Young Kate from "This Is Us" sold Girl Scout cookies at the SAG Awards
Young actress Mackenzie Hancsicsak isn't letting stardom interfere with scouting. The 11-year-old, best known for her role as young Kate in "This Is Us," sold Girl Scout cookies at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night — because who doesn't love Girl Scout cookies.
The star has tweeted about being a proud Girl Scout in the past, sharing photos of her troop and her badges. Girl Scout cookie season perfectly aligned with awards season, so she devised a unique business plan.
Hancsicsak has been a Girl Scout for about three years and earned the "top seller" badge last year. She knew she had to excel again this year, and she came up with the plan to sell cookies at the SAG Awards all by herself, she told CBS News.
"I asked my mom if I could sell and she said I could bring some to the SAG Awards," Hancsicsak said.
Ahead of the awards show, Hancsicsak tweeted about her plan: "I'll be the one in a blue dress with Girl Scout thin mint cookies in my purse." She shared photos of herself getting ready for the big night. Thin Mints are her favorite, she said.
Once at the ceremony, Hancsicsak tweeted again that anyone who wanted cookies could find her at table 34. She and her co-star, Parker Bates, posed for a photograph with a box of Samoas.
Hancsicsak sold over 100 boxes at the awards alone, more than enough to earn her cookie-selling badge, the actress told CBS News. A few of her "This Is Us" cast mates and stars bought cookies during the awards show, but Hancsicsak didn't reveal the identities of the famous cookie lovers.
Not only did Hancsicsak sell some cookies at the ceremony, she also won an award with her cast mates for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series — proving you can do it all.
As for which is most fun — acting or being a Girl Scout — Hancsicsak said they're both fun for different reasons. "Acting, I get to be with different people at different ages. And at Girl Scouts, we're all the same age and we all help each other do different things and different activities," she said.
Girl Scouts has been easy to balance with her acting gig since the troop meetings are on the weekend, Hancsicsak said. And while she likes both activities equally, being a scout has taught the budding star several valuable lessons: "Treat customers with respect, be honest and fair. Have a plan, work together, manage money and achieve goals both personally and as a troop," she said.
