Auditioning for the lead role of Disney’s hit show “Hannah Montana” at 14 would be heady stuff for anyone.
But, even then, Cassandra “Cassie” Scerbo was cool and collected. In the end, Disney went with a younger unknown actress: Miley Cyrus.
“Everything happens for a reason,” says Scerbo, now 30. “A lot of good things have happened to me since then.”
Those good things include a lucrative acting career, a commitment to philanthropy and a recent documentary project.
Born on Long Island, Scerbo moved to Parkland at age 4, where her parents, John and Donna, still live. After six years of honing her singing, dancing and acting skills, Scerbo auditioned for a Burger King commercial in Miami, which she landed. Then, in 2006, she was selected as a member of the Slumber Party Girls band, followed by a stint on the CBS show “KOL Secret Slumber Party.”
But, before starting her junior year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Scerbo made a decision: To take her career to the next level, she needed to move to Los Angeles. So, she and Donna did so – and the roles came rolling in.
Now, her credits include ABC Family’s “Make it or Break it,” the “Sharknado” films, Syfy’s “Truth or Dare” and ABC’s “Grand Hotel.” She also creates and hosts the Two and a Half Girls podcast, and, in February, she starred alongside Rob Lowe on FOX’s “9-1-1.”
Scerbo’s secret to staying grounded is her tight-knit family and passion for philanthropy. At 25, she became vice-president of Boo2Bullying, a nonprofit seeking to end bullying through education.
“I was bullied pretty bad because I had this big dream, and I spent a couple of lunches in the bathroom stall eating alone,” she recalls.
Last year, Scerbo stepped behind the camera for a project that hits close to come. With her longtime friend and fellow actress Bailee Madison and her brother, Connor Madison, she created and produced “Code Red,” a documentary about the Parkland shooting and school safety policies. It’s slated to debut this spring on a streaming platform.
“The documentary is not political,” Scerbo says. “After the tragedy, we went back and forth with a lot of people in Parkland about what to do. It is what parents and students can do immediately to take control.” O