it made getting into character much easier because I related to her so much. And then being able to sing and dance and all was a plus.
Ky: Yeah, absolutely! So the new song that really stood out to me was I’ve Been Waiting. It’s such an amazing addition to the soundtrack and your vocals were showcased so well. How was learning the original songs in addition to learning the songs from the stage musical?
Lindsey: It was a pretty smooth transition because we were learning all the songs at once. “I’ve Been Waiting” was actually one of the first songs I learned because that was the clip I learned during the audition process. So I’ve seen how the song grew and how it progressed. And once JD got on the track and we were rehearsing together that just made all the difference. But it’s also one of my favorites along with Brand New You and Bad Bad News.
Ky: Yeah, sidenote, Bad Bad News was so good in the movie. I love that song and the way that it was done in the movie was incredible. So I did want to ask, I know in the stage musical, songs like Hey Kendra and Any Minute kind of give us some insight into Kendra’s relationships with others and her inner monologue. How do you think that you got to express those things in the movie even though those songs were cut?
Lindsey: That’s a really good question. If you listen to the soundtrack, on Getting Ready (Extended), there’s a peek into Kendra’s character more. So I feel like that song was really the moment where you can see Kendra’s true intentions and just how she wants to break away from the whole strict parents thing. Because you know, when you have strict parents, you feel like you can’t breathe and that’s kind of how Kendra feels and I feel like once you listen to that, you can really understand how Kendra feels.
Ky: Yeah, so kind of talking about Kendra’s relationship with her mom specifically, I feel like that was explored a little bit more in the movie than it was like on stage. How did you get to explore that about Kendra?
Lindsey: It was actually in the audition. It was originally in her breakdown that she’s been raised by strict parents. And she just tried to find her own. And, you know, in the scenes where her mom is there, you see in the opening scene, when you first meet Kendra, she’s talking about all the educational stuff her mom put her through over the summer, and she didn’t really get to do what she wanted. And throughout the movie, you see her expressing that she wants to be her own person and make her own choices and have fun.
Ky: Yeah. So how was your experience filming the movie? Like, how was the behind the scenes environment, the relationships behind the scenes, all that?
Lindsey: You know, filming 13, the cast and the crew made all the difference. Everyone was so positive and energetic. And there was never a dull moment on set. When you’re working with kids who are obsessed with theater, like we’re always singing songs and randomly doing things. So that was a lot of fun. And then we hung out a lot outside of set as well, because, honestly, we only really had each other because we were in a place where we don’t live and all we’re doing is filming the movie. So we spent a lot of time together just hanging out watching movies, going to parks and drinking boba, that was our thing. It was a lot of fun. And honestly, I would go back and do it over a million times.
Ky: That’s awesome. That sounds like such a fun experience. And it sounds like the same feelings that you have with your cast for a school musical or something. That kind of bond. So what do you think are some of the most important lessons in this movie that will reach audiences?
Lindsey: I would say the two biggest things that I took away from the movie is one, forgiveness is very important. There are a lot of second chances given throughout the movie. And I think it’s really good to show that you’re not too good to forgive someone and giving someone that second chance can make all the difference. And second, that you shouldn’t take your friends for granted. Because once you find your group of people, that’s priceless. And honestly, me personally, I have my group of friends that always had my back and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Ky: Absolutely. So I hear that you’ve been working on original music!
Lindsey: Yes, I’m actually going to be releasing my first EP soon. And there’s one original song on there and I’ll have a few covers, but I’m really thankful for the original, because I don’t think my followers and friends have heard me sing in this light before. And I think it’s gonna be pretty cool for people to hear.
Ky: Yeah, that’s awesome. I’m very excited about that. How have you been balancing music versus acting, etc.
Lindsey: I would say that music is definitely a part of my daily life. And like with acting, you know, I’d be doing auditions on a regular basis and stuff like that. But I deal with music every day. So whether I’m singing or playing piano, it’s just a part of my daily routine. So since it’s like, they’re both a part of me, it doesn’t really conflict. And after working on 13, I got to do all of the above. So that was a point in my life where I got to perfect all of those crafts. And I’m constantly working on bettering myself in both fields.
Ky: That’s awesome. So who are some of your inspirations in both acting and music?
Lindsey: So in acting career trajectory wise, I would say Zendaya is number one. Just because she went from Disney to doing Euphoria, her range is just insane. And then on the music front, I would say I strive to have Lizzo’s energy and performance. I also think Adele holds a lot of influence with my voice. I’ve been a huge fan of hers for years, like I was listening to Adele in elementary school. She’s one of my big inspirations as well.
Ky: What movies, music, TV, are you enjoying right now that you would recommend to our readers?
Lindsey: Well, first off the 13 soundtrack.
Ky: Absolutely.
Lindsey: And for music, I’ve been listening to Lizzo. And I’ve been getting into Teyana Taylor. I love her music. TV shows, my guilty pleasure TV show is definitely The Office. And I’m going to start watching Stranger Things soon. Because I should have watched it when it first came out! And I cannot think of a movie that I would say people need to watch right now!
Ky: 13 the Musical, of course.
Lindsey: Well, yeah. How could I forget?
Watch Lindsey Blackwell in 13 The Musical now streaming on Netflix. Lindsey’s first single from her upcoming EP released today, August 19, wherever you get your music. She says about her single, “I am super excited about my first EP. I will actually be releasing my first single on August 19, 2022. My single is entitled “Flowers” and the song is a big metaphor! It’s about someone treating you the right way and you ultimately making each other better by being the thing that makes them happy. Being someone’s ‘flowers’ is about knowing that you are beautiful and knowing you’re worthy of being loved the right way.”
