W
orking parents are
all too familiar with
the precarious juggle
between family and
job, but what about the increasing
number of young people combining
schoolwork and family life with
gainful employment? From acting and
modelling to photography, there are
kids taking on some serious grown-up
roles, and discovering hard work and
dedication can lead to big rewards.
The movie star
Nine-year-old Julian Feder started
modelling as a baby, but made the
personal decision at five that he
wanted to be an actor. After playing
several small roles and taking classes
with top acting coaches, Hollywood
came knocking.
The Singapore-based son of
American parents is now set to star
in the upcoming family movie
Wiener
Dog Nationals
with Morgan Fairchild.
He is also appearing in the HBO Asia
drama series
Serangoon Road
.
When filming, Julian is required
to be on set for at least eight hours a
day. “Sometimes you can have a call
time very early in the morning, and
other times you don’t have to go to set
until night-time; it really depends on
the scenes you are filming that day,”
he says.
“It is also important to be
prepared and make sure you know
your lines and how your character
would react to things… but I don’t
really think of it as hard work because
I love to act.”
A shoot can last anywhere
from a couple of weeks to a couple
of months. Despite being very
supportive of his career, Julian’s
parents insist that he place education
first. He is homeschooled with K12
International’s programme, allowing
him to keep up with his schoolwork.
“There is a set teacher on most
Gone are the days when a paper round or babysitting gig
were the only options for earning extra pocket money.
Katrina Shute
finds a growing number of kids are developing real careers and
discovering the pros and cons of being on the payroll.
kids
Career
sets during school days, so you also
go to school while working. It’s great
because it’s really flexible and allows
me to do my schoolwork and act,” he
says.
The stage diva
As with any paying job, the hours can
be tough. Pok Fu Lam pre-teen Sophie
Connell was ten years old when she
scored a coveted role as an orphan
in
Annie
, when the popular West End
musical came to Hong Kong. Three
months of rehearsals, including one
week when she clocked 40 hours,
culminated in 15 shows in four weeks.
“They were late nights and I was
really exhausted, but I still kept going
to school. It was hard to manage, but
going to school tired is better than not
going at all,” she says.
Since
Annie
, the 12-year-old has
starred in commercials, worked on
television shows and music videos
and performed voiceover work for
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