Until two months ago, Taylor Firth's acting experience consisted of helping youngsters at her church - The Chapel at CrossPoint in Getzville - do skits as part of a drama team during Sunday morning worship services.
Beyond that, however, any performing that the Grand Island resident did was reserved for the ice at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena or in similar venues throughout North America. As one of the top 20 women's figure skaters in the United States, she was perfectly content to merely let her athleticism and her passion for the sport do her talking.
That all changed in February.
In the grandest way imaginable.
All it took was a curious producer, a pair of conscientious coaches and some God-given talent to land her a starring role on a remake of "Ice Castles,'' a movie first shown on the big screen three decades ago.
"Everyone has different things they're good at,'' said Firth, who turns 18 on Thursday. "Everyone is equal, with their own talents and gifts, and using them to the best of their ability.''
Firth has practiced what she's been preaching.
And Hollywood has apparently taken notice.
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Kirk Wyse and Lenel van den Berg have been the co-directors of the Jamestown Skating Academy for more than 20 years. During that time, they have helped 89 students pass their Gold test; have traveled with countless others to regional, national and international competitions in the United States and Europe; and have assisted in helping many others land roles in professional ice shows.
But for all their successes, Wyse and van den Berg will be the first to tell you that they've also been very fortunate and, in some cases, downright lucky.
Take, for instance, what happened to them in February.
"I was on the computer,'' Wyse said, "and I just happened to check our 'spam' folder.''
In it, miraculously enough, was an e-mail from a casting agent in Hollywood, who was looking for a figure skater for a movie that was about to be made. The man had seen video of Firth's skating talents on YouTube and was interested in her for the starring role in "Ice Castles,'' which premiered the first time in 1978.
"We called the casting company immediately and they asked if she was available,'' Wyse recalled. "We said, 'Yeah, she could be made available.' From there, they sent us the script, we called her and told her this was something she should take seriously and it could happen.''
Guess what?
It has.
The Jamestown Skating Academy student just completed filming the movie and has returned to Western New York to prepare for "Excellence On Ice,'' which will feature two shows Saturday.
"I absolutely loved what I was doing,'' said Firth, who noted the movie, which is being produced by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group's Stage 6 Films, is scheduled to be released about the same time as the Winter Olympics in February. "I love acting and being in front of the camera and doing something that was out of my comfort zone. ... My skating showed the crew that I wasn't just an actress, but that I was an athlete.''
Originally, Firth was expected to do only the skating in the movie - another young woman was going to do the acting - but she so impressed director Donald Wrye during her initial reading in Toronto, that he decided to have her fill both roles. Wrye also directed the original film.
"For a figure-skating movie, it's a good idea to have a figure skater,'' Firth said. "The director helped me understand what they needed for each scene. I feel it's going to be a great film.''
Filming was done in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a location that Firth described as "heaven on earth.'' Five days a week, 10 hours a day for six weeks, she learned what it was like to be in front of a camera, much of the time while skating on a frozen pond.
"It was a lot of work,'' she said. "We'd go through a scene 10, 12, 20 times. ... Every day when I got to the set there were script changes. In all honesty, I gave up learning my lines the night before.''
Instead, Firth, who plays the role of a champion figure skater who loses her sight, was a quick enough study to memorize them during rehearsals the next day.
Teamed with Rob Mayes - the pair are featured in this week's issue of People magazine - Firth ultimately perseveres and begins competing in figure skating again. Other cast members include Henry Caerny and Molly Oberstar. Olympic star Michelle Kwan has a cameo appearance, as do Firth's parents, Mike and Pattie.
"It was one of the best experiences of my life,'' Firth said. " ... I would stand on that pond and it was just breathtaking.''
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When Firth, who was accompanied by her mother for the duration of the filming, returned to Grand Island earlier this week, sisters Shannon, Chelsea and Sierra were glad to have her home ... within reason.
In fact, when Firth got out of the car, she half expected one of her siblings to help with the suitcases.
The response?
"I'm not taking that for you!''
Hearing that, Firth knew she was finally home - movie star or not.
"I'm lucky I have my sisters to keep me stable,'' she said. "If something comes of this, I would want to keep that (normalcy). I don't want anything to change.''
To that end, Firth will be where she always is for "Excellence On Ice'' this weekend- on the ice, performing for her family, her friends and her fans; for Wyse and van den Berg; and for her God.
"I know none of this would have happened without him,'' she said. "I want to acknowledge it for what it is. It's not me. He's given me everything to get through it.''
With that in mind, one can only imagine the stories the 100 or so kids from The Chapel's drama team are going to hear in the Sundays to come.
