Introducing...
Jump to Madeline's Article here and check out our review of the DVD here
Maxwell Perry Cotton
Presenting “Mr. Popper’s” Maxwell Cotton Perry!
Maxwell Cotton Perry’s parents were looking for a way to channel their son’s energy and outgoing personality into something positive. They thought they would have him try acting. It turns out, he was a natural. “My Mom and Dad saw that I had a bunch of personality. I was four at the time. I didn’t really understand what acting was. They got me started,” the now eleven-year-old tells us.
Soon the jobs were starting to roll in. “My first was ‘The Untold Story of the ER.’ Then I did a photo shoot for Hanes with Mr. T. Then I did ‘Dennis the Menace,’ which was awesome! Another one was ‘Radio Free Albemuth.’ Those were pretty much my first ones,” he replies when asked about his first professional jobs.
A couple of years ago, he heard about an audition for a movie version of a popular children’s story called “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” “I went through three or four auditions,” he recalls. “My first audition, there were only about three people in there. The next time I came, there were more producers and the director. I was there with blond hair and they asked me to come in later that day with brown hair. That was actually my last time there. When I came back that day, I just came and did the lines again with my hair dyed brown. It wasn’t permanent dye,” he says. “It was just a spray-on dye.” The producers and the director decided he looked and sounded the part and hired him to play “Billy” in the film.
Getting ready to play the part brought a little research. “I pretty much had to read the script and I did. Once I saw who ‘Billy’ was, [in the script] I kind of got the feeling of who he was. I had to bring my soccer skills back because I hadn’t played soccer in a while. I don’t have an older sister, so that was kind of hard to figure out. I do hang out with the girl who played my sister (Madeline Carroll), so she kind of helped me feel like she was actually my sister.”
Madeline and Max actually attend the same professional children’s school. “When I first started my school year… that was my first time there and it was her first time there as well, I believe. When I first heard I got the role, I heard it was Madeline Carroll and I said, ‘Hey! She goes to my school!’ We came over to each other at the same time and we introduced ourselves and got to know each other. Once we got there, [on location] she felt like she was a sister to me.”
Madeline and Maxwell were incredibly lucky with this gig. They got to play with real penguins, act with Jim Carrey and get paid to it! They must have some incredible memories from filming. “One of the most memorable had to have been when I was ice-skating in the winter ‘snow-land’ in the apartment,” Maxwell says. “I was ice skating with Jim Carrey.
“And another one,” he continues, “it was a good experience was… it had snowed the night before, we were at Central Park. It was freezing at negative 8 degrees.” The young actor is referring to filming a scene where Billy, Janie, Mr. Popper, and the penguins have a soccer game in the middle of the park. “That was a good experience, playing soccer like that. Jim Carrey brought some ‘Soup Nazi’ soup there so that kind of warmed us up a little.”
His favorite scene, however, is entirely different. “I think it would have had to been when I was doing the hide and seek thing with the penguins. I was right there and they were right in front of my face! People said that they might bite your nose! They didn’t even get close to biting my nose!”
Forget what they say about working with animals being a pain. Maxwell says the penguins were very professional. “Most of it actually was the real penguins,” he says about parts of the film using special effects. “They were actually really focused! Where ever the fish was, that’s where they were! They were really focused on the fish!”
We can’t imagine what it is like to work with someone as funny as Jim Carrey and Maxwell has nothing but praise for this human co-star. “It was a really good experience! I learned a lot from him. He was really goofy on set. He was really a good guy. He did a lot of improv! It was really great. That’s one of the things I learned. He was just trying to stay with his character. If there is something you want to add in and it’s part of your character… do it!”
When he’s not on a film set, you’ll most likely find Maxwell doing one of two things… going to school or playing sports. “One of my big hobbies is sports! I play four sports; basketball, football track and baseball.”
Off the fields and sets, he’s just another student. “Whenever I don’t have anything going on, I go to school. The school that I go to, they have a website that has all my schoolwork, all the things that are due. It’s a good program.”
He’s also a movie buff who is looking forward to several of the new releases. “One that I’m hoping to see is ‘Arthur’s Christmas.’ That one looks really cool and funny.” He says about December’s choices. “’Hugo’ looks really good. I’m hoping to see that. ‘Happy Feet’, I’m hoping to go and see. ‘The Muppets’ looks really good!” Sounds like somebody might be spending some of his holiday time in a theater.
In terms of staying with acting, Max is off to a great start and shows no signs of slowing down. Next up is “Gangster Squad” with an all-star cast that includes Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone. Then in 2013, there’s “Elysium” with Matt Damon, which is sort of ironic for this talent. “I keep hearing from everybody, ‘Oh my gosh! He looks like Matt Damon!’ In ‘Elysium,’ I play Matt Damon younger.”
He kind of fell into a career that a lot of people hope to chose one day, but Maxwell is making the most of his opportunities and encourages anyone who thinks they might want to give acting a try to just do it! “If you see something you want to try out for… do it! You just have to keep trying and keep doing your best!” he says enthusiastically. He should know… he’s adding credits to his resume faster than you can say “Mr. Popper Picked a Penguin!” It’s going to be fun to watch where he goes from here!
