Young & Hungry Cast Interviews Over Food

Young & Hungry Cast Interviews…Over Food #YoungAndHungry Sit down to food with Jonathan Sadowski, Emily Osment, Aimee Carrero, Rex Lee & David Holden. This post is sponsored by ABC TV. All opinions are my own.

Young & Hungry Cast Interviews…Over Food #YoungandHungry

(photo credit ABC FAMILY/ Eric McCandless)

It’s the first day of my Disney media trip and we are having breakfast with the stars of the ABC Family new series, Young & Hungry. I know….I was hyperventilating. Deer in headlights look, fumbling for pen and paper and you bet, extra deodorant.

But as we eased into our intimate round table meet and greet discussions, I could not have been more intrigued. Each actor had an amazing story to tell, a laugh to share, and the passion behind putting together a show that they love. These Cast Interviews get personal as we dive in and uncover the people behind the TV magic. And what better way to get together, than over food! So pull up and chair and find out a few things you didn’t know about the new ABC Family show Young & Hungry!

If you haven’t checked out the newest addition to the ABC Family line up, you’re in for a real surprise. Geared towards the young adult crowd, we follow the adventures of Josh, a tech savvy entrepreneur as he hires Gabi, a feisty, young and struggling cook to be his personal chef. Things get spicy as you watch their world collide. Topped with hilarious antics, one liners and a wide range of talented characters, Young & Hungry will keep your taste buds craving for more.

(photo credit ABC FAMILY/ Eric McCandless)

Jonathan Sadowski (aka Josh) shares about magic, hot sauce and x-rays

Our first sit down interview was with the charming Jonathan Sadowski (AKA Josh), who hobbled over to his seat with crutches and a broken ankle. How did he break his leg? Poor guy just missed the steps (though he would like us to tell you it was a very heroic deed saving an innocent child from danger). He even took the time to show us his x-ray (which was an awesome looking fracture by the way). As our group of ladies immediately go into “awwww” mode, Jonathan’s loud and cheery personality took over the scene as we fired away questions.

How does Jonathan describe his character, Josh on the show? “He’s the guy that has it all together. He’s a rich dude. He’s a tech savvy…and he takes care of everyone around him. But he’s just a big kid.” Jonathan explains that he can relate to his character Josh and his nerdy side. When not on-camera, you can find Jonathan around with his friends, doing magic tricks for fun. In fact, he’s been doing magic since he was 8 years old. Maybe we should invite him to our next birthday party? 🙂

One does not realize how grueling it is to work for a sitcom like Young & Hungry. Jonathan describes his weekly schedule with us. They get a new script on Sunday. They do table readings on Monday. Rehearsals on Tuesday for the writer. Rehearsals with executives on Wednesday. By Thursday of every week, they’re shooting scenes. And keep in mind, this is on top of the daily script changes that they receive, which Jonathan has divulged have been up to 13 pages long. But his favorite part of the show? The live audience. “There’s nothing like a real audience,” Jonathan tells us. Making people laugh, getting that instant reaction, the adrenaline rush.

The toughest scene? In the episode Young & the Ringless, after the spaghetti and meatball dinner, there’s a scene that Jonathan shoots with star Emily Osment by the elevator. According to Jonathan, they had to re-shoot that scene over 20 times due to laughter. That’s how much fun they have while on set. While Jonathan cannot divulge about upcoming episodes, he did leave us with a little teaser for the finale. “The Season finale is going to blow your mind. It’s one the of best things I’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting.”

When describing his job on Young & Hungry, Jonathan cannot say enough good things. “I love what I do. I’d rather do that for 12 hours than sit behind a desk for 12 hours. It’s awesome.”

(photo credit ABC FAMILY/ Eric McCandless)

Emily Osment (aka Gabi) reminisces about Hannah Montana, being raised Southern and Rainbow Brite?

I think I was most surprised by my Emily Osment interview. Usually so cheery and so bubbly on TV, you could tell that Emily is more relaxed and laid back in real life. She shares with us some food memories, growing up from Hannah Montana and the future.

Believe it or not, Emily Osment didn’t land her lead role as Gabi right away. She had to audition 4 times for her part. Emily describes her character as “determined. Go Get ‘Em Attitude. Shows her true self.” She loves the role she plays because she believes that Gabi is an inspirational role model for girls today. But that’s not to say that playing a lead role on a show does not have it’s struggles. Emily explained how Young & Hungry is so different from her part on Hannah Montana. Now playing a lead character, “I didn’t realize how much stress that was. My mood affects the show.” She feels the pressure of having quite a few people depend on her for a smooth filming. “I’m the youngest person on stage.” What has been the hardest scene to shoot for Emily? During the 2nd episode, Young & Ringless, she has to put a bicycle pump in a duck while speaking dialogue that’s over a page long…oh and live.

But being a part of the Young & Hungry team does have it’s advantages. Emily explains how the show is just a great environment where everyone loves and believes in the show and wants it to do well. She just loves the live audience during Friday’s tapings. “It brings such adrenaline.” The show is filled with actual real food, cooked by a personal chef. Some days “It’s hard to focus when everything looks really good, smells really good and tastes really good.” Sometimes she only has 10 seconds on set to learn how to “cook” that certain food live that day. And speaking of food, Emily reminisces about food growing up. Raised in a Southern family “We cooked and ate dinner together every night. I learned how to cook by default.”

