Kayden Muller-Janssen finds creative expression to be a fantastical gateway to possibility. “I enjoy creative expression because it allows me to express myself and my feelings in a way you would normally not get to communicate in daily life,” she says. “I think you can escape reality and indulge yourself in the world of imagination. It is also a way for me to show myself and others who I truly could be.” That transformative process is why acting appealed to her. “I decided to pursue acting because it always intrigued me how actors could take on a totally different character/persona than their own and make it believable to the audience. I wanted to be able to do that too.” You can currently see her starring as Hartley in The Villains of Valley View. “The Villains of Valley View is about a family of supervillains who get outcast from their villain world and seek refuge in the normal world. They live next door to Hartley and her grandmother, their landlord. Hartley, an eternal optimist, befriends Amy, (villain Havoc), a pessimist. After Hartley finds out that the family (Madden) are supervillains, she helps them keep their secret safe which lands them into situations where their friendship gets tested.”
Hartley’s positivity softens Amy’s skepticism. “I think Hartley is drawn to Amy because they are complete opposites, and opposites attract. Hartley also wants to show Amy how there are also people with good intentions in the world, how not everyone is out to get you, and how they can better the world instead of approaching it as evil.” Their dynamic may be unusual, but Kayden supports it. “Personally, I don’t find it surprising to see that Hartley and Amy get along, but it is definitely an unexpected duo to get in all these situations where they have to work together and help each other.” Hartley was thrown almost immediately into whirlwind supervillain chaos. “I think Hartley could have been slightly suspicious, as the Maddens were a bit strange and secretive from the get-go. It didn’t take long for Hartley to find out that Amy was a supervillain as Hartley was sent to a different dimension in the first episode; Amy was sent to rescue her and had to use her supervillain power.” Kayden’s dream power is as cool as it is practical. “If I were a villain, my superpower would be telekinetic power. I would have unlimited power because you can move anything with your mind, and you have the ability to fly since you can move yourself with your mind.”
Music is another passion of Kayden’s. She is proud of a pair of recent tracks. “My single ‘No Maybe’ is one of my favorite songs because it is the very first song I ever recorded in a studio. Both ‘Crave’ and ‘No Maybe’ come from a personal place in my life; they are about relationships in my teenage years and it helped me cope with my feelings and emotions.” Confidence has come over time. “I think with age, self-worth is something everyone eventually learns about but doesn’t always conquer. Growing up, I always really knew who I was, but there were others who tried to get in my head and made me insecure about the things that made me special. But with age, I learned to ignore those voices and found the things that made me happy and confident and my self-worth grew.” This burgeoning self-assurance has served her well throughout the seasons of relationships. “I am young and still have a lot of personal and emotional growth ahead, but I think with each relationship, I am learning how to navigate myself through the beginning, the middle, and the end of it without losing myself and without compromising myself.” She echoes similar advice for those who might need it. “My words of wisdom to others would be to be true to yourself no matter how difficult that is; to believe in yourself and avoid those who want to see you fail, to surround yourself with those who lift you up and never to compromise yourself for someone else.” Maintaining your own integrity will lead you to the best version of you.
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Kayden Muller-Janssen is BFFs with a Supervillian in “The Villains of Valley View.” Photo Credit: Tim Schaeffer. Hair: Matilde Campos. Makeup: Anton Khachaturian. Stylist: Honey Ayala.
