Most of Us Only Dream of Being Claudia Kishi. Momona Tamada Actually Got to Be Her. (2024)

Everyone who reads the Baby-Sitters Club wants to be Claudia Kishi. She’s a super cool and creative artist, has her own phone line in her room, and rocks a funky sense of style with a wardrobe that would rival any magazine’s fashion closet. But Momona Tamada, a 13-year-old actress and dancer from Vancouver, is the lucky one who actually got to be Claudia, playing her onscreen in Netflix’s adaptation of the famed book series. “Claudia really is just very free,” Tamada says of the BSC Vice President. “She does whatever she wants and doesn't care about what other people think.”

Tamada says when she first discovered the book series in grade school, she felt like more of a Mary Anne—the shy, bookish club secretary—but playing the role of Claudia emboldened her confidence. “I don’t really identify as a Mary Anne anymore because I’m not as shy and I think [playing] Claudia influenced a lot of that,” she says. “I would have never imagined myself being able to portray Claudia, but now I am.” And seeing Tamada's interpretation of the iconic character onscreen will likely inspire viewers to find their inner Claudia, too.

Here, Tamada talks about how her character bucks stereotypes, how young people can and should fight for change, and Claudia’s fantastic fits (yes, she got to keep some of the clothes!).

On getting cast

“I got into the industry two years ago, when I was 11, by auditioning for an agency. I started by going to dance auditions, but then they started sending me to acting auditions, too. In dance, you express yourself through your movement. Acting is very different, but it came natural to me because I’ve always been into expressing my emotions in different ways—that’s why I fell in love with acting right away.

“When I got an email saying I was going to be auditioning for the Baby-Sitters Club reboot, I was super excited because I’d read the books. It was a video audition and I felt really good about it. Then I got a call back; it was over Skype with some of the creators of the show. Shortly after that, I was flown to Los Angeles to read with a bunch of other girls who were reading for different characters.

“We felt an instant connection; even before we went into the room together to audition, we were all talking to each other and running lines. At the end, they told us they messed up our tape and we had to do it again. So we went back in and after we finished doing our retake they were like, ‘Oh, here's one last thing to tell you guys, you're the cast of the Baby-Sitter's Club.’ And all of us just froze and screamed. I remember Xochitl [Gomez, who plays Dawn Schafer], the first thing she said was, 'We're going to Canada,' and that's something I will never ever forget.”

On bonding with the cast

“These girls are, like, my best friends on screen and off screen, which is so incredible. [During filming], we were always hanging out with each other; we would work Monday to Friday, and then hang out with each other on weekends. Now, we still have a group chat going, and we're always, always, talking on it. We're always FaceTiming each other too, and finding fun new ways to communicate.

“If there are good reviews, or cute fan edits, we send them to each other. All of us are just trying to believe that this is real. We're always talking about that; on set, we'd be like, ‘Wow, this is actually happening. This is really crazy.’ Now that the show is out, it's starting to feel more real, but it still feels like a huge dream.”

Most of Us Only Dream of Being Claudia Kishi. Momona Tamada Actually Got to Be Her. (1)

Momona Tamada, a 13-year-old actress from Vancouver, plays Claudia Kishi in Netflix’s Baby-Sitters Club.

On playing Claudia Kishi

“She is a huge inspiration to me because she broke a lot of stereotypes with Asian characters. A lot of people are probably not good at school and they felt like they didn’t fit in because they didn’t fit that certain stereotype. Claudia breaking that was something a lot of people loved because they heard and saw themselves in her story.

“It’s so cool to see and hear how people connect to Claudia. She really is a huge part of people’s lives and I don’t think I recognized when I was reading the books how much she impacted people’s childhoods. They have so much love for her and basically grew up with her.”

On dressing the part

“Every fitting was so much fun. [Costume Designer] Cynthia Summers, she's incredible and makes things a blast. It almost didn't even feel like three hours, the fitting went by so fast.

“Claudia's style has influenced my style a lot. Before, I didn't really wear anything all that exciting, just kind of normal casual clothes. But throughout shooting, I saw myself looking at new pieces and she inspired me to go to thrift shops. I didn't love thrift shopping before, but during shooting, I fell in love with it because I noticed it's better for the environment, it's much cheaper, and it showed me that you don't have to spend, like, thousands of dollars on clothes when you can find everything second-hand. You just have to really think out of the box to put outfits together. A lot of the pieces you find are one of a kind.”

Most of Us Only Dream of Being Claudia Kishi. Momona Tamada Actually Got to Be Her. (2)

Tamada says she loves hearing from fans who love her character: "It’s so cool to see and hear how people connect to Claudia."

On protesting onscreen

“I think it’s so cool [how the first season ends with Claudia and Dawn staging a rally against inequality at their summer camp]. Obviously it's not as big as the protests we're seeing now, but I like that the episodes show younger generations that your age doesn’t really matter—you have a voice and you should really think about using it. I feel like kids have so many strong, important ideas and so much potential. Showing what kids can do in those episodes sets a great example.”

