Disney kicked off the acting careers of Zendaya and Cole Sprouse; however, one Disney star has taken an entirely new approach to her life after leaving the movie star limelight.
Bridgit Mendler, 32, has a résumé that seems impossible to accomplish in one lifetime. According to the MIT Media Lab, Bridgit has partaken in acting, singing, being a PhD student at MIT with “a focus on technologies that support inclusive and collaborative governance and citizen engagement,” and being an artist ambassador for Save the Children, an international NGO.
She is also the CEO of Northwood Space, a corporation she co-founded with Griffin Cleverly and Shaurya in 2023, as well as a Harvard Law School graduate. The list continues including being an entrepreneur, mother, wife, and a nominee for 22 awards.
Mendler attended University of Southern California from 2012 to 2016, but ended up dropping out. However, this did not seem to effect her success.
Mendler married Griffin Cleverly in Oct. 2019 and began fostering a child in 2021, adopting him around Christmas of 2022, according to People.
During her Disney years, she was most famous for being in “Good Luck Charlie,” lasting from 2010 to 2014, and “Lemonade Mouth,” made in 2011. She has appeared on screen multiple other times including “Undateable,” “Merry Happy Whatever,” “The Clique,” and guest starring in “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Claire Young, a sophomore at Middleburry College from New York City, quickly grew a deep appreciation for Mendler during her childhood.
“I wasn’t really allowed to watch Disney when I was younger, so I only watched Disney that was on Netflix and ‘Good Luck Charlie’ was one of them,” she said. “I just liked her vibe, she just seemed like a good person and I really liked the show. I also LOVE ‘Lemonade Mouth’,” she said. “I just could kind of tell from a younger age that she just seemed like a person I want to support, and she has proved me right.”
Even with her extensive list of career, Bridgit has kept in contact with the casts of her past movies and shows. According to People, she celebrated her engagement with the “Good Luck Charlie” cast. One of her bridesmaids in her wedding was Naomi Scott who co-starred with Mendler in “Lemonade Mouth.”
Another favorite from Mendler is her song “Hurricane,” released in her 2012 album titled “Hello My Name Is…”. As Middleburry Sophomore Ellie Dripps puts it, the song made a “resurgence.”
Mendler has been floating around social media recently being praised for her accomplishment.
Sophomore Maya Vulakh has recently seen Mendler on her social media feed due to the recent election.
“I’ve seen ‘Bridgit Mendler for president’ a lot because of the recently election and some anger towards that election and using her as as this amazing person could be the president. I lowkey agree,” she said.
Bridgit has become the top of a high standard of perfection that many young teenagers hope to achieve one day. Her good example is the perfect goal to look up to.
“I think she is a really good role model to a lot of younger kids and she kind of just shows that if you really want to do something and put a lot of effort into it you get a reward out of that,” Maya said.
Claire agrees and adds she is branching away from a Disney actor stereotype.
“I think her accomplishments are very inspiring,” she said. “It just shows that there’s a very strict path that a lot of Disney actors have taken, like drugs and alcohol,” she said.
Claire appreciates the way Mendler was able to break away from this stereotype.
“She took initiative of her life and kind of broke that mold of that time and just really put in the effort to pursue other careers and do things that are interesting to her and changing up her path even though she had a career path set up for her,” she said. “Being able to take that initiative and change her career path after she established one already is very inspiring.”
Claire adds, “she hasn’t pulled a Miley Cyrus or a Lindsay Lohan, respectfully.”
Both Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan have been bashed online for falling a victim to drug and alcohol use. According to students who spoke to The Willistonian, they are not hated rather seen as following that “typical” Disney actor path. Cyrus now has a successful career in music, Lohan in acting, but are still viewed much differently than someone like Mendler.
Maya notes that Ariana Grande, a past Disney actress, “has had a very successful music career” and was recently in the Broadway production brought to cinema, “Wicked”. According to MARCA, her net worth is now $230 million. However, Maya adds, that no past Disney actors, that she is aware of have had “Bridgit’s type of success.”
Ellie feels Mendler really did branch away from the common Disney path and that she helps the “younger generations to realize that you’re not predestined to have only one career; the options are limitless.”
