Check out our interview with talented young twin sisters and stars of the Nickelodeon’s “A Loud House Christmas” Ella & Mia Allan.
Follow Ella & Mia @theallantwins
Hi Ella, Mia, please tell us a little about you?
We are mirror identical twins. (Mirror twins means one is right handed one is left handed like looking into a mirror Ella is a righty and Mia is the lefty.) We are 11 years old our birthday is 11/14/2010. We have an eight year old brother named Justin, who we LOVE and we have a lot of pets. We have a horse named Chili, a Golden retriever named Rusty, a Frenchie named Layla Princessa, a Toy Poodle named Teddy Bear, a Sulcata Tortoise named Buster, and a Bunny Named Bun Bun. We have been in this industry since we were 6 months old with our first job playing “Baby Thomas Teller” on Sons Of Anarchy all the way to recently playing Lola and Lana on “A Loud House Christmas” . We have worked 3 roles as twins and would love to keep that going! We are very much family oriented, loving, kind and inclusive. Don’t get us wrong we have our moments and can also be very much of a handful HAHA!
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Ella – Loyal, Loving, Creative
Mia – Funny, Caring, Mischievous
How did you get started into acting?
Our acting career started when we were six months old on a show called Sons of Anarchy on FX in season 4 where we took turns playing “Baby Thomas Teller”,when season was over we were about a year and a half we ended up booking another show called “Parenthood” on NBC where we switched off playing the character Nora Braverman for 3 season (until the show ended. The year after that we had booked a role where again we were taking turns playing young “Marilyn Monroe”, even though we were young we were told who she was and thought it was pretty cool. At about 4 years old CW’s “Jane The Virgin’ came into the picture where Petra Solano (Yael Groblas) had baby twin daughters that (the characters Ellie and Anna ) aged up to about 4 years old starting in season 3. Coincidentally that happened to be THE EXACT SAME AGE WE HAD JUST TURNED IN REAL LIFE! The was our first time playing twins on a show. Wow we were so excited to be on set together acting at the same time. “Jane the Virgin” aired for 3 seasons. In the middle of playing Ellie and Anna on “Jane the Virgin” in season 4, we also became series regulars on an ABC show called “Single Parents” where we again got to play twin sisters as daughters of Douglas Fogerty (Brad Garret). At that one time we were working season 4 and 5 on “Jane the Virgin” and “Single Parents” season 1 and 2 at the same time! We recently worked on Nickelodeon’s “The Loud house Christmas” where we again got to play twin sisters Lola and Lana Loud! What a blast!
How has this changed your life?
Basically if you think about it, that is all we have known. Having members of the cast and crew be a part of our everyday life, driving to and from different sets or locations to film, and having different set teachers kind of made every experience a new adventure. We got the opportunity to go to different events, interviews, meet other children and families that are in the industry we could relate to. We have gone to different places to film we wouldn’t have had the chance to go to, we have learned to memorize pretty well, adapt to different situations, and all in all the trajectory for our entire family has changed because this is part of all of our lives. Even our little brother Justin Allan got to work on a movie “Feel The Beat” on Netflix where he filmed in Toronto that also had a pretty young cast we had made friends with and got to learn from his experience from a different perspective. It has given us different hopes and goals that we probably would not have had if this was not a part of our lives.
What is the best and worst part of being an actress?
Best part is when we get to work as twin sisters on film.
Worst part would be, as far as acting goes, having a show or series end and then having to say goodbye to the cast and crew that we had been working with for an extended period of time.
How do you prepare for a role?
Everyone has their own process, but we are lucky as twins because we get the chance to work together, give feedback to each other and having prior experience helps us visualize what it would be like if it came to life on screen. Basically we read the sides (audition and character content) then memorize the lines first so we won’t have to struggle with the lines while focusing on being present. Sometimes we bounce ideas off each other, sometimes we video ourselves to see what it looks like on camera and sometimes we just audio record to see if the emotion in our voice is convincing. Then we film it, do the best we can, do a few takes even if we feel we nailed it to have options and see how each take varies.
Tell us about the Nickelodeon’s holiday film “A Loud House Christmas?”
“The Loud House” brings the town of Royal Woods to life for the holidays and follows Lincoln Loud as he gears up for the ultimate Christmas, until he finds out that most of his sisters have plans to be elsewhere for the big day. Determined to remind his family that they all need to be together, Lincoln and his best friend Clyde Mcbride embark on a mission to preserve the family’s holiday traditions.
And about your characters as Lola and Lana Loud?
Lola Loud in our opinion, kind of thinks she’s the boss of everyone, especially Lincoln who thinks she is a beauty queen and thinks everyone should see her that way. She has a short temper but can hide it by batting her eyes.
Lana Loud is a lot more chill than Lola, she’s a down and dirty type of gal who holds her ground but also doesn’t want to bother herself with the drama Lola creates. She is a good sister and loves animals especially her pet frog Mr. Hopps.
What other projects have you been part of?
