(L-R): The Villains of Valley View's Lucy Davis, James Patrick Stuart, Kayden Muller-Janssen, Isabella Pappas, Malachi Barton and Reed Horstmann. Photo courtesy/copyright of The Disney Channel.
It always helps to have an open mind when strangers move into your neighborhood. That proves to be a tall order, though, for a teenager named Hartley in The Disney Channel’s The Villains of Valley View. Before her grandmother Celia took in the Madden family as her new tenants, she should have asked for references. The family’s patriarch, Vic Madden a.k.a. Kraniac, is a mad scientist and genius inventor whose wife Eva/Surge can manipulate electricity. They and their superpowered children - daughter Amy/Havoc and sons Colby/Flashform and Jake/Chaos – are former members of the League of Villains. The Maddens are forced to go on the run after Vic is passed over for promotion to Chief Commander, and Amy butts heads with the league’s leader, Onyx. They end up in the town of Valley View, Texas, but getting used to life in the suburbs proves to be quite a challenge. Luckily, The Maddens have Hartley to help show them the ropes, and she is eager to lend a hand, as the actress who plays her, Kayden Muller-Janssen explains.
“I like to describe Hartley as a giant ball of sunshine,” says Muller-Janssen. “When she walks into the room, you can just feel the positivity and energy that she has for everyone. Hartley is a real people pleaser; she doesn’t like to lie and likes to help her community. When my character meets The Maddens, it’s very much a game changer. Yes, they’re villains, but at the same time, Hartley likes to see the good in everything and everyone. She really wants to help The Maddens be a normal family while also letting them stay true to their villainous selves. I think the big struggle for me with Hartley has been not making her come across as too good, do you know what I mean? We all have our flaws and aren’t perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and I wanted to make Hartley just like you and me. Other than that, she reminds me a lot of my younger self, so it hasn’t been too hard to connect with the character.”
What was The Villains of Valley View audition process like for Muller-Janssen? “I’d been auditioning for Disney ever since I began acting,” she says. “As soon as I received the [audition] sides for Hartley and read them, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a really cool character,’ so I put together a self-tape and sent it right in. A week or so later, I got a callback, which ended up being a chemistry read with my castmate Isabella Pappas [Amy], and a short time later I found out I got the job. Not long after, I flew out to Los Angeles, shot the pilot with my castmates, and then we waited and crossed our fingers that the show got picked up for an entire season.
“This is my first big role, so I was super nervous when I met everyone I’d be working with. They’re all very well-known as well as established in the business, so it was a bit intimidating at first, but right from the start, everyone was so nice and really took me in. They showed me the ropes and I learned a great deal. I can’t say it enough, that this is a dream come true for me. The chemistry amongst the cast, especially between me and Isabella, who, like our characters, have become good friends off-screen, is terrific. I think that really shows in the pilot and continues throughout the rest of the season.”
In Finding Another Dimension, the opening episode of The Villains of Valley View, The Maddens settle into their new suburban digs, much to the chagrin of Vic’s (James Patrick Stuart) and Eva’s (Lucy Davis) daughter Amy, who longs to return to her family’s villainous roots. Hoping to distract her, Amy’s older brother Jake (Reed Horstmann) tries to get her sister to befriend their neighbor Hartley, but an argument between the two siblings results in them accidentally transporting Hartley to another dimension using one of their father’s inventions. Amy succeeds in saving Hartley, but in the process, reveals her superpowers along with The Maddens’ true identities and that they, are in fact, hiding out in Valley View. Luckily for the young supervillain, Hartley promises to keep their secret and that decision not only impacts her life, but also Amy’s.
“Hartley’s most important relationship is with her new best friend Amy,” notes Muller-Janssen. “The two of them have some wonderful moments where they both teach each other something. I think that Amy helps my character get out of her shell, try new things, and explore her ‘evil’ side. Meanwhile, Hartley helps Amy realize what it’s like to be a normal teenage girl and maybe consider others before she jumps into action and makes decisions that might result in bad consequences. They’re complete opposites but balance one another out. My favorite season one episode is number 12, where Amy and Hartley are sitting on the front porch and singing this song together after another whirlwind adventure.
“When it comes to The Maddens as a family, Hartley does her best to help them stay hidden and make sure that no one figures out that they’re supervillains. At the same time, she lets them spread their wings and shows them what it’s like to care for one another and experience what it’s like to be a typical suburban family. Hartley loves getting to hang out with villains and being dragged along on all these crazy adventures. Sometimes she can’t be good and must make some bad decisions to protect the people she cares about, namely her grandmother Celia [Patricia Belcher] and The Maddens. I’m hoping that in season two, we get to see Hartley’s storyline further develop, but this year I’m thrilled to see her becoming more confident and not letting others step over her and take advantage of her kindness.”
Although she was an avid sportsperson growing up, it was the performing arts that finally won Muller-Janssen over when she was deciding on a profession. “It was an instant connection,” notes the actress. “I was around eight years old when I told my Mom I was really interested in acting and singing. I began doing theatre, specifically musicals, which opened the door to exploring TV as well as feature films, and I met my agent while at summer camp. This industry has always been endlessly exciting for me, which was something I didn’t always feel with sports while growing up.
“Singing was my first love before I got into acting. Growing up I was bullied, and singing was my only friend and only way of coping with how I was feeling. When I picked it along with acting as my career paths, it was perfect because they kind of go hand in hand. Singing is such a big part of who I am as person, and I recently released my first EP. I’ve been recording in the studio since I was 13, so a number of these songs have been in the making for almost five years. To be able to share them with others and hearing that people are enjoying them is a blessing. I’m so happy that these songs that have helped me, can hopefully help someone else, or at least give people some pleasure while they’re listening to them,” she enthuses.
Steve Eramo
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