Polk County Actresses Sophia Bairley, Alana Locke Live Their Dream Sophia Bairley and Alana Locke have never met, but the Polk County girls are sisters of increasing stature in the celluloid sorority. Sophia, 13, a Winter Haven resident, recently completed filming on "The Poker House," playing Selma Blair's daughter in the feature film shot around Chicago. And Alana, 11, a Mulberry resident, is in the midst of shooting "In the Electric Mist," portraying Tommy Lee Jones' daughter in the Louisiana-based thriller. "This is definitely the biggest project I've done so far," said Sophia, who has acted in six previous movies. "My manager said this would be good for my career. ... That's how it works; once people start seeing your work, they'll start saying, 'Hmm, maybe I should audition her for this role.' It's a very good way to get out there and have other people recognize you."
While Sophia has steadily progressed during six years of professional acting, Alana has zoomed to prominence in just two years. "In the Electric Mist," her second feature film, could be a springboard to stardom - a prospect that causes some ambivalence for her parents.
"Her agents are saying this will probably be the movie that gets her out there," said Jon Locke, Alana's father. "This is what she wants, so she's really excited. We're still kind of worried, but Alana's like, 'Let's go to L.A.' She totally wants to move out there."
Alana, a home-schooled fifth-grader, last week completed her first segment of shooting in New Iberia, La. She returned to Mulberry for a short break and will rejoin the production later this month for another four weeks of filming.
"In the Electric Mist" is adapted from a book by James Lee Burke, best-selling author of detective novels set in New Iberia. Veteran French director Bertrand Tavernier ("Round Midnight") helms a cast including Ned Beatty, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard and Mary Steenburgen. Jones plays the lead as detective Dave Robicheaux, and Alana plays his daughter, Alafair.
Alana got her first major role last year in "One Missed Call," a not-yet-released thriller starring Edward Burns. She was called to New Orleans to meet with the casting director for "In the Electric Mist," and Jon Locke said the woman instantly liked Alana but worried she was "too Disney." The film company immediately sent the girl to Atlanta to work with an acting coach, Lisina Longo.
"A lot of kids who come out of Florida are so polished they're not real any more," Locke said. "They really needed Alana to be real, believable. So basically what Lisina did was de-programmed her and gave her techniques she can use to become this Alafair character, which works out good because Alana really is this type of Alafair character - tomboyish, playing in the mud, catching bugs and frogs."
Locke, who accompanied his daughter on location, took a photo of Alana sitting on the set with Jones, an A-list actor with 63 film credits since 1970.
"We were just talking," Alana said by phone from Louisiana. "He asked me where I live, and he told me he has property in Florida."
Alana's role includes a film within a film, a Civil War period piece in which she plays a Southern girl as "we're getting attacked by the Yankees."
In real life, Alana is a Yankee - a third baseman/outfielder for a Lakeland youth baseball team of that name. Her agent, fearing injury, forced her to miss three games this season, but during her break in filming, Alana played Saturday in her team's final game, against her agent's wishes.
Locke said the production, tentatively scheduled for a December release, has caused a sensation in New Iberia, a city of 32,000 given renown by Burke's novels.
"This is a big deal for this town," Locke said. "The Dave Robicheaux character is just huge here, so people are really getting into it, checking blogs and seeing who's playing who. People have been on (Web sites) and seen Alana's picture, and people are recognizing us. We were in a clothing store today, and these women were just hugging on us and giving her high-fives."
"The Poker House" may not be generating quite the same attention, but Sophia Bairley received star treatment during her 2 1/2 weeks in Illinois for the filming. She and her mother, Bettina Bairley, lodged in a swanky Chicago hotel overlooking Lincoln Park, with a distant view of Lake Michigan.
"Sophia said, 'I'm not used to being treated like that,'" Bettina Bairley said. "If it started to sprinkle, they put umbrellas up and covered her."
In "The Poker House," Sophia portrays Bee, the middle daughter of an abusive single mother played by Blair ("Hellboy," "Legally Blonde"). Bee, a "candyholic," copes by hiding in her room or straying from home, rising early to deliver newspapers and collect bottles she exchanges for cash with which to buy more candy.
