Taylor Spreitler is relatively fresh to the Hollywood scene, as she got her first big role in early 2009 on NBC's Days of Our Lives. She's now moved on from Days and onto her new ABC Family sitcom, Melissa and Joey. The show stars Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, and can be seen every Tuesday night in the 8 PM timeslot. The 16-year-old's credentials also include singing at the Liberty Bowl and guest starring on Law and Order: SVU. She spoke with TheCelebrityCafe.com's Matt Thompson about Melissa and Joey's future, her Days of Our Lives past, and much more.
TheCelebrityCafe: How did you get the role on [Melissa and Joey]?
Taylor Spreitler: Just through auditioning. It was my first audition after I found out that I was leaving [Days of our Lives]. I just went in and auditioned and one thing led to another.
TCC: So were there multiple people up for the role when you went in for the audition?
TS: Yeah, I'm not sure how many – but I know by the end of it there were four of us that they were trying to choose from.
TCC: So was it an immediate thing where they called you back or it took a couple of weeks?
TS: After the first one it took a couple of weeks, but then the day we all knew it was down to the four of us right after we all met with the network, it was pretty immediate.
TCC: Has Melissa Joan Hart given you any advice of where to go as a teenage actress being that she did [Clarissa Explains It All] when she was in her teens?
TS: Yeah, definitely. Her and Joey both, they grew up doing this. There is definitely advice that they give me. Luckily, I haven't really been stuck in any circumstances where I really needed the hardcore advice – thank gosh. She's definitely there if I need her.
TCC: Do Mel, Joe, Ryder, and Lennox continue being the main characters this season or are we going to see any other main characters introduced?
TS: So far it's just us. That could change, but as far as I know – the four of us are going to be sitting around for awhile.
TCC: Does Lennox's behavior worsen or gradually improve as the show goes on?
TS: (Laughs) It doesn't really improve, I guess she kind of learns her lesson. She definitely is kind of a rebellious, very smart teenager who gets herself stuck in some tricky situations.
TCC: So how different or similar are you in real life from Lennox?
TS: There are parts where we're alike. I don't really lash out and get as dramatic about some of the circumstances. We're definitely somewhat alike and I think the more the writers see how I am, they can write Lennox towards me – so it's cool.
TCC: The ratings have been positive in the first two weeks for the show, where do you see it going?
TS: Hopefully everybody's enjoyed it so far and they just stay tuned and our ratings stay up there, maybe even get a little higher. We're all super excited about how well the show's been going.
TCC: How many episodes is the show set to run for this season specifically?
TS: I think eleven. That could change this week or next week, we gotta see how tonight goes. Everybody has to tune in.
TCC: Speaking of contracts, what exactly went down with the whole "being let go" situation from Days of our Lives?
TS: It was just storylines. You kind of have to expect that with soap operas. Your storyline doesn't always last as long as it should, because maybe some other people decide to leave or anything like that. Mia was ready to leave Salem and move on with her life.
TCC: Were you expecting this or was this something that surprised you?
TS: I was kind of expecting it. I wasn't working as much -- I wasn't expecting it, but when it happened it wasn't a huge surprise.
TCC: Wasn't your contract for three years though, and this was the midway point pretty much?
TS: Yeah, it was for three years when I started. I was on there for about two years so it wasn't cut that short. I know a lot of people who have been on there and they've had four-year contracts, six-year contracts, and they've only been there for a year. Sometimes you can't always trust contracts.
TCC: How would you compare your time on that show to Melissa and Joey? Which was a better experience?
TS: They've both been great experiences, I don't think one's better than the other. It's just completely different. I'm working with a smaller cast now and there is more rehearsal time. We're not all running around so crazy and it's nice to kind of be able to be able to relax and really find your character and figure out all the stuff you have to do on the show. But then on soap operas it definitely keeps you on your toes. There's different parts of both of them that I like.
TCC: You said there's a smaller cast, is it easier to bond with the cast then because it's only four people basically – the main cast?
TS: Yeah, it definitely is because your scenes are usually with all the same people. Every weekday you'll see a guest star and stuff, but other than that it's just the four of us and we're there five days a week and then most of us are together on the weekends. You definitely get closer than when you have a 30-person cast and your scenes are always kind of with somebody different and you're always running into someone new.
TCC: How is the change from daytime television to nighttime? Did it make a difference or was it all the same to you?
TS: It's definitely different. Honestly, it was hard to watch myself on [Days of our Lives] because it always on at one o'clock and I was always usually at work when it came on. It's a nice feeling to sit down on Tuesday nights and watch it. The people -- it's a completely different fanbase. There are younger kids watching and young people that never really watched soap operas, [which] was a lot of an older crowd. What's great about soap operas fans being on daytime is your fans who are there are so loyal and they follow you through everything that you do. So a lot of my fans from Days, I have to thank you all, because they all are now watching Melissa and Joey and they're very supportive.
