Before it came to an abrupt end thanks to an unplanned pregnancy back in 2008, Zoey 101 was a beloved TV series for many teens across the country. While things on-screen at Pacific Coast Academy may have looked dreamy, behind the scenes, it was anything but for some of the young female actors on the show.
Earlier this week, Alexa Nikolas – who played the role of Nicole Bristow – appeared on Real Pod to discuss her time spent working on the series, revealing that when she was just 12 years old, creator Dan Schneider would sit in on her costume fittings with nothing more than a curtain separating them.
"Whenever I had wardrobe fittings, [Schneider] always had to be in them," the actress recalled on Wednesday (October 26). "Thank God there was a curtain, but he was literally [sitting] on [a] chair right outside of the curtain."
Nikolas' character wore plenty of "very short skirts" on camera, which she took note of over the years.
"[It was] to the point where he would sit in the chair, and I would come out and do a little spin. [Schneider] would look at the wardrobe artist and say, ‘Can I have the Polaroids?'" she alleged.
Though the TV creator didn't immediately return a request for comment from Page Six, his press rep shared a statement from former Nickelodeon president of content and production Russell Hicks which says, "Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families, unfortunately, did not."
"He was the shoulder they cried on when something happened to them. He understood what they were going through. Dan was like the great high school counsellor you could always turn to for help and guidance. And he was their biggest champion."
Hicks went on to say that the network itself, "has a talent management department that is keeping tabs on everything that is happening and going to every event these kids go to."
He added, "Every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved by executives at Nickelodeon."
Nikolas noted that, initially, she didn't think anything of her relationship with Schnieder, but when she began working on other projects like Mad Men, she realized it wasn't customary for the creator to sit in on fittings.
Check out the full episode of Real Pod below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.
[Via]