By Ashley Spencer
Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy is busier than ever! Between hanging with One Direction, marking the end of 'iCarly,' and starting a new chapter with a pilot episode of 'Sam & Cat,' Jennette is on a roll. She found time to come hang out with J-14 and chat about all the crazy cool things she's got on her plate (literally!)… and what it's like to be stuck in an elevator with Zayn Malik.
J-14: You've got so many exciting projects going on right now! Tell us about your partnership with Birds Eye to promote healthy eating.
Jennette McCurdy: I'm teaming up with Birds Eye veggies to inspire a new generation of vegetable lovers and to encourage kids to get creative with their vegetables and think of them as something fun and delicious, because veggies can be. My favorite is broccoli with just a little salt and garlic. And I've become big on Brussels sprouts. Miranda [Cosgrove] loves Brussel sprouts and she's been on a Brussels sprouts kick this past season, and she really turned me onto them in a big way.
J-14: Have you ever had a cooking disaster?
Jennette: I have! When I was about seven or eight, my mom was making chocolate chip cookies. She had the cookie pan in her hand as she was taking them out of the oven, and she turned to me, and I got a cookie pan in the eye. It burned really bad and I was rushed to the hospital. They were like, "You're lucky this didn't go through your eyelid, missy!" I didn't go in the kitchen at all for quite some time after that.
J-14: One Direction had one of their first big U.S. appearances on 'iCarly's "iGo One Direction" episode. What were your on-set encounters with the guys like?
Jennette: I had to drag Zayn into an elevator [for a scene], so he and I are standing in the elevator for like five minutes after every scene waiting for them to pull us up. So Zayn started showing me his tattoos — he had just gotten two [new ones] the night before. Then I remember all the guys got In-N-Out shakes and I was like, "Sweet, man! Where are [our] shakes!?" And they were like, 'Uh, [they're] just for us.' And Miranda [Cosgrove] and I sort of trudged away sadly.
J-14: And I hear you have a thing for Louis Tomlinson's suspenders?
Jennette: Yes! I told him how much I loved his suspenders and that I was going to be getting some red suspenders myself — which I did — from Hot Topic. I haven't gotten the chance to wear them yet, but I'm going to wear a basic white tee, some grey O'Neil pants and the red suspenders.
J-14: 'iCarly' taped its final episode (that will air in November) this summer. What was that last day like on set?
Jennette: A lot of tears. Going in the morning, we were all okay. But then toward the end of the day as we were taping our last scene, me and Miranda [Cosgrove], we just lost it. We'd both cry and look at each other and cry some more. We were distraught. And then Jerry [Trainor] started crying, and that's when you really know something's bad because I didn't think it was possible for water to come out of him, but it happened. I think the sadness was short-lived because a week later we realized we're still going to see each other all the time. We were like, 'Wait, this isn't bad at all.' But it was very hard that day because it was the end of the 'iCarly' world.
Photo: Courtesy of Nickelodeon
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