Newport youngster jetting off to US for trip to create his own showreel
An aspiring young actor has earned a dream trip to Hollywood after auditioning in front of a movie star.
Jake Campbell, of Greenacres Way, Newport, auditioned with the Celebrity Talent Academy in Birmingham.
Amongst the judges were casting agents and one of his heroes, 13-year-old Aedin Mincks, who starred in Ted.
And 12-year-old Jake, who had no previous acting experience, impressed so much that he was one of 15 children selected from a pool of 100 to earn a five-day trip to Universal Studios in Hollywood in July.
He will meet celebrities, will learn about the acting industry and will have a chance to produce a professional showreel that he can use when auditioning for other roles.
Jake, a pupil at Burton Borough School in Newport, said: "We had to do an advert for Flintstones Vitamins and read out a short paragraph.
"It was a bit nerve-wracking. It's really exciting to think I'll be going to Hollywood later in the year. They said we'll be doing rehearsals and working with celebrities."
Jakes' mum Leah Campbell signed him up for the auditions after hearing an advert on the radio.
But Mrs Campbell will not be able to go with Jake as she is due to give birth on Saturday.
He will instead be accompanied by his grandmother and her partner.
Jake discovered he had been selected the day after the audition, on Sunday.
Mrs Campbell said: "He's always wanted to be an actor so I booked him in for an audition.
"It was his first ever audition and he did really well. He was really calm and collected.
"He's absolutely over the moon. Jake has never been out of this country so to go to Hollywood is going to be a magnificent experience."
"This will be a good step on the road to becoming an actor."
