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Following news that Nickelodeon canceled Sam & Cat, co-star Ariana Grande posted a lengthy statement on her Facebook page on Sunday, in which she reflects on how her character on the Dan Schneider comedy has served as her shield and role model.
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“When I was younger, people loved Cat so much I used to pretend to be more like her. It took me a long time to be brave enough to separate myself and show people how different we actually are,” she wrote. “I think that’s honestly because I admire her so much. Her appreciation for life and everybody she encounters. Her passion and genuine excitement for the little things that most people dread like school projects and work. She always saw negative obstacles as opportunities to make things good.
“I will always hold Cat near and dear to my heart and appreciate her help in my personal growth from teenager to adult. I know she seems like a simple, daft character (and she is) but she played such a huge part in my life,” she continued, listing Cat’s optimism and fearlessness as her top personal traits. “One of my favorite things about Cat was that she never lost her sense of wonder. As we grow up we become more and more jaded and fearful of how we come across. We hold back a little more, protect ourselves a little more and although Cat goes through the same ridicule as anybody else does growing up, she never changed or lost her childlike wonder. … To me she is actually a lot smarter, stronger and braver than all the rest of us.”
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While she thanks the cast and crew at large, Grande never mentions her co-star Jennette McCurdy by name. Only her character, Sam, is mentioned briefly in an epilogue-like paragraph, in which she supposed that “Cat would constantly find herself reminding Aunt Sam to leave the butter sock and other dangerous weapons out of the house.”
McCurdy made headlines earlier this year when racy photos of the actress leaked on the web in March. The live-action comedy, a spinoff of Victorious and iCarly, was given a giant 40-episode season order last July after only four episodes, was put on a lengthy production hiatus in April. Following reported salary issues, McCurdy failed to appear at the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, where Sam & Cat took home the TV comedy prize, while Grande won TV comedy actress and Schneider was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
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Grande closed by thanking her fans: “Thank you for believing in me, accepting me and loving me. I love you forever.”
Meanwhile, McCurdy has stayed silent on social media, only posting a caption-less photo on Instagram and Twitter.
Read the full post below:
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