Anyone who follows my site and my twitter feed knows that one of my all-time favorite actors is Brennan Elliott, and in many ways, I have him to thank for bringing the enchanting Madison Brydges to my attention. He is the one who announced that she was portraying his daughter in the upcoming Hallmark film Love you Like Christmas, and I immediately contacted her for an interview. Quite ecstaticly, she agreed and shared a bit about how she got started as an actress, her current and upcoming roles, and her outlook and perspective on this business into which she has been jubilantly thrust.

RH: Madison, I am so happy we get to chat today.

MB: So am I.

Madison, how old are you?

I am twelve years old.

As I was looking up your works, I noticed that you have made some independent films before this upcoming Hallmark movie. Is that right?

Yes, I have.

This Hallmark movie is your first big movie, right?

Yes, but I have done a motion picture movie that is not out yet. Do you know the 1980’s movie called Flatliners? It is a horror movie.

Is that the one that is listed as coming out next year?

Yes, it is a remake of the 1980’s movie, and it’s supposed to come out some time next year–maybe September, but I’m not sure.

Is that the one that Kiefer Sutherland was in?

Yes, that’s the one.

Well, that is certainly one to look forward to then. {pause} So Madison, how long have you been acting?

I have been acting since I was six years old. I got into it because I’m a big competitive dancer, and so I have been performing for most of my life. I just loved seeing movies and people on TV, and I thought that one day I wanted to do that. I am so proud of how much I’ve been able to do in acting so far in my career.

How long have you been doing competitive dance?

I started dancing when I was around eighteen months old. Then I started doing competitions when I was two years old.

Wow! So what kind of dance have you learned? Like what styles?

Oh my, so many. I do jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, pointe… pretty much anything you can think of I probably do. {laughs} I am very happy to be a part of Dimensions in Dance Studio and represent them as I continue on in this journey.

That is amazing! Do you still do all this dance stuff while you’re doing the acting stuff?

Oh yes, I do, so I’m very, very busy.

That is impressive! I have talked with other kids who have done dance and acting, but you’re the first one I’ve talked to who has done competitive dancing and acting!

I usually audition about two times a week ’cause I don’t get auditions very often because I’m doing so much dance. But I obviously get to still do a lot of auditions, which is good for me. It’s hard because I do twenty-six hours of dance each week. But I’m grateful to my acting coach Stacey. She is definitely the best acting coach I’ve ever had.

How do you fit school into your schedule?

Well, there are days when I can’t go to school. Maybe I have an audition or I’m filming or I have a very long day of dance. But I always try to keep my grades up because if I keep my grades up, that just helps me in the long run. When I grow up, I want to make sure I have a good life. I do want to be a huge actor in Hollywood maybe or a big dancer on Broadway. I like my school, and I like my friends there. Now, I am a child, so sometimes I do get pretty tired. {laughs} But I try to keep going with my busy schedule and life as much as I can. I just love all the opportunities I’ve been given.

When you are filming, is there a tutor on set to help you?

For the Hallmark one, Love You Like Christmas, I was away from school for a whole month. So then I had to be homeschooled with a teacher. For Flatliners, I wasn’t there for several days in a row. I had to report to set on different days, so schoolwork wasn’t an issue.

It is great to hear that you value your school and try to keep your grades up. Some of the students I teach think they want to become an actor because it will be easy and they won’t have to go to school any more.

It’s definitely not easy! You might go to an audition, and you don’t get it. Then you might go to two others, and you still might not get it. Sometimes you have to go to lots of auditions before you finally get one. It’s really hard. When I was little, I used to think that I wouldn’t have to go to school any more if I became an actor. But now that I think of it, my school is really important. And if I keep up with school, maybe I’ll be able to become a better actor because I’ll understand more things.

Madison, what was your first professional job in acting?

You mean like what started me in acting? Well, it wasn’t really a TV thing. It was a huge production, and I was the lead. It was called Numbers, and it was going on in Toronto. It was probably the best production I’ve ever done. Lucas Press was the director. Oh, he was amazing. Rebecca Reinhart–she was the best choreographer. They were just so supportive, and it was amazing how this all went together. So many people came the first day to see it, and I was just in awe of these people who came. And when I was on stage, it was just so amazing.

The next thing that came up for me a festival thing called Nayan and the Evil Eye. It wasn’t a big part, but it was so amazing. Everybody was so kind. It was a cold day that day I was filming, but they were so nice, and I couldn’t have thanked them any more than I did.

I’m so glad to hear reports like this. Sometimes people get the idea that actors aren’t nice or they might be mean to kids, but it’s so nice to hear that’s not the way it is. 

I think most people in acting are really nice. At least the ones I have met are.