Madeline Carroll
If she looks familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen Madeline Carroll in the hilarious Jackie Chan comedy “The Spy Next Door,” or “The Santa Clause 3.” Maybe you’ve caught one of her countless number of guest appearance on TV shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “NCIS,” “The Haunting Hour,” or “Lost.” The fifteen-year old has kept busy since she started modeling at age three and her professionalism shines both on set and off.
You can currently see this young talent demonstrate perfect teen angst in the funny and family friendly film “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” available on home video now. The smart and sweet actress took time out of her crazy schedule to talk with us about her most memorable days on set, working with A list co-stars and what comes next in the amazing career she is creating.
“It sort of landed on me,” Madeline says of her start in show business. “When I was younger, I was in just print and modeling for like diapers and stuff. I was in a nail salon when I was 3 and a 1/2, and there happened to be an agent in the nail salon. She gave me her card. I guess she thought I was cute and I used to talk a lot. She gave me her card and was like ‘Give this to your mom.’ So I did and she called over, and they wanted to see me in their office. I went over there and I read for them, like a monologue type thing, and they’ve been my agents ever since!”
“My first job was a Fisher Price commercial,” she recalls of stepping in front of a moving camera for the first time. “It was like a music video type thing. I remember I was singing into a lollipop with these other little girls, and it was so much fun!”
As she got older, Madeline chose to continue to pursue other jobs. “I just loved it so much!” she reasons. “Well, I loved attention when I was younger. I just loved it and thought it was so much fun. I went from doing print to commercials to TV, and then in to movies.”
Madeline was fresh off a Rob Reiner directed film called “Flipped” (She and co-star Callan McAuliffe are incredible in this young love story! Definitely a must-see!) when she heard about another great opportunity. “I first heard about it, they were like there is this new project ‘Mr. Poppers Penguins’ I was like ‘Mr. Poppers Penguins?’ I read that book in school! I can’t believe they’re making a movie out of that! I went to audition for it and I was so excited, because I loved the book.”
“My little brother, when he found out that Jim Carrey was going to be in it, he’s like, ‘Madeline, you’ve got to get this movie, because Jim Carrey is my favorite. He was the best Riddler in Batman!’ It was so cute! I was like, ‘Okay Dylan. I’ll try!’ I was so excited when I found out that I got it! It was awesome!”
Tweet Break! "Having a lovely vacation I'n Arizona what's up guys" Follow Madeline on Twitter
Madeline’s audition process was a little more nerve wracking then usual because one of the call-backs came unexpectedly. “I auditioned in L.A. originally, and then I happened to be in New York doing press, I think it was for ‘Flipped’ at the time. My agent called and was like ‘Okay, get in a cab and go to this address. You have to meet the director right now.” I was reading over the lines as quickly as I could in the cab. We get to the audition, I met the director and I got it!”
Developing “Janie,” involved a little research, a lot of reading, and recalling some “wish I could forget them” life moments. “In the book, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, the characters weren’t really described very well. It was sort of like the book was written like one of those short stories that you read in Kindergarten where you really don’t get to know the characters. I just really studied the script and tried to get a feel for her from there. I would sort of convert her in with ‘how I would feel if this happened to me’ or ‘if my Dad did this?’ Luckily, my Dad is very much like Jim Carrey, very embarrassing!” She laughs. “So I just kind of channeled all of those embarrassing moments.”
Though we imagine any day on a set with Jim Carrey has got to be memorable, there are a few days that stay with Madeline more than others. “The first day really stood out to me because I remember I was so nervous. I was going to meet Jim that day. I was a huge fan of him before I did the movie, so I was super, super nervous. I remember I met him, he was just so kind and he even like talks kind of soft in person. He’s just so genuine and cool.”
“I was so excited when we did our first scene,” she remembers. “I was all nervous. I was like ‘I hope I don’t mess up or anything.’ Actually, our first day, me and Max, the boy who played my little brother, and Carla, we were off camera, so Jim was coming and doing his thing but every single take was different. It was so hard not to laugh! That was one of the hardest days of my whole life, trying not to laugh off camera. I really got to see how talented he really is!”
“The second day that stands out was… one day we came back to set and the studio was all spray painted with this little Indian looking dude. It said FFC on it. Everybody, the whole group was trying to figure out what FFC meant the whole entire time. I just couldn’t believe that this little thing was spray painted on all the doors and everything! I thought it stood for ‘Freakin’ Fantastic Carrey,’ or ‘Freakin Fantastic Craftey’ for Craft service. We never found out what it was.”
“The last day that stands out the most to me was probably when we got to meet the penguins and play with the penguins. They were so much fun! They had this huge trailer that was basically like this huge refrigerator. It was really cold but it was awesome! They had a little pool that they could swim in. It was really cool getting to play with them.”
Going to work to play with unusual animals only had one downside. “The downfall of that was that it was freezing on set all the time! Usually on set it’s really hot from all the lights, but it was so cold!”
“My favorite scene from the movie was probably when Jim Carrey turns the house into a winter wonderland and there’s an ice skating thing and slides,” she says. “There’s snow everywhere! I thought that was so beautiful when we came to set that day! That was so much fun!”
