Taylor Firth lands role of Lexie in Ice Castles remake
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(03/16/2009) - icenetwork.com's behind-the-scenes reporters, Sarah S. Brannen and Drew Meekins take us backstage at the filming of the remake of Ice Castles, and preview the 2009 World Championships.
Ice Castles Redux
We were bemused when we heard that a remake of the po****r 1978 movie Ice Castles was on the way. We were thrilled when we heard that the producers had cast an actual competitive skater in the lead role of Lexie: senior lady Taylor Firth. Taylor finished 13th at the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January.
We caught up with Taylor on Sunday, the day before filming was to start in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
"I am so pumped!" she enthused.
Taylor told us the new movie is being produced by Sony Pictures and directed by Donald Wrye, who also directed the original. The role of Nick Peterson, Lexie's boyfriend, will be played by Rob Mayes. Morgan Kelly will play Aiden Reynolds, Lexie's coach.
"It was originally going to be a TV movie," Taylor told us, "But I think that is changing [to a theatrical release]."
So, how did she get cast?
"I got home from nationals," said Taylor, "And about a week-and-a-half later my coaches [Kirk Wyse and Lenel van den Berg] went through their spam emails and found an email asking if I was interested in auditioning for this role. I was like, 'HECK YES!'"
A script arrived the next day, and Taylor had to make a video of herself reading a few scenes. "My stomach flipped and my mind went like 100 mph," said Taylor. "I did what they said and sent out a video the next day. Obviously it was very rough. I've had no acting experience in my life! I wasn't really expecting anything exciting to come of it at all."
Another week-and-a-half later, Taylor got a call asking for another tape. She talked to the director ("a totally awesome guy"), who gave her some tips. The second tape went out on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The next day, the producers called and asked Taylor to go to Toronto, on Friday, Feb. 13 to do an on-ice audition.
"I was so thrilled," said Taylor. "It went really well. I met the director, David Wilson and Sandra Bezic. It was kind of intimidating, with all of them watching just me, but they were all so cool."
A couple of other girls were also auditioning at this point, although Taylor didn't see them. "They actually had already hired another girl for the role," she told us, "But she wasn't a skater. They wanted to find someone who could skate. I guess they kind of liked me!"
While she was in Toronto, Taylor also did an acting audition, "Which pretty much started with the director telling me that I can't act. I read a scene where I had to cry and have a bad break-up on the phone with Nick, a scene where my coach Aiden freaks out on me because I do a triple instead of a double, and one where I was blind and Nick was trying to help me."
Over the weekend, concerns arose because Taylor won't turn 18 until April 30 this year. "There were a lot of issues as to how many hours a day I could work and how would I do school. We were kind of getting the idea that I wasn't going to get hired. But on that next Tuesday I got a call saying that I got the role of Lexie, and on Wednesday I got a call saying that I had to be in Toronto the next day. I started calling anyone I could think of! I was so excited."
Taylor watched the original movie four times in a week. She says the new version will have basically the same plot as the original, in which Lexie, a champion skater, loses her sight in an accident but manages to return to competition with the help of her boyfriend Nick. Taylor says that the movie will be modernized; for instance, it will use the current international judging system.
In Toronto, Taylor spent a busy week taking acting lessons, learning choreography and getting fitted for costumes. Then it was on to Halifax to prepare to shoot on location, at seven different rinks as well as outdoors on a pond. For the next two weeks, she'll be working ten hours a day, and then there will be another week or two of eight hour days. Her mom Pattie has gone with her, and she'll be there the whole time; Taylor's father will also come for a week.
We asked Juliana Cannarozzo, who was one of the stars of Ice Princess as well as a top ladies skater, if she had any advice for Taylor. "I think just to enjoy every minute of it! It was such a great experience for me. Zoey was the best character to play. I don't think Lexie is anything like my character was, but if Taylor needs any rocker chick advice I'm here! I think she is going to have an amazing time! Best of luck to her! I can't wait to see the movie."
We'll check in with Taylor again after the filming is done and find out what happened. We can't wait to see the movie either!
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