LazyTown fans will best remember Chloe Lang as the pink-haired, optimistic Stephanie Splitz, often teaming up with Sportacus (show creator Magnus Scheving) on the popular TV series.
However, with a new hairdo and an eye to the future, the 21-year-old college graduate is now worlds away from her character on the Iceland-based television show.
Sitting down to speak exclusively with Express.co.uk, the budding star spoke about her time on the show – and what she plans to do now.
Remembering her time on LazyTown, which was formerly owned by Nickelodeon before being taken over by Warner Bros, Chloe revealed that moving to Iceland was a “hard” choice for her family to make.
In 2013, Chloe and her mum made the life-changing decision to move to the Nordic European country after the 10-year-old actress landed a leading role on the children’s show.
On uprooting her life to move to Iceland
“I can’t thank my family enough,” Chloe reflected. “Only my mum and I moved there and my dad stayed home because I have siblings as well.
“So the rest of my family stayed back and it was all hands on deck. It was a hard decision for my mum at the time. But me being so young, I was like. ‘Yeah, let’s go!’ It was very exciting.”
The move turned out to be an excellent decision, as Stephanie ended up loving Iceland and being a part of the show.
“I keep in touch with so many people,” she revealed. “We were like a family. I try and go back to Iceland every summer because of everyone I want to see but also because it’s so beautiful – I can never get enough of it.”
Chloe went on to fondly recall show creator Magnus and the incredible environment he created for the cast and crew.
“He really was very inspiring,” she beamed. “LazyTown was his baby. It was his creation and he was very particular and passionate about how he wanted things to be executed.
“Being around that every day – the energy he put behind all of his ideas; all the costumes, all the set, the designs, the props – everything was just out of this world.”
On adapting to a different way of schooling
Chloe didn’t have the most traditional school experience, learning from an on-set tutor who would catch her between takes for some study time – and sometimes even involving the whole cast in her science projects.
“I remember the cast being very supportive and getting involved,” she remembered fondly.
“I made a model volcano for science class and everyone came out to cheer me on when it erupted. We also did an egg drop contest where everyone got in pairs and participated.”
Despite her unconventional few years of education, Chloe revealed that she was able to slot back into her regular life at school without too much fuss.
“I wouldn’t say it was necessarily easy, but I don’t remember it being a major challenge at the time,” she considered.
“I got a lot of comments about me being a “movie star” and the “girl from LazyTown”, but I just brushed them off and told them, ‘I’m just a normal girl, I’m like you guys.’
“And that’s basically how I was treated from then on out. So I had a very normal middle school and high school experience – and I’m grateful for that.”
On avoiding the dangers that come with child stardom
Given the shocking stories from child stars over the years – with the likes of iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy, Camp Rock’s Alyson Stoner and Disney’s Cole Sprouse all speaking out against the treatment of child actors – it seems incredible that Chloe could have avoided the darker side of the industry.
“Being older and hearing all the horror stories about how bad it can be… I’m just 10 times more grateful that I had the experience that I did,” she admitted.
However, Chloe also thinks there is one big reason behind why her time in the spotlight was better than most: Iceland.
“I was just thinking, how lucky am I that it just so happened to be filmed in Iceland,” she reflected.
“Everyone was pretty much Icelandic besides a handful of us. I think if I were to film that show in LA or anywhere else in the States, really, it wouldn’t have been the same.”
Discussing the experiences of other young actors, she continued: “I’m just so grateful that I look back on the experience and it’s all positive. Because it was hard work – I’m not saying that I didn’t work hard – but I loved it.
“And I was treated like a princess,” she admitted. “I was fortunate enough to not have that very toxic environment, but rather these people that are so much older than me.
“Because I was the only kid on set, I think they were so much more aware of that and they kind of catered to me in that sense, so I had a lot of support.
“And just Iceland in general… For me and my mom – not being from there and living by ourselves – we had tons of friends, so much support and a lot of fun. I’m so grateful for all of it.”
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On becoming an overnight TikTok sensation
Years later during lockdown, when it seemed the character of Stephanie was long behind her, Chloe unexpectedly reconnected with her past self.
The star, who has built up nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, decided to start a TikTok. She instantly went viral.
“You know how TikTok is – it happened overnight,” Chloe explained. “I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
In one of her first TikToks, Chloe thought it would be fun to bring out her old Stephanie costume from LazyTown, including the bubblegum pink wig, but could never have anticipated such a huge reaction.
“I thought I would get a few more views – like maybe 200?” she admitted. “But not millions. It was very unexpected!”
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