Since the release of the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, many have been assessing the negative accounts shared by the former Nickelodeon actors involved. A host of former child performers – including those who didn’t appear in the doc – have been speaking out as well. In addition to sharing their reactions to the five-part production, they’ve also been opening up about their experiences. One of the latest to do so is Elizabeth Gillies, who starred on Victorious years ago. While opening up about what it was like watching the doc, she also revealed that she connected with Ariana Grande to talk it all out.
Elizabeth Gillies played the role of Jade West throughout the entire four-season run of Victorious, which was created by former Nickelodeon EP Dan Schneider. The ex-super producer’s tenure at the network was the focus of Quiet on Set, with many claiming to have experienced mistreatment under his watch. He himself was also the target of several allegations from former child stars. (Schneider subsequently apologized and later filed suit against the producers of the show.) While speaking with Variety, Gillies talked about how she and Ariana Grande linked up after watching the docuseries:
I certainly reevaluated my experience with Ariana over FaceTime. We watched it together, and then we got together later that week or the next week, and we sort of broke the whole thing down and talked about it, and reprocessed everything together. There was a lot to go through.
Over a month ago, Ariana Grande discussed her Nick experience after having checked out the show. Grande – played Cat Valentine on Victorious – shared quite a few thoughts and, while doing so, she reflected on how people were encouraged to push the envelope creatively while on the show. The Grammy-winning singer also stated that she’s glad that there’s currently a conversation regarding workplace conditions for youths. With that, she expressed hope that change would continue to take hold of the industry.
Elizabeth Gillies, like her former co-star, has a nuanced take on the documentary and her work with Nickelodeon. She’s seemingly been pondering how to reconcile her own experiences with those of others. As the Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll actress explained, she has a number of positive memories from her time working on the fan-favorite teen sitcom. But, in light of recent events, she as well as her co-stars, had to take stock of their experiences and look at them through a more critical lens:
It’s tricky when you look back on something incredibly positively, and then you learn a lot of information and also revisit things as an adult through a new lens that reframe the memories in your mind a little bit, or cloud them, or taint them — maybe rightfully so. So, taking that time to thoughtfully look back, reassess and reevaluate was an important thing to do, and that’s something we did. I’m very lucky I have such a close relationship with my cast — and with Ari — and that we were all able to do that together, because we definitely leaned on each other, talked amongst each other and checked in with each other.
The 30-year-old star is far from the only Nick alum to have mixed feelings in the aftermath of Quiet on Set. All That icon Kenan Thompson was shook up by the doc and found it somewhat challenging to discuss its subject matter. That’s because he had positive experiences while working with the children-centric network and Dan Schneider. Thompson also explained that much of the alleged misconduct that went on behind the scenes came after his tenure with the company. Regardless, he did express empathy for those who’d had negative experiences and called for further investigation.
Of course, another aspect of this complex conversation is how young actors find their way into this industry in the first place. Some wholeheartedly want to pursue it from a very young age, while others might be coaxed into it by their parents or guardians. Elizabeth Gillies spoke to that point when discussing her passion for acting as a young person:
[Acting] is all I wanted, and all I wanted to do was go there every day and put my head down and work. I cannot imagine what it must feel like for a child that was pushed there by their parents and had no interest in acting and had to come to work and do that grueling job every single day because for me, it was a treat. And for someone else, I mean, what a nightmare. It’s like, if someone made me go play baseball for 10 hours a day, I’d be crying in my room at night. It’s just because it’s not what I want to do. Everything’s hard. Sports are hard. Acting is hard. Any job is hard. And if it’s not your dream and you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, it can be a total nightmare, and it can be very damaging to your life, your mind and your mental health.
It’s intriguing and encouraging to hear Elizabeth Gillies share such nuanced thoughts about Quiet on Set, and one would think that it may not have been easy to analyze old on-set memories. Regardless, it’s admittedly cool to hear that she and Ariana Grande were able to touch base and unpack their shared experiences. As for whether true change might take shape in Hollywood when it comes to the treatment of young actors, that remains to be seen.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available to stream with a Max subscription now.