The reason I found you is that Brennan Elliott, one of my favorite actors, was sharing pictures from Love You Like Christmas, and I was so glad to find you. How did you happen to get the role in this film?

I went for an audition, and everybody was so nice. I was so nervous though, because of course, everybody when they go to audition really wants the role. And I knew this was for a pretty big channel. After all, Hallmark is a pretty big channel. So I went in and did the scene and at the end, everybody was clapping and laughing and saying “Good job.”  Then a week later, I got an email that I got the role. And in the blink of an eye, I’m in Toronto filming for a month on a Hallmark movie. It was fast, but it was amazing.

Since this was your first Hallmark movie, what was the on-set atmosphere like?

Well, I don’t have any words for it. Everybody was so polite and so helpful. One of the crew members made me laugh every single day. He just put a smile on my face every morning. If I was tired or even if I had a little cold, he made me smile every single day I was on that set. The environment was amazing including my time with Brennan Elliott. They were so supportive, and they knew I was still learning as I was going on in the film. They always let me know everything I needed to know on set. I benefited so much from all of that. And the crew members were helpful on that set. They weren’t even actors, and they did so much work. And the director, Graeme {Campbell}, always had a little smile on his face. He would say, “How are you doing? Good morning. Are you awake?” Everybody was just so amazing on that set.  I couldn’t thank them enough.

That is so great to hear. I know Brennan has tweeted about you several times. And of course, he’s very nice anyway. He always has such good things to say about people ’cause that’s how he is. There will definitely be a lot of people tuning in because he has an incredible fan base that is very supportive, and basically if he’s in something, his fans watch it. Often more than once. And not only does he promote his works, but he takes an active interest in those he has worked with.

This is great! I’m really excited now!

Switching gears a bit, did you film Flatliners before Love You Like Christmas?

Yes, I filmed it last year actually. And this movie will be in theaters. It is a motion picture.

How did you get the role in Flatliners?

I went in for the first audition, and I just said a couple lines. They thought it was good, and there was a callback. I went to the callback, and I did my stuff there. They liked it. Then about three weeks later, I got the email that I was in Flatliners. I was over the moon to get in it. Ellen Page, Nina Dobrev, Kiersey Clemons–the whole cast–they were just amazing.

Was that one filmed in Toronto as well?

Yes, it was filmed in Toronto. In some scenes, it was filmed near the Toronto pier, but most of it as just filmed near the city.

Horror films are not something I typically watch. I have not even seen the original film that this movie was a remake of. But were you familiar with the original film?

I’m definitely like you. I’m not that much into horror films. But when I got on there, everything seemed so familiar. Before I started filming, I was afraid that I was going to feel creeped out about everything ’cause it’s a horror movie. But when I got on there, I looked at everything and was like, “This is all special effects.” Then when I watched playbacks of scenes we just filmed, it was amazing. I was pretty familiar with it, but I’m not the best horror little girl. {laughs}

So is there anything else you have coming up that you can mention?

I don’t have anything else coming up right now, but I am waiting on one role I hope to get. This has been a really long wait on this role. We were supposed to find out last September.

Oh my goodness! 

I think they’re still just figuring everything out.  It is a very impatient wait, but it will the best when you hear the results that you want to hear.

With your busy schedule, do you ever get free time so that you can do other things?

{laughs} Well, I only have two days off every week. Monday and Friday. Maybe on Mondays after school, me and my mom and dad will go out for ice cream and then come home and I’ll play with my friends. Maybe on Friday we go to the mall or we just come home and play with the dog and the cat.

What’s good about that is it sounds like your parents have worked it out that you do get some down time. They realize that they don’t want you to burn out.

My parents are so supportive, and I wouldn’t be able to do all that I do without them!

After speaking with Madison, I cannot tell you how much her professionalism, humility, and pragmatism impressed me. At the age of twelve, she is more attuned to what genuinely matters in this world than some people who have spent three times her years on this planet. While I have yet to see her act, there is no doubt in my mind that she will give an exemplary performance that will propel her into the realm of “child star,” at least by television network standards. Notwithstanding, I do not believe that rapid success nor perceived failure will change her drive, her competitive edge, her bright disposition, nor her joie de vivre. She spoke freely and with conviction about every opportunity she has been handed in her life, and she is always ready to hone her skills in whatever realm of show business she finds herself. I invite everyone to tune in Sunday night, December 11th, to the Hallmark Channel and be sure to catch Madison in her first broadcast movie role in the film Love You Like Christmas. Furthermore, I invite you to follow her at the links below and support the career of this young starlet whose career is definitely on the steady ascent as she continues to keep herself grounded in this captivating universe in which she is currently finding her wings.

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