Olivia Burgess auditions for the big screen

Olivia Burgess would like to be a film writer and director one day.

But first, she’d like a recurring role on a TV show on her way to reach her goals of winning an Oscar and meeting Brad Pitt … and Tom Cruise … and One Direction … and Christina Aguilera … and Adam Levine.

Through her acting work, the fourth-grader has already auditioned for major feature films and met Davis Cleveland of Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and Raini Rodriguez of Disney’s Austin & Ally.

Olivia’s roles on camera started with modeling at Snap Kids in first grade. A scout noticed her photo and invited her to Los Angeles. That summer of 2012, her family made a trip to California into a family vacation, and she started modeling work.

Today she works with agencies J Pervis in Atlanta and Clear Talent Group in Los Angeles and recently signed a new three-year contract with these groups.

Olivia, her mom Lauren and younger sister CC, now 4, lived in Los Angeles from January to March 2013, and her dad, Brian, and brother, Brody, who attends Mountain Brook Elementary, would visit as often as they could.

While there, Olivia’s favorite auditioning role was for Walking with Dinosaurs, and she also recently vied for the role of Jake Gyllenhaal’s daughter in Southpaw, an upcoming boxing drama with Forest Whitaker, and the character Cassie in Heaven is for Real.

“They say this is a business of no’s, but Olivia loves it and moves on to the next one,” Lauren said. “She is very positive about it.”

Olivia has also auditioned for a variety of roles on TV shows, including Suburgatory, Criminal Minds and two Nickelodeon shows, as well as a music video with Brad Paisley. 

Lauren recalls one moment where she realized Olivia would be auditioning with the casting department that worked on Argo. That fact created anxiety for Lauren but not for Olivia, who didn’t know what Argo was.

“I am more nervous than her,” Lauren said. “It’s so casual and laid back for her.”

Today Lauren and Olivia fly back to Los Angeles when Olivia gets called back for auditions. Her managers help filter through all the possibilities, but there was a time when mom and daughter got on a plane four hours after getting a phone call about a callback. 

“We enjoy living in Birmingham, as this is home and where we are from, but our time in LA is always wonderful and exciting,” Lauren said. “We manage the opportunities as best we can, and sometimes we can’t audition for everything if the schedule doesn’t seem like a great fit for our family. Olivia understands this and knows we do the best we can to help support her dreams become a reality.”

Olivia’s first line on the International Movie Database (IMDb) came with an online TV series, Camp Nottahope, which launched at the end of May on channel01.com. It will also be edited into a short film for film festivals. The comedy series is about a summer camp (“not a hope”) for children whose parents think they are “dysfunctional.” 

“Even the counselors had problems,” Lauren said. 

Olivia’s character lived in the world of make believe where, among other things, she pretended she had a pet unicorn.

“It was a lot of fun, and I made a lot of friends,” she said. “You are a completely different person [on set] than you are in real life.”

They shot the first five episodes in March and hope to do more in the future.

This year Olivia has also been modeling children’s clothing for CWD Kids’ catalogs, shooting fall clothes in the spring and a holiday set in May.

“I like to change outfits, get my hair and makeup done, and pose in front of the camera,” she said of the experience. “I like it when they say, ‘Ah, that’s fabulous.’”

In all Olivia aspires to do, though, Lauren emphasizes that it’s about her daughter doing what she enjoys and what works best for their family.

“She has a lot of fun with it,” Lauren said. “At the end of the day, that’s what matters. As any parent would, I try to support my children’s dreams within reason.”

Still, when an inappropriate script comes along, or the possibility of filming somewhere far away, such as New Zealand or Alaska, they have turned them down. Lauren also notes that Olivia’s acting has allowed the two of them to spend a lot of time together traveling and on set, where Lauren must be present since Olivia is a minor.

In whatever film possibilities come her way, Olivia maintains her mottos: “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” and “Dream big and reach for the stars.”

To follow Olivia’s acting endeavors, find her fan page on Facebook.