“My biggest goal is just being happy.” This is teen actor Annaka Fourneret. After a breakout role on the Apple TV+ comedy Loot, Annaka is establishing herself as Lynn Loud on Nickelodeon’s The Really Loud House. A down-to-earth actor who looks for fun and depth in her work and dreams of being the next Anya Taylor Joy, Annaka had a lot to say about her characters and where she’s hoping to take her work.
“I think that everyone has a different definition of success,” Annaka continued on her goals, “and I think that in the long run mine would just be to feel accomplished in my work and to get to experience a lot of different things whether that means traveling to different countries because of work or just getting to meet a lot of different people. Becoming more cultured through my work and through my job I think would be my main goal.”
Meeting a lot of people shouldn’t be too hard for Annaka, especially with her current project. Nickelodeon describes The Really Loud House as a “super loud family comedy” that tells the story of the Loud family which features Lincoln Loud (Wolfgang Schaeffer) and his 10 sisters. The ensemble cast has brought so many people into Annaka’s life to get close to and share memories with. “It really does feel like all of them are my siblings now which is really strange,” she said of her fellow Louds.
With so many people and stories to keep up with, the cast brings a lot of emotions to life on set. Exploring emotions is something Annaka prioritizes in her acting and the thing she loves most. “I think that it’s really healthy to realize that having negative emotions is OK and that you don’t have to suppress them…It’s better to say how you’re feeling and just let it all out.”
The Really Loud House is based on the Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, but Annaka sees them as very separate. She credits a lot of this to the extra dimension that comes with live-action acting and emotion. “When you are a human playing that character, it adds so many other layers because you can see their thoughts and you can see every little emotion that they’re feeling and we get to kind of expand our characters in ways that an animated show might not have just because of our choices as an actor.”
Growing up an only child—”just me and my mom and my cat!”—Annaka isn’t used to the family dynamic she’s part of on-screen, but she appreciates so much of it. “Everyone has their own story and everyone’s going through their own struggles. It’s a really supportive environment,” she said. “Everyone’s really there for each other…and in a lot of the episodes you can see that if one person is struggling, another sibling will step in and kind of try and help them and solve the problem with them and learn something about themselves in the process.”
This doesn’t mean the show or the family is lacking in chaotic moments, but at the end of the day, there is a cohesiveness to everything that happens on- and off-screen. “It’s the definition of chaotic,” Annaka said of the dynamic on set. “There’s so much going on at all times that you’re never really bored and we’re always having fun. And there’s always someone to talk to and always someone to kind of lean on if you need help with something. Everyone is really welcoming and supportive.”
Playing Lynn Loud has pushed Annaka to continue exploring her emotions and how to express them. One thing she noted is that Lynn is much more physical than her. “She shows her emotion through her physicality which I do not do, so just remembering to be more physical and to kind of feel emotions larger than I am.” The Loud House is full of big emotions and growth as each character comes of age in their own way.
The Really Loud House is Annaka’s current home, but she has even more goals to chase. An actor that wants to push the limits of everything she can do, she shared that she hopes to act in dramas, horror films, psychological thrillers, and other genres. “I’d really like to explore my emotional capability and just kind of run with it and see how that goes.”
Everything is an exploration. Annaka advises aspiring and auditioning actors that “the most important thing is to just have fun.” She’s seen people in the industry that aren’t having fun, and she wants creatives like her to prioritize having a good time. “I don’t think that it should be forced. I mean, I love this job so much and I love everybody I’ve met through it and I love all of the cast and crew and I’ve become very close with everyone, and so I think that if you’re not having fun, then it’s not worth it because it is a lot of hard work and time and dedication—a lot of making up homework as well—but I think that you know if you’re not having fun it’s not worth it.”
“I think that the most important thing is that you do your best and you’re gonna get better over time. Woof, when I watch my old auditions, I’m so embarrassed to my core, but I was having fun and that’s what matters. I was doing my best at the time. At least, I think I’ve gotten a lot better. Here’s to hoping. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If one scene doesn’t come out the way you wanted it to, it might just be the take they chose. You don’t have any control over what they do in post, and so you gotta just keep going. Eyes on the prize.”