Disney’s latest acting-and-singing megastar doesn’t mind missing out on normal teen things like high school. At 17, she just wants to work.
“I’ll relax when I’m older,” says Demi Lovato, whose last couple of years have included a hit album, a sold-out tour with the Jonas Brothers, the Disney megahit Camp Rock, a sitcom (Sonny With A Chance), and the TV movie Princess Protection Program, airing this tomorrow on Family.
Oh, and there’s also a second 2009 album, set for release next month, plus the inevitable Camp Rock 2.
“That’s crazy, I know. But I’m doing it. Why not take advantage of it now if the opportunity is there?” says Lovato, who was in Toronto recently for the red carpet premiere of Princess Protection Program.
The comedy is a typically lighthearted fish-out-of-water Disney TV movie about a princess (Lovato) who befriends an American tomboy (Selena Gomez), while hiding out in a small southern town.
Princess is just Lovato’s latest project with Disney, responsible for steering the careers of such tween sensations as Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers. Lovato isn’t as famous as all that — yet — but she’s getting there. Lovato says she’s comfortable with fame and being a role model for kids.
“I knew going into Camp Rock I’d become a role model. But I want people to know I’m growing up right in front of you. So I’m going to make mistakes. I want to be a role model for what I do or overcome — not being perfect.”
Princess teams Lovato with her longtime friend Gomez, another rising Disney star best known for the series The Wizards of Waverley Place. The pair first met as seven-year-olds in Dallas at, believe it or not, a casting call for The Barney Show.
“She was wearing a red ribbon in her hair, and turned around, and asked me if I wanted to colour with her,” recalls Gomez.
“I think Disney really likes our friendship because it’s honest and genuine. So they wanted to capture that on screen.”
Lovato agrees, saying Disney is very particular with the projects it chooses for its young stars.
“They’re very hands-on. Very careful. Because they have a large audience that’s bigger than others that’s very family-oriented. They have to be careful.”
– Princess Protection Program airs tomorrow on The Family Channel
