Activist, actress, dancer & singer, Alyson Stoner, 27, has taken her career to great lengths since her performance as Sarah Baker in Cheaper By The Dozen. Still, the 2003 film has a beautiful piece of nostalgia for everyone who fell in love with the Bakers and their big family unit. Knowing that, most of the cast joined forces last spring for a special TikTok collaboration that saw everyone get back into the characters for a good cause. The result was a viral video, tons of smiles, and a big chunk of change raised for No Kid Hungry at the height of the pandemic. “We wanted to do something meaningful and memorable, that brought people together during a time when we felt very isolated. We also were thinking, ‘How could we turn this into something that’s impact oriented, as well?'” Alyson explained in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife.com.
“We knew that it would go viral, because it’s amazing to see everyone this many years later… But, we wanted to make sure there was a cause behind it. We were thinking, if it’s our family wanting to say hello to you, what can we do to serve your family at home?” she continued. Recall in the video, Alyson donned her iconic green frog hat that her troublemaker character Sarah rocked throughout the film.
@alysonstoner Surprise! From the Baker family to yours. We are all in this together. 🤍💥 #JustAKid #OneCommunity #WeAreFamily
“Isn’t that incredible that I still had that?!” she gushed. “I don’t know what it is about that hat, but I think I’m going to have it forever.” Alyson explained that she “happened to be moving at that time” and found the hat in a “box full of home videos, of all things.” “Kevin Schmidt, who played Henry, reached out to do the video and I said, ‘No way. I have the frog hat, this is going to have to happen,'” she laughed.
The multi-hyphenate who has grown into a remarkable young woman since her Cheaper By The Dozen days spoke to HL as she prepares to launch a wellness platform, Movement Genius, which helps people reconnect their mind and body, reduce stress, and find confidence through movement, regardless of identity and ability.
“My passion for mind-body connection is what inspired Movement Genius, my company that I co-founded with my sister. We work with licensed somatic psychotherapists to create movement programs that specifically help people improve their mental and emotional health,” Alyson detailed. “You don’t have to show up and put on your workout cap and push yourself. It’s really, ‘How can we meet you where you are?’ No equipment needed, no high price tag, no barrier to entry — your natural ability, your natural language and movement, your mood, your energy level — bring it all and allow movement to help you process release and express whatever you might need in that moment.”
She added, “I sure hope that this empowers people the way we have witnessed it empowering our early users and testers and community members. It is really phenomenal to see the transformation and the lasting impact. For us, it’s about people having their personalized toolkit so, in any moment, they never have to feel alone or incompetent, or overwhelmed by the feelings and thoughts and sensations.”
Movement Genius will be revealing launch dates and more information on its Instagram, which you can follow here. In the meantime, Alyson has created numerous affirmation tracks to talk you through whatever you may need in this moment, which you can find here.