The family friendly film really stressed family bonding and that’s something the young star hopes the audience appreciates. “I hope that they really laugh a lot!” she responds when asked about what she hopes viewers take away from the movie. “It’s hard not to laugh with Jim Carrey! I hope that they maybe cry a little bit. I hope that they get a chance to bond as they’re watching it.”
Tweet Break! "Rockin at tron dance Disney" Follow Madeline on Twitter
Working with Jim Carrey added another well-respected actor to Madeline’s growing list of impressive co-stars. “I’ve been very fortunate in that they have all been really nice. I haven’t really had a bad experience with any of them at all. All of them have been so cool and so down-to-Earth. But you know, they’re so different in different ways. Like Jim Carrey was just so much fun to be around. You’re always laughing. It’s so great to be with somebody that’s constantly making you laugh.”
“Aidan Quinn was so kind and always made sure that me and Cal and everybody were good and that we were having a good time on set,” she says of the actor who played her Father in “Flipped.” “Working with Kevin Costner… he’s just like a family man. He’s so loving and open,” she says, complimenting the “Swing Vote” lead. “He was always giving me advice.”
“I just worked with Morgan Freeman,” she divulges. “And he’s like the ‘Father of Advice.’ He was telling me just to stay humble. That was like the best advice he gave me… just to stay humble and that I will always work. If I’m nice to people and generous and always thankful for what God’s given me. It was really incredible working with him. That’s probably the best advice I’ve ever gotten.”
When she’s not working, you can find Madeline doing fairly typical things. “I go to school. I usually do sports with my brother. I love swimming. I love anything outside really. My favorite thing to do is go to the movies. I love going to the movies!”
She has a list of upcoming “must-sees.” “I’m really looking forward to seeing the ‘Hunger Games’ when it comes out in March. I am so excited! I’m a huge fan of the books. I just saw ‘Breaking Dawn’ which I was so happy to see! I love that saga! It’s amazing! I’m looking forward to seeing ‘Part II’ of that. You know how they always leave you with a cliff hanger? I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next one.”
We asked the well-spoken teenager how she juggles school with and acting career and that brought up a funny story. “The funny thing is… me and Maxwell that played my brother in ‘Popper’s’ actually go to school together, which is really weird,” she begins. “When I found out that I got it, I was telling all my teachers that I’m going to be gone for a little while. I’m going to film. They’re like ‘What are you filming?’ I said, ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins.’ They were like, ‘Oh my gosh! Maxwell’s in that!’ I was like, ‘Who’s Maxwell?’ I actually met him at lunchtime! It was really cool. I was like ‘Hey, I’m going to be your big sister.’ He was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Really?’”
“Our school is small though,” she explains. “It’s a private school and it’s for acting and for music. It only goes for four hours a day. They’re super understanding about everything.”
So what comes next for the hard-working talent? “I have the movie with Morgan Freeman coming out in the summer. Hopefully, it’s coming out in the summer. It’s called ‘Summer at Dog Dave’s.’ I’m going to be filming next month or January a film called ‘Trust Me.’ It’s with Clark Gregg, Amanda Peet, William H. Macy and Jennifer Grey. I’m really excited to start filming that one! It’s like a dark comedy.”
Though she’s fond of all the roles she’s had, there are still some parts that Madeline would love to take on. “I’d like to play somebody adventurous. I’ve always kind of been the sister, or the older mean sister, or the daughter. I would like to be someone adventurous like in Peter Pan. I think it would be awesome to do something like that. The people that I want to be in it would be Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis, Will Smith, I would love all those people to be in it!” We don’t doubt that this go-getter will one day check all of those things off her list!
In the meantime, she does what she can for charity and pays close attention to the world-wide human trafficking problem. “There is an organization called ‘Not For Sale.’ And there’s an organization called ‘Zoe International.’ And ‘Mutual Faith Ministries.’ They all help human trafficking. I’m very big into human trafficking. I think it’s horrible! It really breaks my heart to think that some kids are on menus and things. I’m really close to those three organizations. I think they really do an incredible job,” she says of the charities that get a lot of her time.
“Also, the ‘Machine Guns Preacher’ movie that I had come out last month is about saving kids and helping kids. That’s Sam Childer’s organization. I’m very close with them too. I love doing charity. It makes you feel so good! God’s blessed me so much! It makes me feel like I’m giving back.”
She encourages all aspiring performers to be sure that this is a life they want to pursue and dive-in if they are positive it’s a part of them. “Make sure that it’s what you want to do. It’s a very rough business. If you do love it and your heart’s in it – go after it and keep pursuing it. There’s a lot of devastation in acting and stuff when you don’t get a role. [There is] lots of disappointment. If you really, really love it, just keep going for it because God always has something for you and you’ll be blessed no matter what!”
Check out some of Madeline’s movies when you have a chance. Working hard and learning from incredible co-stars has this talent on the path to a long career in film and television. It couldn’t happen to a nicer girl.
Follow Madeline on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/IMMaddieCarroll
Check out these organizations : http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ http://www.gozoe.org/