lights. cameras. screen test.

since marcus was literally weeks old, we've been approached a few times about getting him into baby modelling or acting or both. and each time, james and i sat on the parental fence and would come to agree that if marcus ever expressed an interest in either on his own, only then would we consider it.

after he hit the meadowvale theatre stage in april, marcus seemed to develop a love for the spotlight. he would perform coldplay at linny's condo on the spot. he performed biebs and breakdancing in h&m just because. he started performing more + more in the mirror. he loved his rapper persona. then around the fall, he started asking if he could be on tv. he mentions it on the regular. which, call me crazy or partial or both but please don't call me a toddlers in tiaras mama - is not so regular of a three year old. right?

so a few weeks ago, i'm all in love in edmo and enjoying one of the most fulfilling starbucks dates of all time with this girl, and we discuss. and i say. out loud. i'm just going to put the energy out there. that i'm open to this. and see what happens.

cue two days after i fly home. i open an email from selin [also a catch of a friend] about a toy commercial casting call. 'you should totally do this!' she says, followed by the deets. i think. WEIRD. WEIRD that she would send me this DAYS after i made a conscious decision to be open to the opportunity should it arrive. WEIRD. and i pop a few cute photos into an email to the casting director and call it a night. 'we'll see'. i think. and i go to bed. but by go to bed, i obviously mean i stroll down the hall still iphoneing/pinteresting/facebooking/twittering/instagramming/away. and then i hit the mail icon. just to see. and wouldn't you know, we were invited to come in to meet + greet + take photos + do a screen test. A SCREEN TEST? i whisper squeed out loud so as not to wake the pint sized spiderman-loving son in the next room. we were in like sin.

we arrived at corus entertainment and our jaws fell wide. massive screens lined the massive walls with massive toonies playing all in a row. a slide that whirled and rounded from the third floor studio cafeteria to the ground level. glass walls that opened the view to studio after studio as we followed the casting assistant to our holding room. tv studios. radio studios. office spaces. and then. the holding room.

 

all i asked of marcus before we went in? 'do you understand what we're doing?' m: 'yes'. me:'we are going to meet some new people, and maybe take a picture or do some camera work. all i need from you, is this: the second you are feeling uncomfortable, will you let me know quietly?' m:'yes mama' me:'and then, no questions. we just leave ok? and we will be proud of you just for coming.' pep talk done.

clearly i had a different idea of a pep talk than the mom who showed up before us. picture a holding room, being watched by the wise eyes of the casting director. and kids waiting to meet the director on camera. and a mother, in full theatrical make-up, with two under two: clearly more wrapped up in landing the commercial than either kid. as we sat quietly and watched, she went into full force performance, singing broadway style kid tunes, desperate for her kids to join in and show pony up a storm. i felt my cheeks go hot as i suddenly felt ill prepared. her oldest son ran full speed into a glass wall, interrupting the high c in her solo. as she tended to him, wouldn't marcus quietly start singing the song after her, which i secretly found very funny, as did the casting director. the highlight of the casting room was when selin strolled in with the beauty maelle, and we got to share a short and sweet visit :)

so they took his photos. short interview. short wait. he may or may not have announced in the studio that he had waited for 'dis his whole life. to which james and i laughed and said 'your whole life?! you're 3!'. funny. and then. they called his name. [eeek]. and led us down the hall and around the corner and down another hall, each lined with studios, until we found our studio. [eeeek again]. we walked into this huge, dark, cold space. in the centre? a play mat. a director. his assistant. and camera men. we were screen testing for the fisher-price favourites commercial. and by we, i mean WE. i mean marcus and i both. if you're side eyeing over there, so am i and stop laughing. so marcus just strolls over to the centre, right in front of the camera. while i was too nervous to remember all his questions, the director did ask us questions to warm us up on camera. then the assistant just walks over and drops a massive race track toy in front of the boy. he just naturally grabs the cars and starts playing. he was happy. he was comfortable. somehow, he literally did.not. notice [or pay mind to] the massive hot lights on us or the camera just inches from his pint sized face. he was perfectly himself. polite. poised. in black skinnies, a plain grey vneck and his black leather moto boots, he was as cool as his outfit.

will he land the commercial? we doubt it. we have seen marcus at his best, and let me tell you humbly. he was his best. he was handsome and personable and he wasn't any sort of show pony. calm. cool. collected. but with no agency backing him and no experience [yet]? tall order.

will we tell him? absolutely not. we are so proud of him. he acted like an actual pro toddler in there. when others his size-ish were running full tilt into glass walls or screaming over their mother's show tunes, he sat politely and asked for the ipad to draw on. when they asked him questions, he listened and answered. when they directed him, he cooperated happily. and most important, he loved the experience. so in our books? the kid won. the kid won big.

and honestly? we will meet with agents over the next few weeks and indulge this new interest as long as he's engaged and feeling it. he has told us clearly he is interested in doing tv and music, not so into modelling. and so we will approach it all with an open mind and support this pint sized star as long as it makes sense.

so stay tuned friends. and maybe one day marcus will get to ride that studio slide from the cafeteria all the way to the ground.

-kare+m
xo