We have been in FX’s Sons of Anarchy season 4, NBC’s Parenthood, Lifetime’s Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, CBS’s Living Biblically, CBS’s Young Sheldon, Fox’s Cool Kids, CW’s Jane The Virgin, ABC’s Single Parents, Nickelodeon’s A Loud House Christmas, As well as a few pilots and commercials.
What kind of roles do you like or would like to play and why?
Ultimately, we like playing any role where we get to work together. We have a tendency to lean towards comedy, drama, and suspense. Working as sisters brings such a unique quality to any production because we both have strengths in different aspects so whatever the scene calls for there are different ways to approach a character.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Knowing that there is inspiration or laughter of emotions that come from our work and we want to relate to the viewers and fans. It has also shown us to have a voice in areas we may not have been able to without this type of ork.
What’s your advice for the newer young actresses?
The only tips we really have are to stay encouraged and have people around you that support you and can give you honest or constructive feedback. Always remain teachable and ask yourself if you can improve in any way without shaming yourself. Read as many scripts as you can whether you are interested in it or not because there is always a lot to learn. Try to identify with some of the characters in the story as best as you can, even if it’s a huge stretch or challenge (those are usually the ones you grow the most with). Failure is ok and part of the process. Lastly don’t compare yourself with someone else’s journey. Enjoy yours.
Which project is still on your bucket list?
Stranger Things
What would you say are the greatest lessons you learned so far in this business?
A. Don’t be discouraged doing a ton of auditions and not booking something. Sometimes you may just not fit the part. It’s not a matter of if but when.
B. Believe it or not there is a lot of downtime on a set so always have something to do such as read a book or work on homework.
C. People rise and fall by the opinion of others so your role does not set your value as a person. God first, then family, then friends, then work.
How would your best friend describe you?
Maybe a bit mischievous, funny, loving, loyal, outgoing,
If you are a book, what would be the title of the book and why?
Probably Ivy and Bean =) They are really good friends and they seem to always have fun, they are always up to something like an imaginary adventure. They have each other’s backs. Reading those books growing up has always made us feel like we connect to them.
What’s next for The Allan Twins in the last months of 2021 and for 2022?
Honestly we would just love to work together as twins, whether it be, something we just create as a new idea or a spin off of Lana and Lola Loud, Ellie and Anna, or Amy and Emma. People are usually pretty interested in what twins are up to, how different or similar they can be, and what kind of mischief we get ourselves into. We think it’s pretty rare and cool having another human that looks almost exactly like you! We would also Love to do a project with our brother.
What is your favorite food?
Ribs, Sushi, Apple Sauce, Berry Smoothies, Boba Drinks, watermelon, pomegranates Amusement park Huge Turkey Legs, just about everything lol
What is your own definition of happiness?
It is a perspective of gratitude.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
Millie Bobby Brown, Dakota Fanning, because they are such an inspiration and so completely talented. Rebel Wilson and Will Farrell. Because their characters and comedic timing create so much laughter you actually have fun watching them. We also think they would be kind and have great personalities off set as well.
Best advice ever given?
Not personally given but one of our favorite quotes is from Burt Reynolds “Don’t let them catch you acting. Don’t act…. Behave”.
Do you guys support any charity?
Yes we support multiple Charities. We work with Brad Garett’s Maximum Hope Foundation, Pitt Hopkins Research Foundation, St. Judes, the Salvation Army, and Alex’s Lemonade.
Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 years from now?
By then we would love to book another movie or 2 as twins, we would love to travel, we would love to work on some kind of twin branding/brand, we want to work on a project together with our brother Justin who is also a really good actor.
Favorite song? Why?
Ella- “Good for you” (By Olivia Rodrigo) because it makes me want to dance and it makes me feel uplifted.
Mia- “Summertime Sadness” (By Lana Del Rey) Because it makes me feel confident, I also love the rhythm and beat.
What do you think of Social Media?
Social media is complicated. It can be used to inspire creativity and imagination and it has the ability to bring strangers, friends, family, and so many other walks of life together. A lot of people’s talents have been discovered that may not have been without social media.
That alone has changed so many people’s lives! There has been healing, hope and positive influence that people are loved, valued and can aspire to be more. We do our best to have our fans take a peek into our lives on and off set, whether it be at charity events, promoting small business, highlighting a friend, thanking people that have championed us along the way, or something as normal as just messing around at home.
We have also seen it be very destructive. People have the choice to use things for good or for bad and It’s up to us to make the right choice. We want to encourage people, not to tear them down, but lift them up which is why we keep our social media positive and fun!
Where we can follow you?
People can follow us on
Instagram @theallantwins
Twitter: @theallantwins
Cameo.com Search “The Allan Twins”
Book:
Ella- Holes
Mia- Coyote Sunrise
Movie
Ella- Dumb and Dumber
Mia- Five Feet Apart
Tv Series: Stranger Things
Travel Destination: So Far Hawaii and Wyoming (best of both worlds)
Sports Team: SF Giants for Baseball (Sorry Dodger Fans) other than that we don’t really watch many other sports.
