Stepping on stage, the spotlight illuminated the 7-year-old as her small yet strong voice carried through the audience. She sang, danced, and delivered her lines with a sparkle in her eye that captured the audience’s attention. Although it was her first show, East senior Remi Deupree was not shy about life on stage, which soon became life in front of the camera.
“She was always one of those little kids that wanted to perform and put on shows and concerts at home,” Remi’s mother, Beth Deupree told Spark.
Remi was introduced to the acting world through a local theater production of Junie B. Jones, and her passion for the art was born.
“I had a friend that let me know there was a play going on in the area, and they were looking for little kids, so Remi went out and auditioned,” said Beth. “Knowing it was her first experience, we assumed she would be a kid in the classroom or a smaller role in the play. She ended up getting cast as Junie B. Jones.”
During rehearsals of Remi’s first show, another parent in the cast mentioned to Beth an acting agency with classes in downtown Cincinnati called Heyman Talent.
Established in 1989, Heyman Talent has represented actors, models, and voice-over talent of all ages. “We actively strive to find film/TV, commercial, print, and fashion work for the talent that we represent,” talent agent Brittany Kirby told Spark.
Striving to provide their clients with opportunities, Heyman Talent aims to guide children like Remi toward work to succeed in the entertainment industry.
“Our hope is that if they want to pursue a professional career in acting, we can help them from the start and also assist them in finding managers and opportunities in bigger markets if that is their goal,” said Kirby.
Remi was only a few weeks into her classes at Heyman when she was scouted by a talent agent.
“It’s a funny story because we were supposed to bring a picture and sheet of any acting jobs she had, and I obviously didn’t know what I was doing so I brought a school photo of her while all the other parents had these professional headshots and resumes,” said Beth. “I had absolutely no idea what we were doing, but afterward the acting coach came out and said they really loved her.”
By the time her classes ended, Remi had signed on with an agency.
“Remi received offers from two different places and she eventually signed on with AKA Talent Agency based out of Los Angeles,” said Beth.
After being scouted, Remi was assigned an agent and met with her new agency.
“We did everything through video. She first met with the child agent, and then she met with the owner of AKA, where they asked her to come out to Los Angeles for a couple of months during her second-grade year,” said Beth.
After a few meetings, Beth and Remi packed their bags, and life in California for Remi took off.
“The first time we went out there [Los Angeles], Remi booked a commercial for Crayola and then an experimental film project directed by Francis Ford Coppola called Distant Vision,” said Beth.
For typical filming, Remi would live in Los Angeles for three months and then come home for three months. This lifestyle was typical for child actors, to balance the acting and home life. Sticking to the schedule and being on time is one of the most important aspects of the job, and taught Remi responsibility, she explained. Remi also mentioned that the schedule was tedious, being laid out by five minute increments each day. For a typical day on set, Remi would start early. Depending on the location, Remi would usually begin in the trailer with hair and makeup, and then transition to the set to film the scenes for that day.
“It was just so cool being there and it was a whole different world, in such a good way,” Remi told Spark. “I just loved it.”
Going between seasons, Remi booked her first “big role” when she was nine years old. The first major TV show she appeared in was “Ten Days in the Valley” on ABC where she played a flashback version of Kyra Sedgwick who played Jane Sadler.
“I would spend half of the year in Los Angeles and half my years here at home,” said Remi. The three months on and off process is called “pilot season” when Remi would go to Los Angeles in the spring and “episodic season” when Remi would return to Los Angeles in the fall.
During auditions, sometimes lines are given to the actors a day or even an hour before the audition. Remi, had to adapt to the quick memorization, leaving her with the skill she called “monster memory.”
“I had a ton of auditions every day and they would range from one or two pages to sometimes six and you could never look at them,” said Remi, “So I learned to memorize very well with my mom.”
The patience that was needed for hours of filming could be difficult for children. Remi was typically playing a smaller role, so there were longer periods of waiting between takes. Once in her scene, Remi would do multiple takes and shoot different angles until the producers got what they envisioned for the scene.
Filming in Los Angeles, Remi had the experience of meeting popular actors. Typically, she was brought these opportunities during auditions ot roles.
“I met Keira Knightley from “Pride and Prejudice” when I was auditioning for a role and they had me read with her,” said Remi. “I fangirled so much and ended up crying so I think that’s why I didn’t get the role,” said Remi between laughs.
Remi also met the entire cast of the popular Disney Channel show “Liv and Maddie.” Often, kids shows airing on Disney Channel had live audiences for laugh tracks, which Remi got to experience firsthand once.
