Miranda Cosgrove Reflects on Drake and Josh

I have so many questions. Should we start at the beginning? A very good place to start. We should. I'm so curious about the beginning. Just obviously I know how you guys met, but were you guys friends? Like how, like take us back. What is it? 20 years, 20 years. That's scary. 20. I'm 30. I met you when I was eight. Yeah. Wow. Whoa. That's so, wait, how old were you? 14, 14. God, that's so crazy. Um, I remember meeting you for the first time because I watched the Amanda show constantly when I was little. And usually when I auditioned for things, I didn't know what it was or any of the people in it. And when I found out I was auditioning for Drake and Josh and I, I was so excited. And then I came in for the, one of the final auditions and I remember I got to do the scenes with you. And I think you said you did the little girl in the, in the audition. Like that was one of the first times I think you ever said that. Really? I'm pretty sure. I think that I have that memory in my head. Do that. What, how was your, our first, like, what was your first impression of me? Was I nice? You were very nice. I remember thinking, I remember I was in the car afterward. My mom was like, how do you think it went? And I was like, well, cause all I care about was going back to school and being able to tell them that I met you guys. So I was like, well, it doesn't matter now. Like it didn't matter to me if I got the part even back then. I was just like, I made it. I met them. So I get to tell everybody. And do you, so how soon after that, do you remember like getting the call that you got the show? I think it was maybe just a few days after something like that, because I went in probably five times before I met you and I got the part, so yeah. I remember going into reading with you and, and this is sort of always been, I don't know how you are with this, but it's always been my sort of mission is that I've spent 95% of my life on the other side in that audition where I'm the one sort of singing for my soup and, you know, hoping for the role. And so those rare times where you do have the part and you're going in for a chemistry test, I'm like, what can I do to make you win and comfortable and just feel, cause you know, 90% of auditions are, you go and do something you've been preparing for three months and they go, thank you. And then you never hear anything ever again. And you go, do you validate? And they go, no, you're like, oh, so I have to pay to be here. I have to pay to be embarrassed. That definitely is how they normally go. It's terrible. It is. What was, you know, I feel like over the five years of Drake and Josh, like we, there were so many like great memories and so many great interactions. And then also like, it did feel like at times I always wanted to know what your experience was like, like, because you know, there was sometimes we did, there was a, it doesn't feel like there's a big gap in our age now, but then certainly it felt like, you know, we were in high school and you were some, you know, I was so glad that you were kind of separated from us just being like knucklehead, you know, 16 year olds sometimes. Right. I remember when I was in, uh, when I was doing schooling at first, you guys were with me and then within six months, you both were no longer, I don't, I don't remember if it was because you graduated or if it was because we went to some guy's weird ass high school, which was an apartment in Silver Lake, took a GED test and for 500 bucks, we had our high school diplomas. I was like, is this kosher? He's like, until someone asks. Oh my God. I kept saying to my mom, where did Drake and Josh go? That's so good. Kevin, the teacher, you remember Kevin? Kevin Mall. I remember him. Kevin Mall. He used to make me raise my hand. I was the only one when you guys left in the classroom, they made you raise your hand and you were the only one in the classroom. He said he was preparing me if I ever had to go back to regular school. You're like, I'm very famous, Kevin. I'm never going back. That's wild. What Ben does the whole, um, set schooling thing. Interest you as someone who's gone to very classic schools your whole life. I was going to say as a, as a Jewish private school goer, I don't know if you know this, Josh, my middle school had seven people in it, seven. So it essentially was the same thing. Not for all three grades. No, no, no. Uh, yeah. From sixth, seventh and eighth was seven people. Seven in each grade, one grade, seven people. The guy, the full, the full middle school was about 25 people. Tiny, tiny, tiny. How did that sustain? It didn't, they're bankrupt and gone. And, and, and my parents paid for private school education. That was definitely not good education. Um, what if you didn't like any of the six other people? What did you, what did you do? I would have told them and I would have probably transferred, but I did like them. Thank God. And it was like super fun, but like, I guess I kind of did have, it's not the same thing, but it was a very, very small school. And, uh, as long as you liked your teachers, did you like your teacher or were there multiple teachers or it was one teacher that taught all classes? I am curious on that or like all subjects. Um, when I got older, when I was in high school, I had four or five different teachers, but when I was younger, just Kevin, me and Kevin, he was nice, but the hand raise was a little strange. And so it was homeschooling from kindergarten through high school, but then you went to college, right? Well, I went to elementary school, just a regular public school until fifth grade. That's why I was excited when I auditioned for Drake and Josh. Cause all the kids in my public school watched the Amanda show. So when I went back, I got to tell them all I'm I'm on the show. And then I would go back to regular school in between filming Drake and Josh. So I'd go back for a few months when we were done filming a season. And it was crazy. I remember when Drake and Josh came out, I wasn't that popular in elementary school at all. Like I had a few friends that were my best friends, but when I came back, I remember going to recess and all the kids at recess were like running up to me and going crazy because they were all watching the show. It was crazy. That's crazy. Did, was there a moment like that with the kids at recess where it clicked in your mind of like, Oh, I might not be able to go back. Like my life is Miranda. Just the normal good girl from Downey, California, the daughter of a dry cleaner. Like, did you feel that, that shift? Um, in elementary school, I just remember thinking, wow, I'm popular. All of a sudden, I don't think I was thinking about it too much. And I remember like the kid that I had a crush on who didn't know I existed all of a sudden talked to me. Like it was, I think I just thought things were coming up roses in fifth grade, but probably later on when I got older, maybe I had that realization, but I was pretty much living it up. In my last year of Drake and Josh, I was probably a little bit, um, sewing my wild oats as they say, just sort of, uh, you know, partying a bit and just kind of, I don't know, I was like 19 and just being like a knucklehead 19 year old. Were you like aware of that at all? Um, from my perspective, I just thought that you guys were cool and we're living it up and I was trying, I was trying to get around you both as much as possible. What does that mean? Oh, like just hang out around. Yeah. Like I just thought you were really cool. We were. Oh man. And I mean, you had a license, you could drive. I think on the last season of Drake and Josh, I was 12. So you had it all. You were 12. You have it all. That's so crazy. But I remember when you guys got your license, like all the good stuff was happening for you guys. And I was too little. Was there ever that like, cause I feel like I've always, whether you liked it or not taken that like older brother role for you. Like, just like I said, like little pump, let's, let's, let's fight. Like there's two and a half million for pump too. There's two and a half million. Was there ever like the, that, you know, Josh, don't be my big brother in this moment. Like I want to be, you know, a little wild and a teenager and have my moment. Or was it just like, or did, did you not mind that I was a little protected? No, not at all. I did not mind. Cause I'm only child. So I love like the feeling of having a brother. I've always wanted a sibling my entire life. So me too. I know it is giant by yourself. It sucks. Josh, you're going to kill me for asking, but we need a Megan. Who, who, the people need a Megan. Did people ever ask you to say it? Come up to you and ask you to say it. People ask me to say, um, to record myself calling them boobs a lot. Yeah, that happens a lot. I'm getting Megan and you're getting boo. Yes. You have the better deal. Random people come up to me in target and they're like, Hey, can you, can I video you calling me a boob? You're a boob. Sure. I'm buying toothpaste. What are we talking about?