"I'm friends with some bums who collect bottles as well," Sophia said of her character, "and I see them every morning, and they're my friends and I'm not scared of them. They're nice to me. ... There's one scene I had to pretty much stuff my face full of candy, and we did that scene a lot. I didn't get sick of it or anything. It was easy. I don't really eat a lot of candy, but I love candy."
The script called for Bee to be overweight, but rather than putting Sophia in a "fat suit," director Lori Petty had her wear multiple layers of clothing. The extra attire helped Sophia endure chilly weather and snow flurries.
Though Sophia plays Blair's daughter, they shared no scenes and never met, as Sophia departed before Blair arrived on loca-tion.
"The Poker House" is the feature directorial debut of Petty, an actress perhaps best known for playing Kit in the 1992 baseball movie "A League of Their Own."
"Lori was awesome," Sophia said. "She was real nice, and she's an actress, so we treated her like a fellow actress. She was really funny and friendly and really easygoing. She didn't get angry much. She was really nice to everybody, and she'll hang out with you. I really enjoyed working with her."
The film doesn't yet have a release date.
While Alana Locke is new to movies, Sophia has been working about half her life in the entertainment business. Bettina Bairley takes her daughter to Los Angeles twice a year for auditions, and during this spring's trip, Sophia was called to audition for "The Poker House." She was given an hour's notice to apply for Screen Actors Guild membership before flying to Chicago the next day.
The shooting marked the first time Sophia's father, Rick Bairley, had the chance to visit her on a film set. Sophia, a seventh-grader at Jewett Middle Academy, kept up with her schoolwork by e-mail while on location. She turned 13 April 4, in the midst of shooting the movie.
"They threw me a party," she said. "Well, not really a party, but I walked out of the trailer and they sang 'Happy Birthday,' and they had a cake and everybody was really nice about it, and they sent me flowers and a card. It was a good birthday."
Sophia worked last year on "Canvas," a South Florida-based drama starring Marcia Gay Harden and Joe Pantoliano. "Canvas" has shown at film festivals but has not yet found a distributor.
2008- In the Electric Mist
2008- One Missed Call
2008- Impressions
Sophia Bairley and Alana Locke have never met, but the Polk County girls are sisters of increasing stature in the celluloid sorority. Sophia, 13, a Winter Haven resident, recently completed filming on "The Poker House," playing Selma Blair's daughter in the feature film shot around Chicago. And Alana, 11, a Mulberry resident, is in the midst of shooting "In the Electric Mist," portraying Tommy Lee Jones' daughter in the Louisiana-based thriller. "This is definitely the biggest project I've done so far," said Sophia, who has acted in six previous movies. "My manager said this would be good for my career. ... That's how it works; once people start seeing your work, they'll start saying, 'Hmm, maybe I should audition her for this role.' It's a very good way to get out there and have other people recognize you."
While Sophia has steadily progressed during six years of professional acting, Alana has zoomed to prominence in just two years. "In the Electric Mist," her second feature film, could be a springboard to stardom - a prospect that causes some ambivalence for her parents.
"Her agents are saying this will probably be the movie that gets her out there," said Jon Locke, Alana's father. "This is what she wants, so she's really excited. We're still kind of worried, but Alana's like, 'Let's go to L.A.' She totally wants to move out there."
Alana, a home-schooled fifth-grader, last week completed her first segment of shooting in New Iberia, La. She returned to Mulberry for a short break and will rejoin the production later this month for another four weeks of filming.
"In the Electric Mist" is adapted from a book by James Lee Burke, best-selling author of detective novels set in New Iberia. Veteran French director Bertrand Tavernier ("Round Midnight") helms a cast including Ned Beatty, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard and Mary Steenburgen. Jones plays the lead as detective Dave Robicheaux, and Alana plays his daughter, Alafair.
Alana got her first major role last year in "One Missed Call," a not-yet-released thriller starring Edward Burns. She was called to New Orleans to meet with the casting director for "In the Electric Mist," and Jon Locke said the woman instantly liked Alana but worried she was "too Disney." The film company immediately sent the girl to Atlanta to work with an acting coach, Lisina Longo.
