Meet actress Olivia Sanabia, star of Amazon Original ‘Just Add Magic’

Olivia Sanabia

Meet Olivia Sanabia, a 13-year-old actor starring as Kelly Quinn in “Just Add Magic“ on Amazon, a TV show loosely based off a book of the same name by Cindy Callaghan. Sanabia grew up in musical theater, yet her passion for acting clicked when watching the movie “Ramona and Beezus.” 

“That movie allowed me to see a young girl who was my age on the big screen. I realized that was something I really wanted to do and something I love,” Sanabia said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“Just Add Magic” circles around a magical cookbook discovered in the attic. Three best friends Kelly Quinn (Olivia Sanabia), Darbie (Abby Donnelly) and Hannah (Aubrey Miller) experiment with the book and its recipes. They discover that each recipe has certain mystical effects on the consumer.

“Kelly and I both love to bake. She’s a little better at it than I am for sure, but we both really enjoy it,” said Sanabia. “I think the cool thing about playing this character is that it got me more into baking and I really love it.”

The cast of “Just Add Magic.”

Season two of “Just Add Magic” will premiere in January 2017. In the meantime, fans can watch the Halloween episode special that aired Oct. 14.

“I really hope the fans enjoy [season two] because it’s ten times the mystery and magic of the first season. It’s really exciting and you see more of an emotional journey, and I think that was really something that was special and challenging,” said Sanabia.

Sanabia works with the charity Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a non-profit organization that raises funds for research to develop treatments for children battling cancer.

“If I [could] create my own recipe, I would create cancer-curing cake pops. I just think that if I could give those Cake pops to people in need it would be amazing,” said Sanabia. “Unfortunately magic isn’t real so I’m going to do what I can to help Cookies for Kids’ Cancer to hopefully find a cure.”

Along with her acting career, Sanabia also pursues singing and songwriting in her free time and uploads covers to her YouTube Channel (@Olivia Sanabia).

“What motivates me is knowing that [my career] really could stop at any second. Every day is just a blessing. My faith motivates me. It reminds me to stay humble and to treat people with respect and do my best at everything,” Sanabia said.

Watch season 2 of “Just Add Magic“ on Amazon in January 2017.