Interview by Mckenziee Belton

We got to chat with young actress Lalia Susini, who can be seen on the “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off “Station 19.”

You’re a very talented young lady. How long have you been involved in acting, and when did you know you wanted to be an actress?

Thank you! My brother Maxou started acting before me, and he was cast in a Burger King commercial 4-5 years ago, and they needed a sister for him, and I was sitting in the waiting room anyway, so bam! The same thing happened with my other brother, Sasha, who was in a film, and they needed classmates for most of his scenes. Since we were there, they cast ALL my brothers and me in the film!

You play young Andy Herrera on the hit television show Station 19. How do you prepare for that role since her character has suffered the trauma of losing her mom? 

I have an amazing acting coach, Graham Outerbridge, who coaches me before I go to set! Plus, one of my good friends just lost her dad a year ago, and for the sad scenes, I also think back to that moment.

What is it like working in the Shondaland universe? 

Most people on the set have worked together for years, so everyone is super close. It was sad to wrap for Season 3 because you get so used to the Shondaland universe!

What is your favorite part of being on set? 

The snack room! I’m usually the only kid on set, so I feel like the candy is all mine. I also love going to the hair and makeup trailer. Jen, who does my hair, is hilarious, so we get to laugh together in the mornings. I get to spy and see how other cast members are going to look in the episode. Also, my set teacher is so nice, so I actually don’t mind breaking for school. Even if I go to set school when they are off shooting at another location, he still makes it fun. My trailer is the last on the lot, so I have tons of room to skateboard and do TikTok’s too, so I love it when we have a couple of minutes off too.  

What was your favorite episode to shoot this season?

Episode 3 was my first time meeting everyone, and I remember they were all trying to make me feel welcome and offered me tips. Miguel saw that I was nervous and took me aside to let me know that everything was going to be fine, kind of like what a real dad would do!

When you’re not on stage, you play soccer and run track. What drew you to those sports? 

My brothers and my dad all play soccer. My older brother has always played club soccer, so I grew up in the soccer world. All four of us play with the Paris Saint-Germain Academy in the summers. My goal is to make the US Soccer team for the 2028 Olympics! As with soccer, my 3 brothers also all run track. Track helps me be a better soccer player because I’m fairly fast!

You’ve also worked in two short films, Not A Love Story and C’est La Vie. What was that process like, and how did those roles prepare you for your recurring role on Station 19? 

Those were a great way for me to see how much work goes into just one scene! Since I’m a minor, I can only be on set so many hours in the day, and I go to school, too, when I’m working. These movies prepared me for all of this.

You’ve had the opportunity to work with musical sensations Gwen Stefani and U2. What was that experience like, and how did it come about? 

My music coach, Adam Timmerman, helped find the musicians for Gwen, so naturally, we (Maxou and I) just auditioned directly with him. One thing that was funny about that performance was that my brother was playing the piano and broke his arm the day before, so he still performed, but looked so silly trying to get his fingers to reach across the piano with his cast on. I performed with U2 during the XQ Super School Live Come Together performance. There was an open call for girl drummers, and I guess that is somewhat of a rarity, thankfully! 

Your talents extend beyond acting and sports into music and dance as well. Would you consider auditioning for Broadway? If so, what would be your dream role? 

I love musicals! Through school and acting schools in Los Angeles, I have been able to do musicals. I go to a musical theater camp too!  

What’s something you want your fans to know about you that they may not already know? 

Let’s see…I have dual citizenship with France, I have three brothers who all act too, and I love TikTok!! During quarantine, I’m getting to do Zoom dance lessons with different teachers, so I am getting to explore more styles of dance now. During the summer, you can find me at the beach most days surfing!

What advice would you give anyone who wants to pursue their dreams the way you have? Be prepared to fail! I mean, I have auditioned for so many things and have only gotten half of what I put so much effort into! Even with sports, every time I don’t win, it just makes me that much more aggressive to win the next time! Failure actually helps build your strengths! I’m graduating from 5th grade this year, and I wanted to do the culmination speech, but I wasn’t picked. So I’ll just have to try when I graduate from middle school instead!