where it all started

"HOW DID YOU BEGIN ACTING?"

We get asked this question a lot.

It all started with Michaela and Marvel Studios. June of 2017, at the age of 8 (almost 9) Michaela said she wanted to pursue acting. We had no idea where to begin.

WRONG ANSWER

One day Michaela asked "How old do you have to be to work?".

Mom's reply: "Probably age 16 when you can get a work permit."

That was the wrong answer.

Michaela took the iPad and researched how old you have to be to begin work. She showed the results to us.

RIGHT ANSWER

"See, you can be my age and be working. There are kids my age working as actors. Also, I can start right now as a background actor and get paid right here in Atlanta," she said.

There was nothing we could say. She discovered on her own that she could begin the path of acting now.

NO IDEA WHERE TO BEGIN!?!

It's not like you can just go walk onto a TV/film set. (Unless you have family or friends in the industry).

Since we had NO formal training (yet), NO professional headshots, NO friends or family who were actors, NO connections to the industry...we had NO idea where to begin.

Step ONE for us: find an acting workshop or class. We found a workshop to audit to see if it was something Michaela and/or Brasher would like. They did.

Step TWO: gain experience working on a set. But how and where was the question?!

We could sign the kids up to do background/extra work, but would it be worth it? Some say no, we say yes.

IS IT WORTH IT TO DO BACKGROUND WORK?

The first day of the acting workshop we met a dad whose little boy in the class with Brasher. He told us how he had been working at Marvel doing stunts. (We didn't even know Marvel filmed in Atlanta!).

He told us he worked as an extra a while back at Marvel. His experience and training in performance driving and firearms / explosives led him to soon became a professional stunt double. He told us there are opportunities for kids to be extras in local tv/film projects.

Since so much was filming in Atlanta, why not?

We registered with one of the local casting agencies in order to be placed in their database for background work.

NEVER IMAGINED WHERE WE WOULD BE TWO WEEKS LATER

Two weeks later, we received a call from the casting agency asking if Michaela would be interested in being a photo double for a young actress in a movie that was about to begin filming in Atlanta. She apparently was a match in height, hair color, and weight/size of this young actress.

We had no idea what film (they often go by code names while filming). We didn't even know movies had photo doubles, but we know it would be a good opportunity to learn. We said yes to working on (code name) 'Cherry Blue'.

It turned out to be Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp that was about to begin filming and she would be the photo double for Ant-Man's daughter ‘Cassie Lang’ played by Abby Ryder Fortson.

A few days later we were walking through the security gates at Marvel. This very nice girl we met in the parking lot led the way through the double gated locked tall gates.

LifeLater that day we sat by her a lunch and Evangeline Lilly sat down beside her. She was Evangeline Lilly’s stunt double. They were both so nice and so helpful.

Working at Marvel was an experience that changed everything for Michaela.

WHAT’S NEXT AFTER BACKGROUND?

Marvel set the standards very high. She started out as a photo double, but then she got to be a stand-in for every child actor on the movie. It was the best acting class for her ever.

On the last day when she walked out of Pinewood Studios (now called Trillith), she cried. She didn‘t want to leave. She fell in love with being on set.

She took it very seriously and we went forward with all the next formal steps: Enroll in on-camera acting classes, private coaching, professional headshots, learn about agents, resumes, auditions, etc.

Her little brother soon followed.

TWO LITTLE KIDS IN A BIG WORLD

Michaela worked at Marvel while Ant-Man and The Wasp filmed from August to the end of October 2017. She finished her last day at Marvel the last week in October. The following Monday we received a call asking if Brasher was available to come in for a camera test as a photo double for a little boy on First Man.

A few days later we were at Tyler Perry's studios in Atlanta for a fitting to be the photo double for one of the young astronaut's kids.

It's almost as if it was perfect timing.

Since then, both Michaela and Brasher signed with one of Atlanta's top agencies, booked national, regional and local commercials, TV/film roles, PSAs, music videos, and more.

It's a lot of work, the days can be long, and it takes a tremendous amount of commitment--from the entire family. However, when a kid discovers on their own what they love, it takes on a life of its own.

If a kid has patience and determination to stay the long hours on set as an extra / background, then they have the temperament to work on set as a child actor.

WHY DO THIS? THE REASON BEHIND IT ALL:

Michaela wanted to begin work now so she could do more things later. International projects, political campaigns, other campaigns and more were part of this motivation.

Additionally, performances at home were always happening at our house. Michaela and her little brother would recreate performances by Justin Bieber or Michael Jackson all the time.

Their desire to perform was constant.

PURE COINCIDENCE (or PURELY MAGICAL)

Evangeline Lilly was the first actress Michaela ever met in person. Yet, Michaela didn't know who Evengeline Lilly was when she sat across from her at the very first camera test. We hadn’t watched a Marvel movie with the kids before this.

We learned that she started out doing background work.

WHY WE DIDN'T WATCH MARVEL MOVIES BEFORE THIS

Would anyone ever believe Michaela and Brasher that they hadn't seen a Marvel movie prior to this? Here is why we didn’t know who Ant-Man was...or other Marvel characters:

Little brother was a little too young to watch PG-13 movies (a few too many swear words and a bit much fighting). Therefore, we hadn't watched Marvel movies...or any other PG-13 movies yet.

Michaela watched her first Marvel movie being made in the studio--in real life, not in theaters. We would never look at movies the same again!

A THANK YOU to marvel

The three months that Michaela got to work on set at Marvel....a special thank you to everyone who made it possible. It set the direction of her future.

The Directors, Assistant Directors, PAs, camera operators, hair/makeup, wardrobe, drivers, crafty, set teachers, set decorators, security and more...that's like watching a movie in and of itself. There’s so much to see and learn.

We learned about how a set works, the terminology, set etiquette and more from some of the best in the industry. Marvel forever set the example for years to come.

Forever inspired by what she learned on the set of Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp. She knew she wanted to be back at Marvel Studios one day in the future.