A young Georgia actress who appears in the Clint Eastwood-directed "Jersey Boys" sort of has the Fox Theatre to thank.
Elizabeth Hunter, 11, who lives in Rome, caught the acting bug when she saw a performance of "Annie" at the famous Atlanta venue a few years ago and decided acting looked like fun.
Soon afterward, she landed a role in a community production of “Annie,” and a star was born.
“My first job ever was a Moe’s commercial,” Elizabeth said. “That was when I was 8.”
She’s also appeared in a Delta in-flight video and a Chick-fil-A training video, and on CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and an independent film called “The Unwanted.” She will appear in the new MTV series “Finding Carter.”
Eastwood personally selected her to appear in "Jersey Boys," based on the musical about the Four Seasons. She plays Frankie Valli's daughter, Francine, in scenes where Francine is a young girl.
As a then-10-year-old, Elizabeth wasn't familiar with Eastwood, but her mother certainly was. Allison Hunter decided not to let on how huge a talent her daughter would be working with, so Elizabeth wouldn't feel nervous. The industry veteran and emerging talent got along well.
“He’s very, very quiet. He doesn’t do a lot of takes,” Elizabeth said. “In one scene, he let all of the actors improv for 10 to 15 minutes and that was really cool.”
During a bit of merrymaking in between takes one day, the tough guy wound up with a balloon-animal hat on his head.
“I got to sit with the sound guys, and it was neat to watch the interaction of her and Clint,” Allison Hunter said. “My heart was just exploding. I was very proud and excited.”
She is a stay-at-home mom of four, including Elizabeth's siblings Cameron, Mason and Emerson, and her husband, William Hunter, is a chiropractor. The Hunters have had to become flexible as Elizabeth's career has blossomed — a planned trip to the Grand Canyon had to get rescheduled and might again — but everyone's excited and supportive.
So far, Elizabeth has seen the movie, released last month, three times.
“When I went with my friends and family, they all clapped when they saw me on the big screen,” she said, adding that watching herself “was a combination of good and weird.”
Coming up, Elizabeth is looking forward to sixth grade at East Central Elementary School and auditioning for more roles.
“I get nervous for her. She’s never nervous,” Allison Hunter said. “Inside I was a wreck and she was cool as a cucumber. It was an amazing, positive experience.”
Elizabeth has had no doubt since that performance of “Annie” at the fabulous Fox.
“I was mesmerized,” she said. “I told (her mom), ‘That’s what I wanted to do.’”
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