Television July 20, 2023
Jamie Lynn Spears on ‘Zoey 102’ & Her Daughter Wanting to Be a Movie Star! (Exclusive)
Jamie Lynn Spears is having quite the shining moment this summer with not one, but two shows streaming! In addition to her starring role on Netflix's hit "Sweet Magnolias," Spears is stepping back into Zoey Brooks’ shoes in the new movie “Zoey 102,” and she sat down with “Extra’s” Kaliegh Garris prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike to dish all about the reboot!
“It was a dream come true,” Jamie Lynn said of reviving the show that launched her career. “Who gets to do something like this two times in their life with the people that you love? Not only was it so fun creating it, but it also was a wonderful script and a wonderful project. I kind of have to pinch myself. I have to say, I think it’s better than even when we did it as kids. Maybe because we appreciate it so much.”
Spears also appreciated reconnecting with her former castmates as adults.
“We all live kind of all over the country now, but we’ve kept in contact through group chats. We’ve had some little get-togethers here and there. But to really, like, spend quality time with each other, get to know each other’s spouses, we got to know each other on a different level. I had them over almost every weekend and we’d cook,” Spears said.
“There’s something just so wonderful about getting to know these people you grew up with as adults and their lives now.”
Jamie Lynn said she wanted this version of the popular Nickelodeon series to reflect this generation, while still maintaining its familiarity.
“I had the opportunity for the first time in my life to be an executive on this project and I really wanted to step into that, and it was important to me that we were able to invite some new characters in this generation. That was kind one of the special things too was having the new with old.
The 32-year-old also reflected on what it was like to step back into the shoes of Zoey — a role she first began playing at the age of 14.
“It did take me a minute to find who she is now because I think Zoey as a kid was so sure of herself, she had an answer for everything. It was very much like wrapped up with a bow. And we show Zoey now as being a bit more layered and complex. She still has the core of who she is, and she fixes and things and she wants everything to be perfect, but she's also a bit of a mess,” she explained.
She continued, “In today's world people that are in their 20s to late 20s we're comparing ourselves; we should have this we should have that, and Zoey is very much there, and I wanted to be authentic to that — that you don’t have all the answers and that doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It just means that you’re participating in life.”
Life definitely hit the actress while she was starring on “Zoey 101” — Jamie Lynn was 16 when she learned she was pregnant with her oldest daughter, Maddie. And while she doesn’t think Maddie will follow in her acting steps, she does see “some tendencies” in her 5-year-old.
“I'm going to nurture her creative spark, but also if that leads her to become a doctor, I'd love that really a lot. So, we’ll just see where it leads, but I just want to embrace whatever makes them happy and we’ll support them in that.”
She shared a funny story from her daughter's recent preschool graduation, recalling, “They all held up these big signs of what they want to be when they grow up — 'Firefighter,' 'Doctor,' 'Teacher.' And there’s my little 5-year-old — 'Movie Star'!”
“She was the only one who put that down, but hey, she knows what she wants,” Jamie Lynn said, laughing.
If Jamie Lynn’s daughter does follow in her mom’s footsteps, she’s got some big shoes to fill! Within just a week of its release, season three of “Sweet Magnolias” has already hit nearly 5,000 million views. As busy as she is, the actress looks forward to hopefully giving the fans even more of the romantic drama series.
“I hope I get to do some more “Sweet Magnolias!”
“Zoey 102” is streaming now on Paramount+.