Local starlet Madison Ferguson talks personality, pranks and her role on the Stanley Dynamic

YTV’s The Stanley Dynamic is a live-action, multi-cam sitcom about a family who happens to have an animated son named Luke. Despite the fact that Luke is a cartoon, life around him functions as normal, and people don’t treat him any differently. Local rising star Madison Ferguson plays the role of Lori Stanley, Luke’s younger sister.

“The Stanley family is a little bit different,” explains Ferguson. “There’s me, the sister who’s the brains; my brother Larry, the football jock; and then there’s Luke who is a goofy cartoon who likes LARPing [live action role playing].” 

Ferguson explains that Luke certainly brings something special to the show because it’s not every day you see a family with one member who is a cartoon.

“Apparently the zygote split in the womb or something,” speculates Ferguson. “Our dad is a cartoonist, so he draws cartoons, and I think that’s sort of how Luke got created.”

The dynamic of the Stanley family is intended to be different, conveying the message that in today’s modern society, no family is alike, or perfect for that matter. The show stars Michael Barbuto (Nip/Tuck) who plays Lane, the kooky cartoonist dad who documents the family’s experiences and dilemmas through his online comic strip.

Lisa Stanley, the mother in the show, is played by Kate Hewlett (Degrassi: The Next Generation), an overworked owner of her own catering company. Of the twin brothers, Larry and Luke, Larry is played by Charles Vandervaart (Camp Rock 2) and Luke is voiced by Taylor Abrahamse (Beyblade: Metal Fusion). Then there’s the brains of the operation, the youngest of the bunch, Lori, who is played by Ferguson.

The show originally made its debut on YTV in March, and Ferguson seems to have really found her niche on the show. She feels very comfortable on the set, mainly because of the similarities between her and her character.

“We are both very smart and sassy, we both get good grades, and we have very similar personalities,” says Ferguson. “We are basically the same person,” she adds.

Ferguson, 11 years old and relatively new to the acting scene, explains that she has already learned a lot from working on The Stanley Dynamic.

“The role of Lori has taught me to be different. That it’s OK to be different and that it’s OK to be yourself,” she says.

Ferguson explains that Lori is gifted, and for that she is picked on at school. Her parents then decide it would be best to move her to a private academy for gifted children where she then becomes the bottom of the class.

“She decides to stay at her new school because she believes it is better than being at the top of an average school and being picked on,” explains Ferguson.

Lori loves bugs and has a mischievous attitude that is difficult not to adore, much like Ferguson’s real-life personality.

Aside from hosting her own behind-the-scenes segments titled “Are You Sassier Than a Fifth Grader?” she is also quite the little prankster. Ferguson divulged that she is responsible for pranking her co-stars at any opportunity she can get. 

“On-set I am known as the prank master!” she exclaims. “I’ve turned furniture around in their dressing rooms. I’ve toilet papered two dressing rooms, covered one in sticky notes, and I put caution tape everywhere. It’s really funny!” says Ferguson, laughing, explaining that it’s only one of the many reasons she loves working on the set with this cast and crew. “I love working with them. Everybody is just so nice, and everyone has a really different personality,” she says. 

Ferguson’s main focus right now is The Stanley Dynamic, but she hopes to expand her acting career in the near future. According to the young starlet, she knew she’d always end up on TV someday.

“When I was like three to five years old, I would watch TV, and I would always tell my mom, ‘That’s going to be me up there someday,’” she explains. “And my hopes and wishes all came true.”

If Ferguson weren’t acting, she imagines she would still be pursuing her dream of becoming a gymnast. 

“I used to be a professional tumbler,” she explains. Ferguson trained and competed at the provincial competitive tumbling level, and placed seventh in Ontario.

Ferguson, now in Grade 6, still manages to find time between school and work to enjoy being a regular kid. Much like her character Lori, who has a love for bugs, one of Ferguson’s interests lies with fish, as Ripley’s Aquarium is one of her favourite places to visit during her downtime in the city.

“I love visiting the CN Tower too. I just love those great, big places,” she says.

Prior to her recent break on The Stanley Dynamic, Ferguson had appeared in two independent Canadian feature films, Twisted Pieces and Berkshire County, earning her a Joey Award nomination for Best Actress in a Feature Film Age 5-11.

Now, a new Joey Award nomination will be presented to Ferguson for her work on The Stanley Dynamic for Best Actress in a TV Comedy/Action Age 10-15.

With her obvious sass and comedic charm, there’s no doubt we will be seeing more of Ferguson in the near future. Her next goal? “I’d love to play Adam Sandler’s daughter in a film, I think that would be so awesome,” she says. Catch her in season two of The Stanley Dynamic, which airs Mondays at 7 p.m. on YTV.

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