That's what 11-year-old Gara Lonning of Decorah received when a Hollywood actor declined a starring roll in a recent movie filmed in LaCrosse.
The actor, Elle Fanning, little sister to the more well-known Dakota Fanning, was asked to play the part of 9-year-old Gertie, a WWII-era barber's daughter, who strikes up a friendship with a German teen housed in a prisoner of war camp at Fort McCoy. When she didn't take the part, Gara jumped at the chance to audition.
The bonus
The story is based on the real-life adventures of Gara's grandmother, Micki (Stirn) Connor, a native of Lansing.
The screenplay, written by Gara's aunt (and Connor's daughter), Kate Connor, is the story of a barber who moves to a POW camp in Wisconsin in the 1940s. While Gara's great-grandfather, Leo, is portrayed as a barber in the movie, he was really an electrician who moved to Fort McCoy to work as a civilian on the base.
Gara's mother, Kealy Connor Lonning, said she remembers her mother's stories about the family living in a little house in the woods, connected to the base.
"It was right by the POW camp and they had a fence to keep the kids in," said Kealy, adding the prisoners were primarily Japanese and German.
"The movie tells about them living there, and my mom still cries when she talks about it," said Kealy.
In real-life, Micki (renamed Gertie for the movie), befriended a German POW, Heinrich, who was approximately 13 years old.
"I remember stories of how my Grandma Milli made apple kuchen (apple pancakes) and fed it to the kid. My mother got to know him. In the movie, Gertie has a crush," said Kealy.
Getting started
Gara said she was thrilled when her aunt called her and asked if she would consider auditioning for the movie.
"I've been in the New Minowa Players' Annie, the Music Man, Annie Get Your Gun and Pippin, and participated in drama club for Park and Rec," said Gara, who was also the 2007 Little Miss Laura. Her twin brother, Gable, was Little Almanzo.
While her aunt Kate doesn't remember how many girls auditioned for the part of Gertie, she said there were "a lot." She auditioned about 20 of them, while her casting director screened even more.
"It's so cool that she cast me to play my grandma," said Gara.
First attempt
According to Kealy, this was her sister Kate's first attempt at writing something for the big screen.
An actor by trade, Kate wrote the screenplay six or seven years ago and decided she'd like to have it made into a movie.
"It's an independent film, so she had to come up with the money on her own," said Kealy.
"She wanted some big people in the movie so she could be assured a good audience ... we hope it will be in theatres or on HBO or something," said Kealy.
Other Fort McCoy actors include Eric Stoltz ("Mask," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Pulp Fiction"), Brendan Fehr ("Final Destination," "Kill Me Later," "The Other Side of the Tracks"), Camryn Manheim ("Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, "Scary Movie 3," numerous television appearances, such as "The Practice," "Will and Grace," "Law and Order"), Lyndsy Fonseca ("The Young and the Restless," "Desperate Housewives"), and Seymour Cassel ("Dick Tracy," "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Indecent Proposal," "Chasing 3000").
"I also got to act with Johnny Pacar, who I've seen in Disney movies," said Gara.
"It was really hard because when I was there, I wanted to ask these movie stars all these questions, but I figured they probably don't want to talk about it ... I think I made a good choice not asking all those questions," she said.
Long, fun days
Gara stayed at the Radisson in LaCrosse during the month it took to film the movie, spending nine hours a day on set. Three of those hours were spent with a tutor each day.
"If I had to pick something that was my favorite thing, it would be hard. Everything was too much fun. Sometimes it felt too long to be there, but sometimes I felt so pepped up that no one could stop me," said Gara.
"I never knew how hard movie people work. The scene they did downtown at the Hollywood Theatre wasn't over until 3 a.m.," said Kealy.
Gara said at times it got confusing, because the scenes are never shot in the same order as they occur in the script.
"Not everyone knows they're not shot in the right order (in sequence). We shot the first scene at the end of the movie ... Since things happen in such a different order, each time I did a scene I'd have to ask them what I did before this," she said.
Family affair
But even though the days were long, Gara was constantly surrounded by family.
Aside from writing and producing the film, Gara's aunt Kate also starred in the movie, playing Gertie's mother, Milli. Kate's husband, Andy Hirsch, plays the GI, who in real-life, fell in love with Milli's younger sister. Another aunt, Kerry Connor Wacker, along with Kealy were extras in a dance hall scene. Wacker's husband, Ray, played a police officer, and their three daughters, Gara's cousins, Carlyn, Peyton and Mullen Wacker of Waukon served as extras.
"Kerry and I played two snooty ladies at the dance who snub this lady as she comes in," said Kealy, adding her oldest daughter, Moran, also was an extra.
Her oldest son, Connor, had a speaking role, playing a GI in the movie.
"Connor even got a haircut from Eric Stoltz, who plays Leo, the barber," said Kealy.
"We had three generations of family in this film. My mom, Micki, also had a cameo in the film as an extra in the dance hall scene. It was really important to us that she is in the movie." said Kealy, adding her mom's sister, Cathy (Stirn) Sullivan also played her part as the girls' grandmother, Josie Gerkey, in the film.
But even when Gara's family couldn't be at her side, Kealy said the crew looked out for her.
"I became good friends with the makeup ladies. They were really nice," said Gara.
"They were all so good to her on the set. There was this English camera man, Neal, who would say, 'Okay, Gertie, my love,' when he was giving her direction. He really took care of her," said Kealy.
Saying good-bye
When the movie was finished, both Gara and Kealy said it was difficult saying goodbye to the film set that had become their home for an entire month.
"You're just in another world. You forget what your real life is about," said Kealy.
Gara said at the end of filming, she felt "devastated" and experienced a tough transition when she had to go back to school.
"In sixth grade, you just start switching classes. I didn't know any of my teacher's names. When I got back to school it just felt so weird," she said.
The only friends Gara had been in contact with were buddies Tess Olinger and Shelby Stalberger, who had the chance to visit Gara on the set in LaCrosse.
"When I saw her with them I hadn't really realized she hadn't been around any 11-year-old girls for a while. I kind of forgot she was missing out on that," said Kealy.
"It's weird that during the movie I was so non-social because I'm the most social person you would ever meet," said Gara.
But although she missed her family and friends, Gara said, if asked, she would do it again in a minute.
"I really hope someone picks me again and that this movie gets into theaters. When I see the premier, I'm going to be like, 'That's me, I'm seeing me on a theater screen," said Gara.
Kealy shares her excitement.
"Michael Worth, who directed the movie, said, 'I'll find another part for you, Gara' ... We all just hope she did everything that they needed her to do," said Kealy.