"A lot of kids who come out of Florida are so polished they're not real any more," Locke said. "They really needed Alana to be real, believable. So basically what Lisina did was de-programmed her and gave her techniques she can use to become this Alafair character, which works out good because Alana really is this type of Alafair character - tomboyish, playing in the mud, catching bugs and frogs."
Locke, who accompanied his daughter on location, took a photo of Alana sitting on the set with Jones, an A-list actor with 63 film credits since 1970.
"We were just talking," Alana said by phone from Louisiana. "He asked me where I live, and he told me he has property in Florida."
Alana's role includes a film within a film, a Civil War period piece in which she plays a Southern girl as "we're getting attacked by the Yankees."
In real life, Alana is a Yankee - a third baseman/outfielder for a Lakeland youth baseball team of that name. Her agent, fearing injury, forced her to miss three games this season, but during her break in filming, Alana played Saturday in her team's final game, against her agent's wishes.
Locke said the production, tentatively scheduled for a December release, has caused a sensation in New Iberia, a city of 32,000 given renown by Burke's novels.
"This is a big deal for this town," Locke said. "The Dave Robicheaux character is just huge here, so people are really getting into it, checking blogs and seeing who's playing who. People have been on (Web sites) and seen Alana's picture, and people are recognizing us. We were in a clothing store today, and these women were just hugging on us and giving her high-fives."
"The Poker House" may not be generating quite the same attention, but Sophia Bairley received star treatment during her 2 1/2 weeks in Illinois for the filming. She and her mother, Bettina Bairley, lodged in a swanky Chicago hotel overlooking Lincoln Park, with a distant view of Lake Michigan.
"Sophia said, 'I'm not used to being treated like that,'" Bettina Bairley said. "If it started to sprinkle, they put umbrellas up and covered her."
In "The Poker House," Sophia portrays Bee, the middle daughter of an abusive single mother played by Blair ("Hellboy," "Legally Blonde"). Bee, a "candyholic," copes by hiding in her room or straying from home, rising early to deliver newspapers and collect bottles she exchanges for cash with which to buy more candy.
"I'm friends with some bums who collect bottles as well," Sophia said of her character, "and I see them every morning, and they're my friends and I'm not scared of them. They're nice to me. ... There's one scene I had to pretty much stuff my face full of candy, and we did that scene a lot. I didn't get sick of it or anything. It was easy. I don't really eat a lot of candy, but I love candy."
The script called for Bee to be overweight, but rather than putting Sophia in a "fat suit," director Lori Petty had her wear multiple layers of clothing. The extra attire helped Sophia endure chilly weather and snow flurries.
Though Sophia plays Blair's daughter, they shared no scenes and never met, as Sophia departed before Blair arrived on loca-tion.
"The Poker House" is the feature directorial debut of Petty, an actress perhaps best known for playing Kit in the 1992 baseball movie "A League of Their Own."
"Lori was awesome," Sophia said. "She was real nice, and she's an actress, so we treated her like a fellow actress. She was really funny and friendly and really easygoing. She didn't get angry much. She was really nice to everybody, and she'll hang out with you. I really enjoyed working with her."
The film doesn't yet have a release date.
While Alana Locke is new to movies, Sophia has been working about half her life in the entertainment business. Bettina Bairley takes her daughter to Los Angeles twice a year for auditions, and during this spring's trip, Sophia was called to audition for "The Poker House." She was given an hour's notice to apply for Screen Actors Guild membership before flying to Chicago the next day.
The shooting marked the first time Sophia's father, Rick Bairley, had the chance to visit her on a film set. Sophia, a seventh-grader at Jewett Middle Academy, kept up with her schoolwork by e-mail while on location. She turned 13 April 4, in the midst of shooting the movie.
"They threw me a party," she said. "Well, not really a party, but I walked out of the trailer and they sang 'Happy Birthday,' and they had a cake and everybody was really nice about it, and they sent me flowers and a card. It was a good birthday."
Sophia worked last year on "Canvas," a South Florida-based drama starring Marcia Gay Harden and Joe Pantoliano. "Canvas" has shown at film festivals but has not yet found a distributor.