Fourteen-year-old wunderkind Mackenzie Ziegler on being a triple threat, and how 25 million social media followers doesn’t necessarily make you popular
PHOTOGRAPHER RIE RASMUSSEN ART DIRECTOR ELLA MCNANEY FASHION STYLIST CHARLENE ROXBOROUGH HAIR STYLIST KEN PAVES MAKE-UP ARTIST ADAM BREUCHAUD PRODUCTION VENI MAGAZINE FASHION STYLIST ASSISTANT OLIVYA SOTH HAIR STYLIST ASSISTANT AMARAN ASYLUM, LISA BRYANT, BETHANY REYES PRODUCTION ASSISTANT SAMANTHA RYAN, NORIO CHALICO INTERVIEW CHRISTIAN CHENSVOLD
Mackenzie Ziegler is a lesson in Generation Z. At just 14, the dancer, singer, actress and model is juggling a dizzying number of projects. Growing up in a networked world, she thinks and acts fast, entrepreneurially, and digitally. Her career operates across ever-multiplying content platforms, and her life plays out via social media.
VM: You’re known primarily for dancing and singing. What attracted you to acting as well?
MZ: I liked the idea of playing someone different. In my show Total Eclipse I get to play someone that I’ve never been before. She’s a very shy girl and she’s not social at all. I’m the complete opposite.
VM: Experimentally it’s also a world apart for you. Most 14- year-olds in America are at school, not performing and doing photo shoots. How did you find playing a high-schooler?
MZ: It was a little hard because I’ve never actually been to a real high school. Neither have any of the kids. We literally all are home-schooled. So it’s really fun that we get to pretend. Sometimes in the script we have to ask, “Does this actually happen in real school?” We have no clue!
VM: School also operates as a familiar social space. Does that mean you form friendships in more unconventional ways?
MZ: Since I’m in the industry, there are a lot of kids on Instagram or just in the singing and acting world. I’m a very outgoing person. Social media definitely helps with that because I can DM or Snapchat them. Most of the time I meet kids at events, then I get their social medias and talk to them on there. We have a very small circle. It’s really cool that they understand what I’m going through because they’re in the same situation.
VM: Like most teens you’re largely connected online. When you do meet in person, what do you all do together?
MZ: Most of the time we go to this café called Crave in Studio City — it’s where literally everyone hangs out. Or we go to Universal CityWalk. Because we’re all so busy, we really like to get food or just walk around. When we’re not working, we just like to hang out and chill.
VM: You play an unpopular girl in Total Eclipse, but in real life you have 25 million followers across your social accounts. Are those numbers important to you? And how does it feel having your life on show?
MZ: I don’t really consider myself popular! I just surround myself with people I think are nice. I am friends with so many people, I literally can’t count on both of my hands. I think it’s really awesome that so many people are wondering what I’m doing on a daily basis. That means all those people support me, and I get to talk to them on Livestream, and sometimes I DM them. I don’t really care about the numbers as much; that’s just people clicking a button.
VM: Yet having a broad social reach also means you’re much more exposed to negativity from outside your circle. How do you deal with criticism?
MZ: I get a lot of mean comments or people just not liking me. It definitely does hurt sometimes. Usually I just report them or block them. I used to respond when I was younger, because I felt like I needed to be in charge, but it’s someone who’s just bored on their phone trying to ruin your day. Not everyone’s going to love you in the world. I feel bad for kids that go to school and get bullied. I can’t even imagine dealing with it in person. I feel like you just need to be the better person and ignore it.
VM: You’ve appeared on both traditional broadcast and digital platforms. For the older generation, there is still a lingering, perceived hierarchy whereby TV is better than digital, and movies are the ultimate goal. Does it matter to you what platform the shows you’re in are distributed on?
MZ: I don’t think it really matters. YouTube is a very big platform, so a lot of kids watch it and they’ve really liked the show so far. Netflix is awesome as well, because a lot of teenagers watch it. With YouTube I’m definitely trying to reach a bunch of younger viewers, because the show is obviously about real-life situations.
VM: You’ve already achieved a lot at a young age. When you think about growing up, what else do you hope to accomplish?
MZ: I definitely want to sell out stadiums. I would love to be as big as Ariana Grande or Justin Bieber — that’s my main goal. I really want to be a pop star. Maybe be in feature films. Definitely be a big inspiration for people in general, because I’m all about girl power and supporting one another.
Mackenzie is appearing in Total Eclipse on Brat in September, and Dancing with the Stars: Juniors on ABC in October. Her next single, “Wonderful”, written by Sia, will be out end of September.