TCC: Days of our Lives is a soap opera, it's a drama. Do you have to change your acting essentially to go from a drama to a comedy, because it's very light on Melissa and Joey?
TS: It's a big change from being on something so dramatic and crying about my dead baby everyday to being a normal teenager and writing poems about my principal. At first it was a little hard to adjust to but after awhile you do just adjust to. It's kind of hard to not be able to pull it off when you have people like Melissa and Joey who are so out there and so do not care whatsoever. They definitely made it a little bit easier for the rest of us to settle in.
TCC: Are they the only two this season that have love interests? Your character -- is there a guy that's introduced for you as well?
TS: She definitely has some love interests. None that have really been shown yet and they won't be shown in the next couple of episodes but they're definitely some surprises coming up.
TCC: You don't just act, you sing. How did you get the job of singing for the Liberty Bowl?
TS: I was with the singing company that I was apart of. [They] asked me if I wanted to do it and it was an opportunity that I could not turn down. Otherwise I would have regretted it for awhile. It was fun.
TCC: Do you plan on pursuing a career in singing as well as your acting career?
TS: Eventually somewhere down the road. Not anytime soon. I was a little bit, but then this came up and I'm there five days a week so it's kind of hard to have another career right now, but hopefully somewhere down the line.
TCC: Law and Order: SVU, that was your first acting experience, correct?
TS: Yup, that was it. (Laughs)
TCC: Can you tell us a little bit about your appearance on that show?
TS: That was another thing where I had met with people before and I had auditioned for Law and Order a couple of times, but we could never really find a part that was right for me. And then I was in Mississippi when they called me and asked me if I would be interested in doing it. That was again, another opportunity that I just couldn't turn down. They flew me out to New York and I did it. I played the victim's little sister and it was really cool because Martin Short was in the episode that I did. It was the weirdest experience because I've always known Martin Short to be so funny and he's always cracking jokes and stuff and he's playing a serial killer. He had this really creepy, eerie voice. He was just this creepy, creepy man. It was cool to see that he could do both as well.
TCC: Do you have any more opportunities like that coming up where you do a one-shot guest star for something?
TS: Not any coming up, but hopefully soon. Maybe on a hiatus or something I can do something else.
TCC: You did a lot of promos and commercials before your acting career, what were the MTV and NBC promos for?
TS: The MTV promo was for the MTV Video Awards. I played a very dolled up little girl with her mom in a nail salon and it was something else. The NBC one was for – I can't remember what that one was. I did a lot of commercials when I was little, I can't keep track of them all. (Laughs)
TCC: When you started doing the commercials, was that when you first started traveling out to LA more? Explain the difference between living in LA and living in Mississippi.
TS: When I was in commercials, I was actually in New York. I didn't move to LA until a couple of years ago when I decided I wanted to do TV and film. I was in New York when I did --- actually all the commercials I did. I don't think I've ever shot a commercial in LA. That started because I was modeling there. I was doing work, eventually commercials kind of come along. One thing led to another and now I'm here.
TCC: How do you feel about living in LA as opposed to Mississippi? It must be really different.
TS: It is – some parts of LA are the exact same as living in a small town in Mississippi. Some of the people are the exact same. It's definitely a different world. And then going from Mississippi to New York and then to LA. They're all very, very different places. It's been a nice kind of experience, but even when I go back home -- it takes me a little bit to adjust -- because I'm so used to LA. Like move, move, move. Everything's so fast, you got to go here, you got to go there. And then it's like I go home and I wake up and I'm like, 'Wait I don't have to do anything?'
TCC: So how often can you go home to Mississippi?
TS: Not as often as I would like. My family still lives in Mississippi, I'm out here with my mom and my sister. And then my dad and my grandfather – all of my grandparents and everything – they're still in Mississippi. I can't go back as often as I would like to -- to see them. It's a part of the job; I knew that going into it. It's kind of something that comes with the territory. I go back every time we have a long enough hiatus. It takes me a whole day to travel back there -- it's kind of exhausting. I go back at least once every two months or so.
TCC: Are you currently attending school as well?
TS: I'm not attending – I'm in school. I'm home schooled. I don't go to school.
TCC: Were you always home schooled or did that just start as your acting career took off?
TS: I was always homeschooled. I went to school through maybe first or second grade. Yeah, I was always home schooled. Even if I wasn't an actor I probably would have ended up being home schooled at some point. People in school, it's not exactly my thing.
TCC: Last question, I know I asked you about guest starring, but do you have any future projects besides Melissa and Joey on the plate?
TS: Not right now. We're still trying to work together with Melissa and Joey and figure everything out before any of us do anything else.
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