Bryn Mawr teen actress praised by ‘After.Life’ director

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

Posted on Fri, Apr. 9, 2010

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

For 13-year-old Laurel Bryce and her classmates at Bryn Mawr’s Baldwin School, this is “the year for bat mitzvahs” – she’s attended 15 so far and is preparing for her own in November.But for Bryce, it is also the year of her feature film debut in “After.Life,” a horror/thriller starring Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson and Justin Long. It opens in Philadelphia today.

In “After.Life,” Bryce plays the young Anna Taylor, Ricci’s character as a child.

Schoolteacher Anna meets an unexpected demise and finds herself stuck between life and death. Trapped in this limbo, Anna envisions a menacing childhood version of herself – played by Bryce – who forces her to confront her deepest fears and accept her death.

“After.Life” director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo said hundreds of girls auditioned for the role.

“[Casting] was very difficult because Christina has such a unique beauty and unique character in her face,” Wojtowicz-Vosloo said.

“I think [Laurel] has the three ingredients that I was looking for,” the director said: innocence, beauty and acting ability.

While Bryce is just 13, her big break has been years in the making. She appeared in her first commercial at 9 months old and has been acting ever since, in commercials and small theater productions. Two years ago, she was cast in bigger roles in shows at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philly and Hedgerow Theatre in Media.

“I had so many aspirations to do bigger things,” Bryce said of those early acting jobs. “I worked really hard to succeed and get where I am.”

Her drive extends beyond the stage. “I have to balance school and Hebrew school, softball and dance and charity work,” Bryce said.

Wojtowicz-Vosloo contributes Bryce’s success to her maturity and willingness to take on a challenge.

“She is a little bit of an old soul, and she’s very interesting,” Wojtowicz-Vosloo said. “I think what is beautiful about her is that she immediately created a bond with Christina.”

“Laurel was really great to work with – totally professional and super talented!” Ricci enthused in an e-mail.

Bryce, who wants to add comedy and romantic roles to her acting repertoire, has completed two more films – also horror flicks – that are in postproduction.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/90332739.html#ixzz0pfEUD2eS
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In Haiti & Louisiana, family informs Maria Bello’s acting, service

Posted on Fri, Mar. 12, 2010 http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/87438152.html#axzz0o1RBs5D6

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

A week after an earthquake decimated Haiti, Norristown native Maria Bello traveled there to join forces with Artists for Peace and Justice.

“I saw the most devastating things you could imagine,” said Bello, star of “The Yellow Handkerchief.” “Amputations with no anesthesia, children with no pain killers and spinal cord injuries.”

In a recent phone interview, Bello expressed concern for the 75,000 displaced people living under sheets at the camp where she worked, and stressed the importance of getting them tents before hurricane season.

She said that her activism is, in part, due to her active and compassionate family.

“We were taught from an early age that being of service is one of the most important things in the world – that you only have one life to live and you better use it right,” she explained.

Bello also attributed her acting success to her family and upbringing.

“My parents were always supportive of the idea of doing what you love,” she said.

Raised in Norristown, Bello attended Archbishop Carroll and Villanova. Today she lives in Venice, Calif.

Philly is “still such a big part of my life,” she said. “I love my Philly roots.”

For “Handkerchief,” Bello traveled to Louisiana shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

She was inspired by the people’s resilience and noted that Louisiana is “like a foreign country almost – such a rich culture and such a different way of life.”

“It’s really an exciting place to be,” she said.

When producer Arthur Cohn approached Bello with the film, she jumped at the opportunity to work again with William Hurt, a co-star on “A History of Violence.”

The script drew her attention as well.

“It’s such a mature love story,” she said. “It’s so gentle. You don’t see films these days like that.”

Bello said she learns from every role she plays. In “The Yellow Handkerchief,” her character taught her about second chances and trusting again.

“I think as you get older, it’s easy to get jaded about love,” she explained. “You’ve been hurt and you’ve hurt other people. It’s easy to sort of back up instead of jumping in, and I feel like May had the courage to jump.”

Bello did not do any research or backstory for May. Instead, she said, “like in life, you just put one foot in front of the other, and one moment leads to the next.”

In the coming months, Bello will be seen in Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups,” her first major comedy, and the John Wells drama “The Company Men.”

But in the next few weeks, she plans to return to Haiti.