At just 13, Bradford’s Jacob Mazeral’s belief and determination has already led to the next big step in his acting career.
He recently landed a role in his first feature film You Gotta Believe released in theatres last month, in which he appears alongside well-known actor Luke Wilson.
Based on a true story, the PG film depicts a little league baseball team from Fort Worth, Texas, who dedicate their season to one player’s ailing father, and in the process go from local underdogs to playing in the 2002 Little League World Series.
“On set it was so much fun,” he said. “There were a lot of kids on there, so it was never a dull moment.”
Jacob plays the team's catcher, Mikey Valdez, who takes on the position after struggling as a first baseman.
It’s a large cast, but “where you see the team, you’ll see me.”
Other scenes focus on Bobby Ratliff, played by Wilson, who Jacob described as “really kind.”
“It’s great working with bigger actors like that, because you can feed off their energy and you learn so much from them,” he said. “It was really cool working with him.”
Jacob’s father Jesse was also impressed with the kindness of the famous actor, who even went out of his way, once his portion of filming wrapped, to hand-write notes to all of the younger cast members, encouraging them and offering tips.
For Jacob, filming started in June last year, and ran through until September, meaning he had to leave school early to be on set, but many of the young cast were able to maintain their grades thanks to an on-set tutor.
Family also accompanied Jacob — including his mother Elizabeth, his grandmother and Jesse, who was able to take two weeks off to spend on set with his son.
During that time he was able to see just how many people and how much effort goes into creating films, from the scripting and cinematography to the makeup and wardrobe.
“Movie magic is real and they make it come together so well,” Jesse said. “It’s unbelievable to be a witness and part of that.”
Of course, he was also “super excited” to see his son on the big screen for the first time.
“That’s my Jacob up there where he’s supposed to be and doing his thing,” Jesse said. “It’s an awesome feeling for sure.”
It was something the whole family had a chance to experience when they attended the red-carpet premiere in Fort Worth, Texas in late August.
“The first day on the red carpet was so cool,” Jacob said.
He even had a custom suit for the occasion, when everyone has their photos taken and the big celebrities provide interviews.
Afterwards, the premiere involved about nine separate screens to ensure cast, crew, families and more could enjoy watching the film for the first time, an experience Jacob called “surreal” but “a lot of fun.”
Prior to the film, Jacob has been acting since he was about seven years old, and performed mostly as a voice actor in various television shows and shorts including Dino Ranch, Riley Rocket, Y: The Last Man, Ginny & Georgia, plus several of the Snoopy Presents specials.
In future, he’s hoping he might have the chance to work with another big actor, Adam Sandler.
“His movies are so hilarious,” Jacob said.
He’s also always wanted to play the hero in a super hero movie like Spider Man or the Flash.
Those ambitions might take time, but that goes hand in hand with Jacob’s advice for other aspiring actors, which is to always keep pushing for success.
“My favourite quote is ‘Nothing worth it comes easy,’ ” he said. “It might take 100, 200 auditions, but you’ll eventually get that role and when you do, you’ll feel so good.”
More information about You Gotta Believe can be found on the film’s official website, and local show times can be found on cineplex.com.
