Andelin and Ryder play the role of Aida Braverman on Parenthood. They have been having a wonderful experience filming with the cast and crew, and make sure to keep checking back here at the site to stay up to date!

1. How did Andelin and Ryder get started in the industry?

We have a friend who had twins that had done some commercials and such. She told me that twins are in higher demand. So she gave me the information for the talent agent. I contacted them a few months before the babies were born and then again right after birth. We got a message that they were interviewing for the new baby on Parenthood. We went, spoke with the directors and producers and 3 days later they were filming on set. The babies were only 17 days old when they started. They were very lucky to find something so quickly. And especially lucky to be working on such a great show!!

2. How did you feel when you found out they booked Parenthood?

I was so excited!! My sister and I were big fans of the show! I wasn’t sure how long it would last. We were given 6 dates right away, and we just will get random calls to come in. We are just so grateful every time they ask us to come in.

3. What’s it like to join a show like Parenthood 5 seasons in?

It’s great! The cast and crew work like a well oiled machine! Newborns are only allowed to work for 2 hours a day, so they try really hard to organize their day so they can maximize the babies’ time. There have been times where they have asked us to come in. We get on set within 10 minutes of the scheduled time and 5 minutes later the scene is done and we are packing up to go home! Everyone is so kind and professional and used to working together, so they know exactly what they need to do to get what they want!

4. How do Andelin and Ryder like working with Dax Shepard?

The twins LOVE Dax! He has a little baby daughter that is just 3 months older than they are. So he is very comfortable with them. In a way this caused some conflicts with shooting because they wanted the baby to be crying to show a lack of bonding with the dad. So we would be filming a scene and the baby would be crying, but the second the mom would hand the baby over to the dad (Dax), they would calm down right away! He’s such a talented actor, though, that he never let off how really good he is with babies!

5. What’s it like working with Joy Bryant?

Joy is so great! She is always coming up and talking to us and making us feel welcome on set. I’ve brought my older kids to the set occasionally and she would take time to come over and talk to them. After filming one day my 9 year old daughter said, “Guess who my new favorite movie star is?…It’s Joy!”

6. How do they enjoy working with Tyree Brown?

Tyree is the sweetest boy. He can really make the babies smile! He makes a great big brother!

7. Is there any way to tell them apart on screen?

Well, Andelin is a girl, and Ryder is a boy! I’m looking forward to being able to blackmail him with pictures of him dressed like a girl when he’s a teenager! Andelin has a much smaller head and smaller features. Ryder has huge dimples and a very wide smile. His eyes are much bluer than Andelin’s.

8. Is there someone in the cast you hope they have the chance to work with more?

We are really glad they get to work with Dax and Joy so much because we just love them and they were our favorite characters on the show before the twins joined the cast. But I grew up watching Coach with my dad. The twins got to be in a scene with Craig T. Nelson on my dad’s birthday just 10 days before my dad passed away. Mr. Nelson was kind enough to take a picture with me and Andelin that I was able to give to my dad for his Birthday! It is a very special picture to me know that my dad is gone. Any further opportunities they would have to work with him would be a great honor for our family. We would love to work more with the whole cast…they are all so great! They’ve been in a few scenes with Monica Potter (Kristina) and even Ray Romano. So that’s pretty cool!

9. Have Andelin and Ryder done any projects outside of Parenthood?

No. They have auditioned for other things but haven’t booked anything else. From what I hear, that is more common. Booking the first gig they audition for is very rare.

10. Do you have a favorite scene they’ve done for Parenthood?

My favorite scene is in the very end of the third episode from this season. Crosby (Dax) had been struggling with bonding with Aida (Andelin and Ryder). They have a really sweet moment where the baby is crying and he is trying to give her a bottle so the mom can get some rest. After some repeated crying, she finally calms down and takes the bottle! He then tells her that he will always be there for her and she just looks up into his eyes with the sweetest expression. Andelin played the baby in this scene, and I will treasure that picture of the two of them (Dax and Andelin) forever!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I will add a little bit about what it is like going to set. I arrange for my in-laws to watch my older 4 children and I get to invite a friend to come with me to help out with the babies. Universal Studios is about a 15 minute drive from my house. We usually get there about 45mins to an hour before our call time. An AD is usually waiting for us when we get there to direct us to our trailer. While we wait, I feed the babies and get the dressed in whatever outfit the costumer has picked out for them to wear. We can also go to the caterer to get a nice hot breakfast! By law, any baby under the age of 6 months has to have a nurse with them on set, and any child under the age of 18 needs to have a teacher to oversee their education. The 6 of us hang out in the trailer while the AD goes back and forth between the stage and the trailer to make sure everyone is ready. We then all walk together across the lot to the stage. We then get situated in a room on the set that isn’t currently being used for filming. Usually it’s the Luncheonette because it is right next to Jasmine and Crosby’s house. Then the AD escorts the nurse, one of the babies, the teacher, and my helper friend onto the set. I stay in the Luncheonette and nurse the 2nd baby to keep him/her quiet while on set. If everything goes well, they do the scene a couple of times and we are done in about 20 minutes. If the baby on set is fussy when it’s suppose to be calm, awake when it should be asleep, or calm when it should be fussy, then they will come and switch babies until they get what they want. When the scene wraps, we go back to the trailer (after stopping by the Kraft services cart for a snack) and change the twins back into their regular clothes and head back home. As a mother of 6 children, my days are pretty crazy. Going to the set of Parenthood is the most relaxing part of my day.

We’d like to thank Andelin, Ryder, and their family for participating in this year’s Holiday Q&A Event!