On playing a young Lara Jean in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

“I loved the first movie—it was one of my favorites—so working on P.S. I Still Love You was just so…I still can't even put into words how incredible the experience was. I looked up to Lana Condor a lot, even before I auditioned for the role. Meeting her was super inspiring to me.”

On her future

“I am hopeful for a season 2 for The Baby-Sitters Club, of course. It's hard to tell the future, especially in this industry, because there's so much stuff going on. But I'm so excited to, hopefully, continue my career in acting because I love it so much. And I'm always up for a challenge, so I'd love to like venture out in different genres of acting. Something I haven't done before would be lots of fun.”

Most of Us Only Dream of Being Claudia Kishi. Momona Tamada Actually Got to Be Her. (2024)

FAQs

Who is Claudia in The Baby-Sitters Club in real life? ›

Momona Tamada is a Canadian actress born to Japanese immigrant parents in her hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

What is Claudia Kishi's personality in The Baby-Sitters Club? ›

She is not a morning person and likes to sleep late. Claudia is generally grumpy at the beginning of the week and must buy her own clothes. To her, the most ordinary thing can be an object of art. She thinks that school is competitive and that nobody really cares about art in Stacey's Movie.

What race is Claudia from The Baby-Sitters Club? ›

Author Ann M. Martin had no master plan when she decided to make one of the core members of “The Baby-Sitters Club” a Japanese American girl named Claudia. Claudia Kishi happened to be everything the “model minority” stereotype wasn't. She got bad grades.

How old was Momona Tamada during Babysitters Club? ›

Momona Tamada as Claudia Kishi

Like most of the other girls in The Baby-Sitters Club, Claudia Kishi is supposed to be around 13 years old. In real life, Momona Tamada, who plays her, is 15. Again, it's not a stretch.

What is The Baby-Sitters Club based on? ›

The Baby-Sitters Club is an American comedy-drama television series created by Rachel Shukert, based on the children's novel series of the same name by Ann M. Martin.

Is Kristy from The Baby-Sitters Club LGBTQ? ›

“Well, obviously, Kristy's a lesbian,” another BSC fan wrote on The Hairpin in an article speculating where the club members would be now. “She and her partner, Tori, started up a gay softball league when they moved to Baltimore in 1999, which Kristy coaches. Reminds her of her old days with The Krushers!

Does Janine from Baby-Sitters Club have autism? ›

The series has also been better about understanding and depicting neurodivergence, something the original book series did not excel at. Janine Kishi has been read by many as being an autistic character, and it is very rare to see women of color written that way, with the time taken to explore their own emotions.

Is Bailey from Baby-Sitters Club a boy? ›

Bailey Delvecchio (portrayed by Kai Shappley) is a six-year-old trans girl in the The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix series).

Is Mary Anne Black in Baby-Sitters Club? ›

The Baby-Sitters Club (web series)

Mary Anne is portrayed by actress Malia Baker. This is the first time Mary Anne is portrayed as half African-American. She is also given glasses. This series adapts the first several books directly, so her hair is still long and often in braids.

What happened with Claudia and Trevor? ›

He was involved in Alan Gray's scheme in Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls trying to ask her out. Trevor used to date Claudia; she used to giggle about him and seemed to like the idea of him more than she liked Trevor himself. By Kristy's Big Day, he and Claudia have broken up.

Who is Claudia Kishi's sister? ›

Janine Kishi is Claudia Kishi's older sister and a member of the Kishi Family. Her parents are John and Rioko Kishi, and her grandmother was Mimi Yamamoto.

How tall is Momona Tamada in 2024? ›

Performer Profile
Height5' 1½" (1.56m)
Age-playing range *Performs ages 14 – 18
Ethnic Appearance *Asian
Additional guilds *ACTRA | SAG-AFTRA | UBCP

What grade is Kristy in Babysitters Club? ›

Kristy is the founder and president of the Baby-sitters Club and one of the four original members. She starts the series in seventh grade until Logan Likes Mary Anne! when she and the members her age move to eighth grade at Stoneybrook Middle School; this is where she remains for the rest of the series.

How old was Luca in Babysitters Club? ›

Actor Christian Oliver, who played 17 year old Luca, was actually 23 at the time of the film's release in 1995. Luca, who is from Switzerland, says "tschüss" to Stacey's mom when leaving the house.

Is Bailey from The Baby-Sitters Club a boy or a girl? ›

That's what is at the core of Episode 4, “Mary Anne Saves the Day,” which centers around the story of quiet people-pleaser Mary Anne discovering that her newest sitting client named Bailey is a young transgender girl.

Who is Claudia's sister in Baby-Sitters Club? ›

Janine Kishi is Claudia Kishi's older sister and a member of the Kishi Family. Her parents are John and Rioko Kishi, and her grandmother was Mimi Yamamoto. She is fifteen years old and is a student at Stoneybrook High School (SHS).

Who is the author of The Baby-Sitters Club Claudia and the New Girl? ›

Who is Kristy's mom in The Baby-Sitters Club? ›

Who is Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer? Kristy's mother, who in the books has three sons in addition to Kristy, and who marries Watson Brewer. Elizabeth was played by Brooke Adams in the 1995 film of the same name.

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