Christmas dream role for Zoe Warner
Rick in Oz
What a rein-dear!
Zoe Warner lives her Christmas teen dream in new film Blizzard
By JIM SLOTEK -- Toronto Sun
It was a fairy-tale existence -- literally and figuratively -- for Zoe
Warner last year when she came to Toronto to film the Santa-and-his-reindeer
fable Blizzard.
Sadly, teenagers tend to disbelieve fairy tales.
"It was really bad because nobody would believe me when I got home," says
the born-to-shop L.A. actress who turns 16 this month.
"I'd been in Canada for three months and it was like, 'Where were you? What
were you doing?' -- 'Oh I was starring in this movie.' And they were, like,
'Sure.'
"Now my name is coming up on internet sites and they're, like, 'Zoe, you're
actually doing something!' And I'm, like, 'Wha'didya think I was doing all
that time?'
Since then, her disbelieving friends have seen Blizzard with their own eyes.
"Everyone likes it. It's such a good, teary sad movie. My friends were
laughing at me of course, 'cause I was talking to a reindeer."
The Canadian-produced movie, directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation
alumnus LeVar Burton, features Whoopi Goldberg as the voice of the CGI title
character, a miscreant young reindeer who breaks all the rules up at the
North Pole (actually Quebec City). The film opens Dec. 12.
Blizzard's biggest crime is to make himself known to Katie (Warner), a
heart-sick young figure skater circa 1940s whose teacher dies, and who moves
to the big city where she's tormented by all the other figure skater girls.
In the process of setting Katie's life straight, Blizzard gets himself in
deep, culminating in a court trial presided over by Santa (Christopher
Plummer). There, Katie steps in to save Blizzard.
"I was a nervous wreck that day (with Plummer). "I really wanted to impress
him, so I was very nervous about making a good impression. I'd seen The
Sound Of Music, so I knew who he was. It went great, the whole Santa Claus
scene was amazing and Quebec City was so beautiful with all the castles."
Auditioning was another story. "I was really sick for my first audition. I
wanted to stay in bed, but my manager said 'Y'know what? I really think this
is right for you.' And I went and I did a crying scene and everything, and
they called me back. The last audition I had was with LeVar, and he was
working on Star Trek (Nemesis) and he was wearing these creepy contacts, and
he's, like, 'Just pretend that I'm Blizzard.' So I'm pretending he's a cute
reindeer and having to stare in those weird eyes."
A keen blader, Warner found ice-skating somewhat different. "I didn't know
how to stop. I picked up on the turns and jumps easily. But I'd run into
walls and stuff."
She also became good friends with onscreen tormentor, Brittany Bristow,
daughter of producers/screenwriters Leif and Agnes Bristow. Luckily the two
characters become friends, too, in the course of the movie. "It was great to
have somebody to hang out with. We really liked each other in real life.
Every day we'd get to the set and joke around, 'Are we friends today, or
enemies?' "
Back home, fame is fleeting. Warner is back on the audition circuit, up
against all the wannabe Lindsay Lohans and Hilary Duffs.
"I tend to play 13. But I can't tell you how many auditions I go on and they
want, like, a 15-year-old, and it's always like 20-year-old girls waiting.
It's, like, 'Is your sister here reading?' 'No, it's me!' And it's, like,
'Oh, are you sure, sweetie?' -- y'know, patting me on the head."
But revenge will be hers. "I'll be a woman in my '30s playing 20," she says,
with a laugh.
From Sunny Oz, Rick :)
Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.