At 11 years old, Maddie Ziegler flew to Los Angeles, wore a blonde wig, pulled her face sideways, and told her friends, “Just this little video that’s gonna come out. No one will see it.” That video was Sia’s “Chandelier”. Spoiler: everyone saw it.
Fast-forward 11 years. Ziegler is 21 and has thirteen million Instagram followers. And she’s lived several careers already. Reality TV kid on Dance Moms from age eight. Sia’s onstage alter ego. Author at 12. Actor working with Steven Spielberg, Aubrey Plaza, and Jenna Ortega before most people figure out laundry.
“I feel so old in so many ways,” she says. “I just have an old soul.” That happens when your childhood runs on competition schedules and adult expectations. She started dancing at two, competed at four, won national titles by seven. On Dance Moms, she stayed at the top of the pyramid. Offstage, the stress stuck. She’s said much of that time is blocked out.
Perfectionism followed her. It still does. “It’s a work in progress,” she admits. Her trainer clocks it when workouts get brutal. “My ‘little toxic side’ comes out… I start smiling and laughing.”
Acting changed things. Working with Megan Park on The Fallout cracked something open. Leading Fitting In pushed her further, playing a teen diagnosed with MRKH syndrome. They were heavy days but worth it. “I watched it and thought, Wow! I did things I didn’t know I was capable of.”
Since then, she’s been super busy with her acting career.
She’s not that little girl anymore. She’s still dancing. Still acting. Still beautiful.
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