if she has been in the "industry" for years, yet the Northwest School
of the Arts student is only 13 years old. This Sunday, Jan. 29, at 9
p.m., Abigale "Abby" will star in the Hallmark Premiere "A Smile as
Big as the Moon" on ABC.
The movie, which stars Sex & the City character, John Corbett, is
based on the memoir by teacher Mike Kersjes in the 1980′s. It
gives an inside look into the way one educator empowered special needs
students by fighting for them to go to Space Camp, a competitive
education program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The students,
who were often bullied by others, find compassion and respect from
everyone. Abby plays "Lisa Burke," a 14-year-old special needs student
in the ninth-grade. She said the character has attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention deficit disorder (ADD),
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bi-polar disorder.
Like a true professional, she found herself prepared and ready for the
filming of the movie which took place in Wilmington, N.C., and
Alabama. She said the key is to, "read everything and develop my
character. What she looks like, what she sounds like. I look at the
script and study it."
The eighth-grade student is all about business when it comes to her
acting career. Abby and her friend, Matt Mitchell, opened their own
nonprofit theater group, "Treehouse Acting Company." It is an
opportunity they created to help expose young kids to the stage in
local theater.
Ultimately, her goal is to be on Broadway and star in lots of films,
however she is still taking it one step at time looking to perfect her
craft before aiming to perform in shows like "Rent." Abby said she
will complete her studies at NWSA and then attend North Carolina
School of the Arts or The Juilliard in New York City.
Although Abby is a busy working girl, she is still an everyday kid.
"I think I am different, but I think everyone here at Northwest is
different. I found that I belong here. We're a unique group of people
who are fearless!" said Abby. "But on the weekends … I just like
to hang out with friends and have water fights.
