At only 20 years old, Maddie Ziegler has had quite the career. These days, Ziegler can be found starring in movies like West Side Story, The Fallout, and the upcoming, Bloody Hell. But while Ziegler has begun getting meatier acting roles as of late, she’s actually been acting for a number of years. For example, back in 2015, Ziegler had a small part in the hit series, Pretty Little Liars. But who did Ziegler play on PLL and how did she manage to get on such a popular show?
Maddie Ziegler became a household name thanks to the Sia music videos
Thanks to Dance Moms, Ziegler started accruing fans when she was only eight years old. However, after she began working with Sia on music videos, her fame really skyrocketed. Her first music video with the Australian artist, Chandelier, racked up billions of views. This led to Ziegler becoming well-known independently of the Lifetime reality TV show. It wasn’t long before she had reps who were advocating to get her other jobs in the entertainment industry.
Who did the dancer play on ‘PLL’ and what episode was she in?
One of those jobs, of course, was PLL. In the season 6 episode, “She’s No Angel,” Ziegler portrayed the role of “Creepy Dancer.” While she didn’t have any lines, she did share the screen with Troian Bellisario and gave a memorable performance. And while Ziegler’s agents fought for her to have a role on the show, her enthusiasm for Pretty Little Liars also led to her getting a small part.
How Ziegler’s love of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ helped her get cast in the show
While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, PLL‘s executive producer, Oliver Goldstick, explained how Ziegler booked a role on the show. “Maddie is represented by the same agency that I am,” Goldstick explained. “They called me last year toward the end of the season and said, ‘Can you put Maddie in it? Maddie’s a huge fan of the show.’”
While Goldstick recognized Ziegler from the Chandelier music video, he didn’t immediately feel there was a place for her on PLL. However, he urged Ziegler’s team to be patient so that he could find a way to organically fit her in. When it came time to film the dollhouse episodes, Goldstick knew that Ziegler’s skills could be utilized in a cool way.
“After the dollhouse in the last finale I thought, OK, we’re already in a place where we don’t know who was in that bunker besides our girls, so the idea was we would find a way to create, at least if not a legitimate sequence, a fantasy sequence,” the PLL executive producer shared of his decision to use Ziegler in the episode.
‘PLL’ actor Troian Bellisario was very complimentary of Ziegler
It turns out that the enthusiasm of Ziegler and her team helped her earn a small role in the PLL cast. But Ziegler wasn’t the only person on set who was filled to the brim with enthusiasm. Bellisario also gushed about how talented the dancer was and how she was great to work with. Taking to Instagram, Bellisario called Ziegler a “powerhouse.” In a separate post, she continued to sing Ziegler’s praises. “Number 1 reason to come into work today,” Bellisario penned. “I get to be a creepfest with the insanely talented and awesome @madisonziegler1313. I know. I know. you’re so jealous.” It seems that a good time was had by all on the set of PLL that day.
