Madison Pettis said she "basically was just fangirling" over Miranda Cosgrove while filming the Netflix romantic comedy The Wrong Paris, telling Decider that Cosgrove’s work on Nickelodeon helped shape Pettis’s early performance on Disney Channel.
Pettis, who broke out as a child actor in the 2007 film The Game Plan and on Disney Channel’s Cory in the House, plays Lexie, a social-media influencer and contestant on a reality dating show who vies for the attention of the cowboy bachelor Trey (Pierson Fode). Cosgrove plays Dawn, a small-town hopeful who dreams of attending art school in Paris. Pettis said she sought to keep Lexie "a little bit likable" even while portraying her as the story’s antagonist.
The actresses had not met before The Wrong Paris, Pettis said, but bonded over shared experiences as former child stars. Pettis told Decider she "always loved watching" Cosgrove and that the latter’s portrayal of Megan Parker on Drake & Josh was "very influential" on how Pettis approached the mischievous elements of her Cory in the House role.
Pettis described moments on set where she slipped into fan mode, recounting instances when she echoed lines or catchphrases from Cosgrove’s earlier series without realizing it. She said the kinship was bolstered by similar upbringings in the entertainment industry and that the pairing felt natural despite the characters’ different backgrounds.
For preparation, Pettis said she watched reality-dating shows such as The Bachelor and Love Island to capture contestants’ mannerisms and noted she drew on scripted-film archetypes for Lexie’s mean-girl energy. She cited Judy Greer’s role in 13 Going on 30 as a guide for playing a character who is pleasant in public but more calculating behind the scenes.
Pettis also leaned on her Texas roots to shape Lexie’s accent. Born in Texas, she said she experimented with different levels of Southern twang during auditions and callbacks, ultimately instructed to "crank it up" at the table read. The role allowed Pettis to revisit aspects of her upbringing even though filming did not take place in Texas.
She recounted the production’s more physical moments, including a muddy fight scene with Cosgrove that required choreography and stunt doubles and a mechanical-bull sequence that left her with bruises. Pettis said rain had turned a staged mud pit into a deeper, messier setup than planned and described being cautious during takes, while praising Cosgrove’s willingness to commit to the more daring moments.
Pettis said she had minimal experience on a mechanical bull prior to filming, with only a short rehearsal and an evening of practice in Vancouver before shooting the scene. The sequence, filmed near the end of production in Vancouver, required learning new movements and left visible bruising that had to be covered in makeup.
The conversation with Decider also touched on Pettis’s memories of working with other Disney Channel stars. She recalled appearing on a crossover episode with Hannah Montana and described Miley Cyrus as welcoming during the shoot. Pettis said she would attend any special Hannah Montana event Cyrus might stage for the show’s 20th anniversary.
On reflecting about her time as the Disney Channel Games correspondent, Pettis offered a hypothetical modern roster for a revival, naming Raven-Symoné, Brenda Song, Joe Jonas, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez as players she would pick for a competitive team.
The Wrong Paris, directed by Janeen, is streaming on Netflix.