this is just a talented family :)

this is the younger brother of one of my partners 7even:thirty.  if you check out this movie, keep an eye out for him :)

August 7, 2008

Related Items:   Malcolm Phillips in "The Longshots"

Tackling the big screen

Teen fulfills acting dream

By Nash Nunnery
Special to The Clinton News

Special to The Clinton News Above: Malcolm Jerrell Phillips is seen on the set of an upcoming family comedy film, The Longshots, featuring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer. The family-friendly comedy is set to be released nationwide later this month.

Malcolm Jerrell Phillips may be one of The Longshots, but some people think his future as a Hollywood actor is a sure bet.

Described as a "feel-good family comedy," The Longshots is an MGM Dimension film starring rapper-turned actor Ice Cube and directed by Fred Durst, former front man for rap metal's Limp Biskit.

The film is based loosely on the true story of the Minden Browns, a football team full of misfits in small-town Illinois that wins its way to the Pop Warner Super Bowl championship. Ice Cube is featured as the Browns coach and uncle to Jasmine (Keke Palmer), the team's female quarterback.

The Longshots will be released nationwide on Aug. 22.

Phillips, a rising 10th-grader at Clinton Christian Academy portrays Manny, a wide receiver with more than a little attitude.

The character was a bit of a stretch for the mild-mannered Phillips, but he says he was inspired by a Mount Salus Christian School classmate.

"Manny is a great athlete and he knows it. He's so cocky and full of himself," said Phillips, who just turned 15.

"I patterned him after my friend, Jevonte Young - terrific football player and so sure of himself.

"What was difficult for me (in the movie) was playing wide receiver," he said. "I played guard and fullback for Mount Salus Christian School last year, but the director knew I was the only actor who had actually played football before, so they needed me at receiver."

Seasoned child actor Keke Palmer, 14, says her Longshots co-star dazzled her with his performance.

"Malcolm is very accomplished as an actor and impressed everyone," said Palmer, who will debut in her own TV series on Nickelodeon this fall. "He really got into the character, and we had a lot of fun making the movie."

Shirlene Phillips, the young actor's mother, says her son has always had "a bit of actor in him."

"Even when he was a small child, he could tell a story and have me believe it," she said, smiling at the thought. "He was very convincing. Malcolm has always spoken well and been very articulate, but I never dreamed he would be in a movie one day."

Earning a role in a major Hollywood movie is not an easy task for any actor, according to Phillips' agent Sharon Ward - especially child actors living in Mississippi.

"For him to win a principal role in a major movie is amazing, when you consider that those roles are normally reserved for Los Angeles-based actors," said the Sharon Ward Agency owner.

"Malcolm is such a great kid and he's a very, very good actor. He's got a great future in the business, especially if he can relocate to the west coast."

Phillips says he was confident in his audition for the part.

"I've been on a bunch of auditions, and I just had a good feeling about this one," he said. "When I got to Shreveport (where the movie was shot), most of the other kids seemed really quiet and reserved. I just turned it on for the producers."

Don't get the idea that stardom has gone to his head, however. Hobnobbing with famous people, says Phillips, is no big deal.

"I've never been impressed just by someone's celebrity," he said. "I respect musicians and actors and recognize them for their talents, but I'm just myself around people like that."

The film was shot over a nine-week period in Shreveport last winter, and Phillips tended to his school work long distance. An excellent student according to his mother, Phillips only missed the spring honor roll by one point.

Mount Salus headmaster John Mark Whitney said faculty and students are thrilled about the teen's success.

"Obviously, we are very proud of him. Malcolm is so talented, and he and his older brother Michael added a lot to our school," said Whitney. "He's a really good kid from a really good family."

If his acting career doesn't work out, the Jackson native says he might turn to his other passions.

"Engineering is a possibility for me. My mom says I can build anything," said the teen.

"Also, I used to write a lot of music and I love the guitar. I can feel the guitar strings in my hand, and they resonate with me like no other instrument," Phillips said. "My dad (Arthur) is an accomplished musician, and I got my love of music from him."

Relocating to southern California to pursue movie roles is not an option, at least at the moment, says Shirlene Phillips - unless ...

"If my son was offered a specific role in a television series or something like that, we'd consider moving," she said, "But things would have to fall right into place for us to live in Hollywood."

Getting the opportunity to star in The Longshots is not something Phillips takes for granted. He says he had a vision three years ago that he'd become an actor.

"I was watching television and said to myself, 'When I am 14, I want to do something in acting,' " Malcolm said.

"I think that's pretty tight. And now that my dream has come true, I want to pursue acting as my career."

Comments

[princessdominique]

I do want to see that movie.

[nikki indigo]

now i wanna see the movie too!