A 10-Year-Old Budding “Hollywood Reporter” Gets Her First Red Carpet Experience, Interviewing the Stars of ‘L.O.L. Surprise! The Next Headliner’

Brooklyn Nordyke, the 10-year-old daughter of The Hollywood Reporter digital managing editor Kimberly Nordyke, recently got a chance to have her first red carpet experience as an “entertainment journalist.” She was able to channel her inner reporter at the premiere for the new live-action series L.O.L. Surprise! The Next Headliner, based on MGA Entertainment‘s wildly successful L.O.L. Surprise! doll product line. It’s a dream five years in the making as Brooklyn once wrote on a first-grade assignment that she wants to be a “Hollywood reporter” when she grows up. And, she grew up with L.O.L. Surprise! dolls and still owns several, including the dollhouse and other accessories, so she’s a bit of an expert on the brand. Brooklyn on the red carpet waiting for the interviews to start. The scripted comedy series, which blends mockumentary-style humor, aspirational pop-star fantasy and original music, stars Giselle Torres, Indi Star, Journey Montana Binns, Kate Mina Lin and Olivia Taylor Cohen as five aspiring singers in a reality competition seeking a chance to open for an established performer. However, they soon learn that they are better as a group, supporting each other instead of competing against each other, and form a band. There is also a product tie-in to the show, with the characters all getting their own dolls. Here is Brooklyn’s take on the experience and her thoughts on the show: When my mom told me that I could interview the stars of the show on the red carpet, I got really excited and then I got really nervous. I didn’t know if everyone would be watching me or listening to me or wanting to take my picture. I was really nervous because I’d never done that before and I would be talking to celebrities and interviewing them. I watched the show with my mom and sister the night before the premiere so that I would know what questions to ask, but I still needed to get my mom’s help with that. The show is really good! I was laughing so much. Like, I was dying, it was so funny. I think it gives a good message that the singers are better together as a group. It’s just funner as a group. You don’t have to complete against each other, you know? Brooklyn’s first-grade homework. I had a lot of fun on the red carpet. It was really crowded. My mom kept getting too close to me, and I had to keep asking her to back up. There were a lot of photographers and reporters all asking questions. It was really fun! They [the cast] were super nice, and overall, I had a really fun time. Below, see the cast members’ answers to her questions. *** Giselle Torres plays B.B. Bonita, a “nepo baby” who is looking to make it on her own in the music industry. What’s your favorite part about your character? I play B.B. Bonita; she’s the extra dramatic nepo baby. One of my favorite parts is the layers to her character. At the beginning, she enters this competition and she really just reveals like, OK, this is the one dream that she’s always envisioned for herself. And throughout the show she realizes that dream is going to be shared with these girls, and she learns to love them and she has a huge heart for them. So it’s truly amazing to seeing how she evolves throughout the show and it’s been just so much fun getting to play an extra, extra girl. How does it feel to have your own L.O.L. doll? It’s been so surreal. I’m a huge fan of L.O.L. Surprise! To have my own doll has been like a dream ever since I was a kid. I was playing with dolls and dressing up every day. It’s been so cool to kind of see that come to life and also know that there are going to be little girls out there playing with the dolls and being creative with their own imagination. It’s really, really awesome. Do you think it’s better that the girls formed a group, or do you think it was better if they were on their own? I think we [the characters] all come into the show envisioning ourselves being the next headliner, but once we meet each other, you build that solid relationship, and these girls are my best friends in real life, and we really did build that bond. I can’t imagine not being in a girl group with them. I think that show really just built that bond with all of us, and I think we all learned that sometimes you have to uplift each other and you’re so much better at being in a group than by yourself. *** Indi Star plays Violet Angel, who grew up on a farm and recently suffered a head injury due to a fall on her dad’s tractor, which leads to some comically forgetful moments. What’s your favorite part about your character? I think she’s such an interesting person. I had so many props [playing] her, which was really, really fun. I got to have an extreme amount of props on set. The props team either hated me or loved me, honestly [laughs]. I think she’s just discovering herself. She really is. And I was