Skip to content
  • 01. Home Page
  • 02. Biography
  • 03, Career
  • 04. Photo Gallery
  • 05. Video Archive
  • 06. Press Archive
  • 07. Twitter

Backstage Magazine: November 2020

‘Clouds’ Star Madison Iseman on Learning (Finally) to Stop + Smell the Roses

Backstage Magazine   |   Written by Madison Iseman

The Following Career Dispatches essay was written by Madison Iseman, who stars in the new film “Clouds,” now streaming on Disney+. 

“Stop and smell the roses.” A phrase that I never really took seriously; one my parents engraved in my brain, and I wish I took it to heart. I was always the kid that wanted to grow up too fast. At 8 I couldn’t wait to be 13; at 13 I couldn’t wait to be 21. I was always wanting more and looking for the next thing. I had big dreams and I wanted to get there quicker. If I could tell my younger self anything it would be: The best things are ahead of you, but what makes it all worth it is right now.

When I jumped into this career I was completely naïve. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I think part of that saved me from all of the rejection I was about to face. I know it’s the cliché thing to say—“You hear one yes to every 99 nos”—but it’s true.

I somehow convinced my parents to allow me to make the big move out to California when I was 16. It was literally across the country. (I grew up in a small town in South Carolina.) That time of my life almost seems like a blur now. It was so much so fast. My mom came out here with me in the beginning. She sat with me through meetings with agents and castings, as well as castings I wouldn’t even consider to be real castings (there’s a lot of those in this town).

Every meeting we went to, she would sit in the back of the room and make me talk the entire time without saying a single word. She would always tell me, “If you want this, it’s up to you. This is your thing.” It used to drive me crazy because I was so uncomfortable and had no idea what to say to these strangers in order to sell myself. But now, seven years down the road, I’m so thankful she did that.

I’ve been lucky enough to work steadily throughout the past few years, but even today I’m still continuing to learn. With every single project, I grow as an actress and as a person. I don’t really believe you ever get to a place where you “stop learning.”

The best advice I could give to any young and upcoming actor is to work hard, dream big, and really don’t give up. I believe if you set your mind to something you can make anything happen. Also, don’t let negative criticism get you down. Learn from it and grow. The entertainment business is always evolving. We have no idea what will be the next best thing five, 10 years from now. And who’s to say that can’t be you? The best films are yet to be written. Don’t sit and wait for things to come your way. Get creative, make your own films, show the world what you can do. Don’t wait for it to ask.

Related

Powered by MND Press Library
Welcome to Madison Iseman Source - Your newest online resource for multi-talented actress Madison Iseman. Madison is known as Bethany from the Jumanji movies & can also be seen in other movies such as Annabelle comes home & Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween among others. Madison is also known as Charlotte on CMT's television series Still the king & can currently be seen as Allison/Lennon on the television adaptation of I Know What You Did Last Summer from Amazon Studios. Madison is also set to star in a live action movie version of 80's manga & anime series Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac as Sienna. Keep checking back as we bring you the latest on Madison & her projects.

Family Sites

Co-Stars

Mckenna Grace
Michael Cimino
Michael Cimino
Sabrina Carpenter
You1
Accepting

Elite Affiliates

Channing Tatum
Chloe Grace Moretz
Danielle Rose Russell
Geraldine Viswanathan
Lily James
Madelaine Petsch
Nathalie Emmanuel
Néstor Carbonell
Oliver Stark
Perrie Edwards
Sebastian Stan
Soe Kazan
Talia Ryder
You1
You2
Accepting

Latest Projects

  • Knights of the Zodiac (2023)
    Knights of the Zodiac (2023)
    Sienna
    Post-Production
    When a goddess of war reincarnates in the body of a young girl, street orphan Seiya discovers that he is destined to protect her and save the world. But only if he can face his own past and become a Knight of the Zodiac.
    Info
    Photos
    Videos
    IMDb
    Official
  • I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
    I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
    Alison/Lennon Grant
    Cancelled/Season One Streaming Amazon Prime
    One year after the fatal car accident that haunted their graduation night, a group of teenagers find themselves bound together by a dark secret and stalked by a brutal killer. As they try to piece together who’s after them, they reveal the dark side of their seemingly perfect town—and themselves. Everyone is hiding something, and uncovering the wrong secret could be deadly.
    News
    Photos
    IMDb
    Official
  • Clouds (2020)
    Clouds (2020)
    Amy Adamle
    Streaming Disney+
    Young musician Zach Sobiech discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
    Photos
    IMDb
    Official

Featured Albums

Saturne Magazine Editorial September/October 2018
Saturne Magazine Editorial September/October 2018
Saturne Magazine Photoshoot September/October 2018
Saturne Magazine Photoshoot September/October 2018

Latest Videos

  • 7th Annual KS95’s “Clouds Choir” For A Cause 2019
    Added December 31, 2022
  • Holly Wire ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Interview
    Added December 18, 2022
  • Brief Take ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Interview
    Added December 18, 2022
  • Knights Of The Zodiac Official Teaser Trailer
    Added December 3, 2022
  • American Horror Stories ‘Necro’ Trailer
    Added September 6, 2022

Most Popular Videos

  • Henry Danger: The Bad Girl Clip
    Viewed 1040 times
  • Henry Danger: Henry & Veronika Clip
    Viewed 1018 times
  • Kid Danger Kisses A Bad Girl Clip
    Viewed 981 times
  • Fear of Rain: What Makes You, You Clip
    Viewed 980 times
  • IRK Magazine Short Film
    Viewed 875 times

Quoting Madison

"I’ve always just loved the horror genre and scary movies. I don’t really know why. Ever since I was a little girl, they were always my favorite movies to watch. They are also one of my favorite movies to act in. There are just really no rules."
MORE QUOTES

Site Information

  Maintained by: Niamh
  Online since: August 15th 2021
  Contact: Contact Form
  Site Visitors:
  Online:

Madison Iseman Source is 100% unofficial. The site is fan run, for the fans. All original text and graphics belong to Madison Iseman Source (unless stated otherwise), all pictures, scans, screencaps etc. are copyright to their original owners. This site is non-profit, and is in no way trying to infringe on the copyrights or businesses of any of the entities. All content posted up on this site is used under the Fair Use Copyright Law 107. All photos are copyright to their respective owners. Tags & watermarks on photos exist only for promotional purposes & do not imply ownership. If you would like something removed please contact me.

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
© 2021 - 2023 Madison Iseman Source • Theme by MonicaNDesign • Powered by WordPress
Madison Iseman Source is 100% unofficial. The site is fan run, for the fans. All original text and graphics belong to Madison Iseman Source (unless stated otherwise), all pictures, scans, screencaps etc. are copyright to their original owners. This site is non-profit, and is in no way trying to infringe on the copyrights or businesses of any of the entities. All content posted up on this site is used under the Fair Use Copyright Law 107. All photos are copyright to their respective owners. Tags & watermarks on photos exist only for promotional purposes & do not imply ownership. If you would like something removed please contact me.