Miranda Cosgrove may just be one of the most talented young actresses to appear on Nickelodeon. From a devious little sister in Drake and Josh to straight A sweetheart in iCarly, Cosgrove has truly nailed it and she has a knack for effectively portraying a wide range of characters and personalities. The 26-year-old has taken on many different television roles and has even appeared in big-screen blockbusters, such as Despicable Me. She is truly a talented actress and has a bright future ahead of her.
Cosgrove’s acting career began when she was just three years old when she was featured in various television commercials. She debuted on the big screen in 2003, in School Of Rock and later appeared in other television shows before landing one of her largest, and most memorable roles as Megan Parker, in Drake and Josh. The Nickelodeon show premiered in early 2004 and follows the everyday life, laughs and love that stepbrothers, Drake Parker and Josh Nichols experience, while in high school.
The two brothers get into a myriad of predicaments and many of them are a result of tricks and pranks that their sister, Megan pulls on them. The show documents the highs and lows of high school but also focuses on Drake and Josh’s relationship with their little sister. Cosgrove first appeared in the show when she was only 10 years old and continued to play the rambunctious pre-teen until she was well into her teens.
The show gained fame over the years and viewers can still watch the show and take a blast into the past, by watching on Hulu. Cosgrove enjoyed her time on ‘Drake and Josh’ and took hiatus for a few years before landing her role, as Carly Shay on ‘iCarly’. Carly could not be more different than Megan Parker. Unlike Parker, Shay is an absolute sweetheart, gets good grades, makes friends easily and stars in a web show. It’s kind of comical that she went from being playing a demon child in ‘Drake and Josh’ to a model student and well-rounded young woman, in ‘iCarly’.
This show focuses on the life of ordinary student Carly Shay and documents the web show she starts, with her best friends, Sam and Freddie. Carly is a sweet girl with a bright future ahead of her, and Cosgrove does an incredible job at portraying her. She truly captures her essence and her versatility as an actress truly shines throughout the series. The show ran from 2007 to 2012 and episodes can now be found on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime.
So what has Cosgrove been up to since debuting in her two starring roles?
According to the Sioux City Journal, “Since the end of ‘iCarly’, Cosgrove has [attended] college and is looking for a project that would be a bridge between child star and adult actress.” While ‘Drake and Josh only ran for a couple of seasons, ‘iCarly’ remained on the air for 5 years. Cosgrove resonates with Carly, and states that “In some ways, I wonder if I’d never done anything, would I be seen in a different way? I played Carly for so long, it’s hard for some people to think of me as someone else.” iCarly was one of the first shows to discuss online content production in addition to social media. The show truly blossomed over the years and illustrates a teen and her friends “dealing with the effects of new media stardom.”
Since playing the role of Carly Shay, Cosgrove has appeared in films such as Despicable Me, where she played the oldest sister in a trio of orphans and gets adopted by an evil genius and becomes a part of his schemes. She appears, although portraying an animated character, in the movie and its sequels.
Outside of acting, Cosgrove majored in film in college and hopes to one day write and act out her own material. Though much of her life has been centered around acting, Cosgrove has remained a sweet girl with a bright future ahead of her. She spent much of her childhood on film and according to USA Today, “I grew up making [‘Drake and Josh’ and ‘iCarly’]. I spent my whole childhood there. We knew it would be sad no matter when we stopped doing it. We would have done it forever, but we wanted to go out and not do too many episodes. It ended at a good time.”
Cosgrove sure has made an impact on the big screen but she is also affecting others off-screen. She is a role model for many aspiring actors and inspires others to pursue their dreams. She is a talented actress and a charming young woman. She is authentic in her roles and her personality shines through each opportunity she is presented to. According to one of her songs, Cosgrove claims, “I know you see, somehow the world will change for me and be so wonderful.”
And so it has.