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Everybody has a best friend, and Kit Kittredge’s is Ruthie Smithens, played by Madison Davenport. Starring in the new American Girl movie alongside Abigail Breslin, Madison plays the banker’s daughter who helps Kit as she fights to save her family.

GL was able to catch up with this member of Kit’s Tree House Club and learn a little bit about her acting career and home life. She even shared some memories from the set of the American Girl movie with us!
 
GL: What made you decide to get into acting?
 
Madison: I’ve always been really dramatic and when I was 5 I did musical theater. Then I started to take acting classes and they asked me to come out here and my family fell in love with California so we moved here. I’ve always loved acting and I’ve always loved being in character.
 
GL: I understand you have a little bit of a singing background too?
 
Madison: I’ve been singing for a long, long time. My mom said that when I was 2 years old, I sang The Little Mermaid. My mom turned around one day and was like “Is that you?” And I was like, ”Yes, Mommy.” Eventually, I want to start writing my own songs.
 
GL: Did you ever have an American Girl doll?
 
Madison: Yes, of course I did. Actually, the first doll I ever got was Kit. I had really blonde hair just like Kit. Blonde hair, bluish-green eyes and I cut my hair just like Kit when I was younger. I would carry her around everywhere. My favorite part is the outfits though. I love their outfits. I think they’re so authentic.

(photo credit) Madison Davenport, Abigail Breslin and Brieanne Jansen in a scene from Kit Kittredge: An American Girl© 2008 From HBO Films/A Picturehouse release - Photographer: Cylla von Tiedemann

GL: Can you tell our readers a little bit about your character?
 
Madison: Ruthie is very sweet and has a very loving nature, but because she is the banker’s daughter during the Depression, she gets a lot of the blame from her friends when the bank forecloses on houses.
 
GL: In the movie you are a member of the Tree House Club. Do you have any friends like that at home?
 
Madison: I have my BFFs. We have sleepovers and we do makeovers. Once we had an ’80s day at school, and after school we went outside and pretended we were models. We walked up and down the street. I’m sure the neighbors must have thought we were crazy, but we were having fun.
 
GL: So are you kind of a girly girl then?
 
Madison: Sometimes. I would rather wear shorts than a skirt any day. But sometimes it’s fun to dress up when you go to church or a nice event, or if you just want to look cute. That’s why I can’t miss What Not to Wear on TLC.
 
GL: So do you pay close attention to the fashions?
 
Madison: I actually design clothes. I designed my dress for the Over the Hedge premiere. I sketched out a cute little dress and my manager took it to a designer and they started working on it together and I wore it to the premiere.
 
GL: Are there any other talents we should know about?
 
Madison: Well, I am writing a book, a series of children’s books actually. It’s based here in California and it teaches little kids about colors and numbers. It also teaches them about everyday problems like bullies, selfishness and jealously.
 
Here at GL, we loved the movie Kit Kittredge, and we loved chatting with Madison, too. Doesn’t she seem like she’d fit right in with your own crew? Kit Kittredge is out now. Check it out and let us know what you thought!

-Lauren Linhard and Amanda Forr

7/5/2008 7:00:00 AM