(Fall Edition 2000, pp. 12-14)

COVER STORY
EVERYBODY LOVE"S RAYMOND'S
MADYLIN SWEETEN
by Lisa Nees

(Continued)

Pageantry invites you to join us in this delightful interview with the magnetic Miss Sweeten during her stay at Disney's MGM Studios where she was invited to visit as the Celebrity Guest of the day:

PM: Along with hundreds of other people, we watched you dip your palms in cement for Disney 's Walkway of Fame. Was that fun?

MS: It was very fun, and I was in a parade they had just for me!

At only 8 years old, Madylin's poise and talent shine through as she banters with the audience during a question-and-answer session held in an amphitheater at MGM Studios.

PM: How exciting! How did you get started in acting?

MS: I did pageants when I was three, and then one day my mom called an agent. I went out for a commercial, and I just got the job. I started acting when I was four.

PM: When you were in pageants, did you do a talent?

MS: I sang, but I can't remember the song. I remember wearing a dress that Grandmother made for me, getting up on stage, and really liking it.

As the celebrity guest of the day, Madylin is escorted in style to a block of cement where she dipped her hands for posterity. Accompanying her are real-life brothers Sawyer and Sullivan and, of course, Mickey Mouse.

PM: You began your stage career in a local Sunburst pageant, eventually leading you to a national pageant which led you to the agent who noticed your stage presence. Do you think competing in pageants helped you showcase your talents?

MS: Yes, because I wasn't afraid to be on stage. I used to do runway modeling too. Then after the Our Little Miss national pageant, I landed the part in the film A Promise To Carolyn. I played Delta Burke when she was little.

PM: You must work some pretty long days if you 're working on Everybody Loves Raymond and going to school at the same time. What's a typical week like for you?

MS: We start with everybody reading the script, and then we do a rehearsal. Then we do another rehearsal and a run-through. The next days: run-through, rehearsal, rehearsal, run-through. You know, until Saturday, and then we have our weekend. On Monday we do camera shots, and then on Tuesday we film.

PM: Do you enjoy filming in front of a live audience?

MS: Yes, it's very, very cool!

PM: How do you like working with your TV dad, Ray Romano?

MS: I love working with Mr. Ray. He has a little girl my age. The whole point of the show is that it's about his family and sometimes about our producer's family and the things they do. The show is really funny.

PM: Are you anything like Ally, the character you play?

MS: I would say she's a very different person.

PM: Why do you say that?

MS: Remember the episode when Daddy Ray tells me to clean up my barbies? Mr. Ray comes up to me and says, "I'm going to count to three, and if you're not cleaning up your barbies, there's going to be no TV. One. Two. Two-and-a-half. Two-and-three-quarters! Three! That's it. No TV!" And I say, "No, I hate you, I hate you!" Well, I would never really say something like that.

PM: Not to live and tell about it! How about memorizing your lines? Do you find that difficult?

MS: Not a problem!

PM: We hear you have a tendency to memorize everyone else 's lines too! So, are you on a break from the show right now?

MS: Yes, and then when I get back we'll be starting a brand-new season. We're going to be in Italy for the first two episodes.

Invited by Disney MGM Studios to be immortalized in cement, Madylin obliges. During the special moment, a band played in her honor as the crowd applauded.

PM: How exciting. What other shows have you been in?

MS: I went on the Donny & Marie Show and on the Rosie 0 'Donnell Show. She's (Rosie) very nice. She said she was jealous because Donny and Marie gave me a kitty for Christmas. I took a picture that I drew to her and gave one to Martin Short.

PM: You've been doing Everybody Loves Raymond for four years now, going on your fifth. What are your plans for the future?

MS: Acting and singing. And I want to learn how to snowboard and play the guitar.

PM: At 8 years old, you're already a highly successful actress. Do you like being a star?

MS: That's a hard question, but yes!

Although many young ladies interested in a stage career participate in pageants to gain that all-important "stage presence." Madylin's incredible stage presence combined with her ebullient personality, immense talent, intelligence, poise, and charm quickly launched her into the ranks of Hollywood. There's no doubt that today she's a familiar face in every household across the country. (It seems impossible that so much talent could be neatly bundled into one little individual!) In essence, expect to see a lot more of this gifted child as she grows up, accepts other leading roles, and becomes even more famous. For those who know her, the hit show could easily be called Everybody Loves Madylin.

Editorial

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