discovering her as much as she was discovering herself. A lot of the other girls, you know, helped me find who I am. She’s just a fun, light person. How does it feel to have your own L.O.L. doll? Honestly, I mean, I feel like everyone’s dream in life is to have their own doll. This is such a cool experience. My sister’s name is Violet, which makes it even cool. It’s really, I can’t even describe it; it’s really cool. Do you think it’s better that the girls formed a group, or do you think it was better if they were on their own? I think it depends on who you are. Some people are lone wolves, and that’s OK. I think it’s so nice to be in a girl group because you’re all supporting each other and you can take on the burden of other people and help lift each other up when you’re not feeling so confident. I think it depends on who you are. But I think it’s really fun to be in a girl group. *** Journey Montana Binns plays Shadow Princess, an emo girl whose emotions are so subdued they are best expressed by her all-black album covers. What’s your favorite part about your character? My favorite part about my character is how she is tough on the outside but warm and fuzzy on the inside. I feel like I’m a little bit similar to that. Shadow is like an extension of myself, like a shadow side of myself, because I’ve always been into grunge, and I like black and more emo things, and I get to like fully expand on that. It’s so much fun. How does it feel to have your own L.O.L. doll? It feels absolutely insane. If somebody would have told me that this would be happening in my future, I would have been like, “What? That’s crazy.” But I’m so grateful. I grew up on MGA toys. It’s absolutely insane, and I’m just so excited. Especially to look like me and represent girls that look like me in a doll, it’s just everything. Do you think it’s better that the girls formed a group, or do you think it was better if they were on their own? I think you might have to be the judge of that yourself. Viewers, you guys tell me. I have different answers every episode. *** Kate Mina Lin plays K-Crush Kutie, a K-pop fan whose mom is really, really, really excited when she lands a spot as one of the finalists on the singing competition. What’s your favorite part about your character? My favorite part about my character is her mom because I have a mom exactly like it. She’s a helicopter mom, a tiger mom, you name it. She’s a very first-generation Asian mother, but she always fights for me. I think she wants my dream for me just as much as I do. How does it feel to have your own L.O.L. doll? It feels awesome. When I first saw her, I was just like, “I’m a redhead!” — which is crazy, but I was so happy to know that she’s who I’m representing. Do you think it’s better that the girls formed a group, or do you think it was better if they were on their own? Definitely a girl group. I mean, even just in real life, I would love to be a girl group with the rest of the cast. We’re best friends now, inseparable. *** Olivia Taylor Cohen plays Electric Vibez, a performer who harbors a secret she humorously tries to hide from her peers and mentors — she can’t actually dance. What’s your favorite part about your character? I love how Electric doesn’t care about what anyone thinks about her. She’s a ball of love and energy, and she loves the girls. She wants to protect them. She’s kind of like the mama of the group, I would say, but she’s also just a lot of fun. I feel very connected to her in that way. How does it feel to have your own L.O.L. doll? It’s insane. When I first got the doll, it felt surreal. I thought, there’s no way like I’m lucky enough to get to play this role. I get to embody her in the way I feel she is, and so it was really powerful to be like, oh my gosh, I have a toy — it’s crazy. Do you think it’s better that the girls formed a group, or do you think it was better if they were on their own? One hundred percent as a girl group. They lift each other up so much, and I think that they are just better together. I was just saying before that whenever any of them could have had an opportunity to have a leg up on the other, they never chose that route. They always chose to encourage each other and stay strong as a group. And it’s either all of them or none of them. ***L.O.L. Surprise! The Next Headliner debuts Aug. 1 on the L.O.L. Surprise! YouTube channel, with episodes rolling out bi-weekly, leading up to a two-part finale. The series is produced in partnership with London Alley, a Vice Media company, and writer-showrunner Corinne Marshall. Chell Stephen directs. Each episode features original music composed by Demitri Lerios and performed by the cast, with a full soundtrack album set for release alongside the season finale. From left: L.O.L. Surprise! The Next Headliner stars Olivia Taylor Cohen, Kate Mina Lin, Giselle Torres, Journey Montana Binns and Indi Star. Courtesy of Roman Latela Watch the trailer for the show below.