News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A young Cookeville native is set to star in a new Peacock streaming show called “A Friend of the Family,” which airs on Thursday.
9-year-old Elle Lisic plays Susan, the sister of an Idaho girl abducted twice by a neighbor in the 1970s. The 9-episode series chronicles the true story of the events.
Lisic said she got her start in acting after seeing her brother act in TV and film, and deciding to take on theatre roles.
“My favorite thing about acting is that I get to see everything through the eyes of a different character,” Lisic said. “I get to see what they would feel like, what they’d see, what they’d know. I just feel like that’s always fun for me.”
Lisic said the main difference between acting for the stage and acting for the camera is the proximity to the audience. She said on stage, the audience is much farther away and requires bigger movements and facial expressions. In film, Lisic said the camera is right next to you, requiring more subdued and purposeful movements.
Lisic said the audition process included an initial self-tape and about three or four callbacks. She said her days on set consisted of hair and makeup, getting into costume, taking part in school lessons, and filming.
Lisic said her favorite part of filming the series has been meeting her costars including Anna Paquin and Colin Hanks. She even got to celebrate her birthday on set, and said that Anna Paquin made her a strawberry cake.
“The cast was so talented and so amazing to work with,” Lisic said. “Hendrix (Yancey) is like a sister to me and so many people say that we look alike and that we could actually be sisters, which I think is true. Mckenna (Grace) was so fun to work with, and Colin (Hanks) called me by my nickname, ‘Bob.’
Lisic said she is so excited for people to watch the show, and hopes they enjoy. She said that you can also find her locally on stage at Cumberland County Playhouse, the Storyteller House for the Arts, and the Cookeville Children’s Theatre.
