Jul 2, 2007 Chelsea Duke once made $75 riding the Himalaya at Coney Island in New York for an hour and a half. The 14-year-old was used in the background of an amusement park scene in "Music and Lyrics," where Hugh Grant plays a washed-up '80s pop star. Chelsea was on set when Colin, played by Matt Damon, graduated from the Massachusetts State Police Academy in "The Departed.
" Chelsea's friends think that her gigs on major motion picture sets with Nick Nolte and Kate Winslet are glamorous, but Chelsea knows better. "It's usually really cold or hot," she said. Even though she only appears in the background of one scene in the films, Chelsea said she's on the set for a day or two with all the retakes they do.
"It's great to interact and to watch the main characters," she said. "I get to learn how stuff goes on and watch the movie, and it's crazy when I see myself." When she first signed up with In the Spotlight Talent Agency in Lancaster, she was in fifth grade.
"I used to watch a lot of TV, and I thought it would be fun," Chelsea said. Tara Graham, president of In the Spotlight, said they are a management company in the entertainment industry that places talent in movies, television, commercials, print work and runway. They meet with the talent, find out what they want to do and give their honest opinion as to whether they are marketable.
"We polish them and get them prepared for the industry," Graham said. Graham said Chelsea was marketable because she has a great personality and even though she is a teenager, she is tiny and cute enough to play a wide age range. "She was eager and willing to learn," Graham said.
Every few weeks, Chelsea would get a phone call about an opportunity. Her first came that summer as background on "Law Order." "That was really cool," she said.
"We were in the elevator, and there was a guy that was the 'Law Order' guy." Chelsea didn't know who he was, but her mom, Lisa Stambaugh, did. "It was the (Dennis) Farina man," Stambaugh said.
"It was his first season and his first or second show. Chelsea's mom doesn't usually get to see her on set, because there is a holding area, but still Mom enthusiastically drives her daughter to New York for the shoots. "I'm supportive," she said.
"I thought it would be fun for her." Stambaugh said Chelsea got the idea to act from watching Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. While Chelsea was on set, Stambaugh, who was working on her master's degree in human services, did homework.
"Sometimes they ask the parents to help out," Stambaugh said, "and I usually had to say 'no' because I was doing schoolwork." But by the time Chelsea was called for "Music and Lyrics," Stambaugh had earned her degree and was able to get in on the action. She watched as the Himalaya ride was opened.
"Once she found that one (ride), she stayed on it the whole time." Chelsea said it was fun because she was really close to Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant, and she got paid to do something people usually pay to do. Of all the famous people she's been near, Chelsea said Barrymore was her favorite.
"Even though we aren't supposed to, some extras went up and asked for her autograph and she wasn't snobby about it. She was really nice." Chelsea's friends all want photos and autographs of the famous people she's shared the set with, but Chelsea said she's told by the production crew not to bother the lead actors.
"I don't want to get kicked out," Chelsea said. In addition to stints on the screen and television, Chelsea is busy with dance five days a week, cheerleading in the fall and spending time with her friends at the pool. Chelsea will compete in the National American Miss Pennsylvania pageant in July, so she's been practicing a ballet and hip-hop routine she choreographed.
It's a lot of driving for Stambaugh, but it's not an issue. "That's our quality time together in the car," Stambaugh said. "For a lot of people, it's the dinner table.
For us, it's the car." Chelsea enjoys being on the stage and her mom said she owns it, but as for future plans, Chelsea is looking to be a doctor or an architect. "I want to go to college," she said.
"My hobbies will still be my hobbies, but they won't turn into a profession." Reach Nicki Lefever at 771-2101 or nlefever@ydr.com.
Jul 2, 2007 Chelsea Duke once made $75 riding the Himalaya at Coney Island in New York for an hour and a half.
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