“That day was one of my favorites because, after the show, I got to meet the whole cast, where I was super excited about meeting Dove Cameron,” said Remi.
However, the acting journey was not only new roles and meeting celebrities for Remi. While it has its perks, the acting industry also has a different side that Remi witnessed as well. Before Remi was signed on with Heyman Talent and AKA Talent, a different agency had suggested coolsculpting for Remi.
“Remi was probably eight or nine when the owner suggested coolsculpting (a cosmetic treatment that freezes excess skin to remove it from stubborn areas),” said Beth. “Your kid is your kid and I would never want to change anything about her, so that was when I immediately cut ties with that person and we worked somewhere else.”
Remi learned about how the acting world worked very quickly, and it was difficult for her to have experiences like this. “I was a child and already being told I need to change my appearance so that I can succeed in the world,” said Remi.
This was not the only time where Remi’s appearance took a role in her upbringing. Remi explained she noticed a common experience during auditions and who would actually book roles.
“They would rather hire someone who’s 13 and looks 9 or 8 than actually hire a 9 or 8-year-old who can only work a certain amount of hours a week,” said Remi.
Often, Remi would be close to getting a role, but because she matured quickly in her looks, the role would typically go to a girl younger- looking than her. The idea in child acting is the actor should look and seem younger than they really are.
“The rejection was one of the hardest parts,” said Beth. “I would always make sure to let Remi know that there wasn’t anything wrong with her.”
Beth mentioned another painful aspect of the industry was having to protect Remi from online predators. Like other child actors, Remi had social media pages meant for sharing her biography and latest works. However, these pages led to her direct messages being filled with comments.
“Having a page for Remi was definitely eye-opening about online predators and adult men who wanted to talk to her when she was 10 or 11 years old,” said Beth. “Luckily, it was all through social media, so I made sure she was never exposed to any of that.”
According to Beth, with anything a child participates in, it is important for parents to always advocate for their children. It is important to be their voice. If Remi “didn’t want to do something,” they refrained from doing it.
“In any extracurricular activity, you’re trusting another with your child, and you have to be really mindful about what’s going on and paying attention to your child, making sure they are comfortable,” said Beth.
Ultimately, Beth listening to her child helped Remi to put herself first and stop acting.
“It was definitely sad for me because there were so many times she would be so close to getting a lead role,” said Beth. “She was up for a Disney show called “Coop and Cami,” and she didn’t end up getting cast, which was always really exciting for the other kids in the room but also hard for Remi.”
Before Remi stopped acting, producers and managers had her try for many lead roles and were trying to figure out where she could go, leaving Remi to feel misplaced.
“It was definitely heartbreaking to me when I didn’t get the major roles because I questioned why I wasn’t good enough,” said Remi. “I eventually was just worn out and knew I needed a break.”
Regarding recommending child acting, Beth and Remi both agree that it is not for everyone and something that you can not force your child into. Beth also noted that protecting your child is always of most importance.
Though there were hardships, Remi still managed to go about her career and do what she loved for a few years, appearing in around 12 movies, TV shows, or short films. These included “Game Shakers,” “Wicked Ones,” “Angel,” “Playground,” “Ten Days in the Valley,” “Invitation,” “Lost,” “Kayla’s World,” “Maya,” “Let There Be Peace,” “Princess for Hire,” and “Distant Vision.”
Remi still recalls positive moments of her career such as filming “Ten Days in the Valley,” “Game Shakers,” and running around on the beach in Los Angeles. Beth said that she just loved watching Remi enjoy herself. “For me, it was just seeing her being happy and having fun, those are the best parts”.
Concerning acting as a whole, Remi describes it as bittersweet. “There are really good people who make up for it, but then there are also the people that can ruin an experience,” said Remi.
Though she has dealt with her fair share of hardships, she is ultimately grateful for her acting experience. She gained a lot of experience and learned hard life lessons early on.
“I matured very quickly from acting both emotionally and responsibly,” said Remi. “I really just loved acting so much, but it was just the industry that made me leave.”
This year, Remi is introducing herself in Lakota East Broadcasting, and has a goal of featuring more news events. Over the summer, she attended a camp at Ohio University for broadcasting and said that she had “so much fun.” She even hopes to have a news broadcasting career in her future.
“I’m excited for potential jobs, and I really want to be involved in video journalism,” said Remi. Continuing her love, Remi will still intertwine her past experiences in her hopeful future jobs. “I will still be in front of the camera, just in a different context.”