What’s next for Emily Osment? She divulged that she will be the next Rainbow Brite for a revamp series with Molly Ringwald. How fun would that be?

Emily is sweet, relaxed and still so young at the age of 22. Taking on her first lead role on ABC Family’s Young & Hungry, confidence and experience has taken Emily to a new level in her acting career.

(photo credit ABC FAMILY/ Eric McCandless)

Aimee Carrero (aka Sofia) retells her desire to be a lawyer, eating on set, and “lying” for the part.

Aimee Carrero talked to us as if we were all best girlfriends. Munching on a bagel, she talks about her role as Gabi’s best friend Sofia on Young & Hungry. Having funny one liners and jumping in to rescue Gabi in the show, Sofia is the perfect role for Aimee.

Aimee never expected to be on a sitcom. “I thought it was a dying genre.” She retells how she memorably got the part of Sofia for the show. “I got the job because I lied.” She went to the audition and didn’t get a call back. 1 week later, Aimee got a job on Baby Daddy. Someone from the network liked her and brought her in to see what other shows she might be interested in. They asked if she auditioned for Young & Hungry and she said “nope.” Her little fib landed her a talk with the executives of Young & Hungry and eventually her awesome character role. Besides the live audience, Aimee just loves having real food on the set. “Those Princess Scandinavian Cakes were my favorite,” she smiled. “I messed up twice just so I could keep eating.”

How is Aimee like Gabi’s hilarious sidekick Sofia in real life? “I’m ambitious like her, I’m the voice of reason to friends. I wasn’t that put together in college either,” she laughs. “I thought I was going to be a lawyer,” she recalls. But in college, she learned how hard it was to enact change as a politician or lawyer. That’s why she loves being an actress. She can elicit change just by being on-screen. She can effect people across the globe and strike conversations. Wow, this girl is so insightful!

What has Aimee learned about herself since taking on her first sitcom? “I’m more capable than I give myself credit for. I have a lot to learn, but I’m capable to learn it. I can afford to be a little more malleable.”

Rex Lee tell us about the role made for him, jumping over couches, and how he rules his kingdom

Rex plays Elliot, the gay butler/house organizer for Josh. Rex Lee’s funny character on the show of Young & Hungry definitely poured over into his personality off-camera. Rex is just a barrel full of laughs as he sat with us for breakfast.

Did you know that the creator had actually wrote in Elliot’s character with Rex in mind? And this is before they had ever met! And because of his special “likeable villain,” Rex never had to audition for the part. How fun to have a role created for you! What does Rex love about being a part of this show? “I love having a job [Giggles]. The writing is smart and funny. They give me funny things to say. I just love being funny.” He loves Elliot’s character and how he slowly unveils layers. You’ll see more of his history (such as the relationship with his brother) be revealed in future episodes.

How is Rex like Elliot in real life? “I like to think I have control over things. Even though Josh is the millionaire, Elliot rules the kingdom. I rule my kingdom. I like the clothes. I have moments when I like to be sassy.” We couldn’t help but laugh!

A little behind the scene fun. Jonathan’s character has a few moments when he jumps over the couch and ends up sitting on it. The laughing gag was that no one believed that Rex could do it. So he not only proved that he could do it, but he jumped over the couch from multiple directions. These guys really know how to have fun!

David Holden (the creator) talks about his love for bloggers, creating a successful food show, and craving International Comfort Food

David Holden is the mastermind beyond the creation of the show Young & Hungry. But he didn’t warm up to the idea at first. He shares his history from idea to show. Gabi Moskowitz is a blogger who writes a real online blog. The wife of an agent read her blog and told her husband that it could be something. The Tenanbaums picked up the idea and brought it to David to create a show. He wasn’t biting. “Shows with food never lasted,” he recalled. But the Tenanbaums and Gabi were insistent. The script was made and given to ABC Family. And within 24 hours, it was sold. He knew he was a part of something big.

Since the show is derived from a food blogger, David shares with us the importance of bloggers in his own life. “People get their real information from bloggers that [they] trust or have a passion.” Being a huge airline miles and points collector, he divulges a few of his blogger favorites: Mommy Points, The Point Guy, Frequent Miler, Futon Critic.

The food is key in the production of Young and Hungry. Having authentic food on the show has been important to the creators and writers. That being said, “I put on 30 pounds during production. The food is made by own our personal chef, April, and is eaten by me!” David really loves food and his new favorite food craze is International Comfort Food. What is he raving about lately? International Comfort Food hits the spot, like Thai Pot Pie. I totally want some now! Maybe I need to join Young & Hungry 🙂

So much awesome was packed into my first breakfast in L.A. as we chatted with the amazing folks behind Young & Hungry. I was just floored how much information and open conversation we had with some amazing stars. And now all of that awesome has me geared up and ready for tonight’s new episode!

Stay social! Follow Young & Hungry for the latest talk, episode updates, pictures and more!

• Hashtag: #YoungAndHungry
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/YoungandHungryonABCFamily
• Twitter: twitter.com/YoungandHungry
• Instagram: instagram.com/youngandhungryabcf

Catch the newest episode of Young & Hungry tonight (7/30) at 8:00pm ET/PT on ABC Family. Jesse McCartney will be guest starring. Chat along with hashtag #YoungAndHungry

Disclosure ~ I received a free trip from Disney to attend as media. All opinions are my own. Sitting at breakfast with a bunch of amazing actors was thrilling too. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more reviews, giveaways and more.

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