Larisa Oleynik Chats Erin & Aaron and the Full-Circle Moment of Playing a Mom on Nickelodeon

Actress Larisa Oleynik's impressive list of film credits includes 10 Things I Hate About You, Pretty Little Liars and Mad Men, but we know and love her best from the hit '90s Nickelodeon series The Secret World of Alex Mack.

Today, April 20, with the debut of the new comedy series Erin & Aaron on Nickelodeon, Larisa's making a triumphant return to the network—and this time around, she's playing a mom. The series follows two similarly named stepsiblings who have to learn to live together after their parents remarry and move everyone under one roof. We had the honor of chatting with Larisa ahead of today's big premiere to discuss the show's young actors and what it means to be back on Nickelodeon. Read the full interview below!

Sweety High: Tell us about Erin & Aaron.

Larisa Oleynik: As the title suggests, the show follows Erin and Aaron, who are new stepsiblings. I play the mother of Aaron (with an A) and I am newly married to the father of Erin (with an E). The very first episode shows us moving in together and combining our families, and at first, Erin and Aaron kind of seem like they're into this arrangement, but then maybe they're not— but maybe music will bring them together.

There's a lot of original music in the show. They both play and sing, and there's a really cool performance in the first episode with the two of them bridging their musical talents, also in an attempt to bridge the family dynamic as well.

 

SH: You have a really impressive list of credits, but many of us know you best from The Secret World of Alex Mack on Nickelodeon. Does this new series feel like a full-circle moment for you? 

LO: It really does. I auditioned for the show just like any other audition. I, like most actors in the last couple years, have just been doing self-tape after self-tape after self-tape. This one came up, and I know the casting director really well, and I initially responded to the material and thought it seemed really fun. It was only after the fact that I was like, "Oh, I'm going to be on Nickelodeon again—as a mom!" It's been really fun.

And even though the setup is different on this show—not only because it's 25 years later, but also we're also in a studio, and it's a multi-cam show, while Alex Mack was single-calm out in Valencia—I'm really flooded with a lot of those memories in really positive ways. I'm in touch with a lot of the cast and I'm on a text thread right now with some of the crew, so close with hair and makeup and wardrobe. There's something about it that feels really lovely, actually. It feels like family.

 

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SH: Is it strange to go from playing the kid in a Nickelodeon series to playing the mom?

LO: It's more that I have to remind myself that I'm 41! I keep thinking that I'm one with the teenagers, and while I am spiritual, I am not actually. That part is really funny to me—that I have to keep going, "Larisa, you're an adult. Did you know that?"

But the most interesting part and the coolest part is really getting to see how much the young actors on the show are growing. There's Jensen [Gering], who plays Aaron, and Ava [Ro], who plays Erin, and they're 14 and 15, respectively. Then there's Pyper [Braun], who plays my other daughter Natasha, who's 7 in the show and 9 in real life. I love watching their development. They're really picking up the multi-cam world very quickly, and they have to learn songs every week, and then they're in school. I'm just so impressed by what they're doing, and it's just really neat to be a part of their journey.

 

SH: We got to chat with Ava and Jensen earlier this week, and they mentioned what a role model you are, and how much they've been learning from you. Do you feel like you've been teaching them the ropes, and do you feel like you've also been learning a bit from them?

LO: Oh, 100% I am learning a lot from them. Also, they make me think, "Wow, did my brain used to work that fast? Is that possible?" They're doing so, so, so much, and they're doing it so well. At the same time, I'm here for them if they need me. The one thing that I feel very confident about is that I have been doing this for a really long time. It's a new experience for me to feel like the veteran, and for the first time in my life, I'm realizing it's up to me to make sure that I show up really prepared, and really present, and really available every day. I take that responsibility very seriously.

 

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SH: What have been your favorite moments from the set so far?

LO: We have so much fun. They'll reserve any sort of stunts or scenes where there's mess involved for the end of the day on Fridays. To me, it's the build-up of knowing we're about to get messy (usually that's what it is) that's really fun, and also, that's something we didn't do on Alex Mack. It was kind of a different Nickelodeon genre. I think it's so fun when it's just like, "Oh, we're about to get covered in frosting, aren't we?" I love that stuff, and leaving set on those days and thinking about how weird it is that I'm driving home with food items in my hair.

 

SH: Is there anything you're most excited for fans to see when they tune in to the new show?

LO: I think the musical performances are really going to blow people away. They are so fun—and if anyone can figure out a way to not get the songs from the show stuck in their head, please let me know! Because I walk around with these songs in my head constantly. David, who plays my husband Chuck on the show, will be like [hums tune], and I'll be like, "Don't get that stuck in my head! Don't get it stuck! It just left yesterday!" I didn't want to give you any spoilers, but that'll be super fun for people.

We also have a mini horse on the show. His name is Tonto on the show, but in real life, he's Captain Cutiepie. I believe on the show he is female, but he's a real treat and is just so freaking cute. Ultimately, it's a very warm, positive show, and I think that's what I'm most excited to personally share—the heart of it.

 

Can't get enough of the show? Also be sure to click HERE to read our interview with the young stars of Erin & Aaron, Ava Ro and Jensen Gering.