I want people to know that I won't just assume that people will like my music.
— Debby Ryan
Hi. My name is Debby, and I am a storyteller. I don't think of myself as an actress. I am more like a face that takes words on a page, and puts them in front of your eyes.
Have an anchor so that life doesn't toss you around.
Acting and the industry of making movies is beautiful, but it's so exhausting and such hard work; if you don't absolutely 100% want to do something, it defeats the purpose.
For me, shoe-wise, platforms give me the same height that I need, but they're not as taxing on my feet.
Every Thanksgiving, we all write down three things we're thankful for and put them in a hat. Then we pass the hat around the dinner table and everyone has to guess who wrote what!
I remember going to acting class, so certain that no one's ever going to know my name.
Natalie Portman never looks back, ever. Ever!
I'm introverted by nature, and I need to have some things of my own.
My brother plays guitar and base and writes. His name is Chase Ryan.
I think what's great about your community is that it's different than anyone else's. Look around. What do you want to change? What needs to be built, or what's valuable and needs to be maintained? Is it the people? Local animals? Your parks or gardens? Hospitals?
I didn't grow up in one place, so I never had a certain mentality. I have some aspects of growing up in Texas, but I also have a lot of East Coast family. I would have loved to grow up on the East Coast.
I work with kids, and I see certain things, so I realize now why my mother was so horrified and overprotective of everything that I watched.
The easiest way to not believe your own hype is to not know what people are saying about you.
I'm definitely careful. I'm not reckless or stupid, but that's how I was raised, to not be stupid or immature in as far as trying to grow up too quickly or putting forward a certain image that isn't me.
I'm not making music for people who like Disney shows. I make music for people who like music.
Think new thoughts. Grab life with both hands, take opportunities you have, & create the ones you need.
Music is such an intensely personal thing for me, and I knew if I was going to do it, it would be in my own way.
T.V. acting is a great skill to have, and it's nice to have that stability.
More than anything, acting helped me discover who I'm not. I've learned that I'm a girly girl, but not a prissy girl.
I think there's something charming about incorporating summer clothes into winter, like pairing a summery skirt with a massive sweater. I'm also really into layering during the winter!
I'm very practical and realistic.
Any mature, responsible adult doesn't run around stomping their feet and screaming 'I'm a mature, responsible, adult.'
I went to school on a military base in Germany. I got a lot of my clothes at the army surplus store.
I'm very, very low-key in general.
All of the awards, applause, Twitter followers, shoes, it will all go away eventually. But if I can leave the world slightly more hopeful, inspired, and more healed than when I arrived, I did my job.
When you're in an industry where you're forced to grow up so quickly, part of you never grows up, and that's a good thing.
Before the whole Disney realm had undergone this huge revamping, as a kid, I always saw myself doing these dramatic indie parts. And then I fell in love with doing comedy and doing kid shows and really working for kids.
I believe that people start to get into trouble when they start to believe their own hype.
I want in 40 years to still be acting and to more than anything have longevity and not just be this huge flash in the pan and then disappear.
I went through a few phases of finding myself: I dabbled in musical theater, chess club, dance troupe, splatter-painting, school mascot (go Wildcats), babysitter, photojournalist, drill team girl, emo kid - and not one of them defined me, but every single one will always play a part in who I am.
Don't be afraid of your own power.
I wouldn't do the music thing if it weren't for my brother, who's a producer. He understands me and helps my vision come to life.
I never wash my hair the night before an event - I call it second day hair, and it holds better.
My mom always makes the whole family pile into the car and drive around to look at the Christmas lights. My brother and I never want to do it, but my mom just loves it!
I'm definitely interested in making more music and uploading new covers; I like to take suggestions because it's more fun if people know the song.
Dweebs are the new chic.
With 'Suite Life,' I had three years to sit a little bit on the back burner and learn with less pressure.
I grew up moving around. I went to seven different schools, so I know what it's like to be that new girl and have to not only know who you are but also take that into foreign circumstances and know how to respond.
Look at what you want to change, gather a few people who believe in it like you do, and start moving forward. It's important to remember that you don't always need a destination. Sometimes, you just have to make forward motion. And you absolutely can.
I was raised to volunteer: nursing homes, clinics, church nurseries, school, everywhere that could use help. It's such an intrinsic part of me, to use my life to help improve the quality of others.
I'm different, and I'm not afraid to be different.
You can't force music; It just has to come to you.
I can look back at things I've done and said and worn and be completely humiliated by them, but I can never say it wasn't me. I feel really honored to say that.
