Is Fort Mill girl’s dream coming true? Screen time with Helen Mirren a good start

She might not be a household name at the moment, but that could change sooner than later for a local rising child star who recently made her feature film debut.

Fort Mill’s Mylie Stone, 10, daughter of Mike and Paula Stone, appears in the romantic dramady “The Leisure Seeker,” which opened in New York City and Los Angeles March 9 and opens in select Charlotte theaters Friday. It will show at Regal Ballantyne Village Stadium and Regal Manor Twin in Charlotte and at AMC Concord Mills in Concord.

The film stars two-time Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as a couple taking one last road trip in their faithful RV they call “The Leisure Seeker,” before his Alzheimer’s and her cancer catch up with them. The story line of the movie has been compared to the popular film “The Notebook.”

Mylie plays the part of Emily Ward, daughter of Jennifer Ward, played by Kirsty Mitchell.

‘No other word except surreal’

Mylie appears in the scene in which Jennifer Ward recognizes her former teacher, John Spencer (Sutherland). That scene was filmed in Atlanta, but most of the movie was filmed in Italy.

When the Stone family arrived on the set, they discovered that Mylie had her own trailer with her character’s name on it. She also had two Italian designers dressing her and a hairstylist working with her on set.

“(The trailer) was all cute. It had lights everywhere,” Mylie said.

It was all a bit hard to believe, said Paula Stone.

“Hearing the crew on their walkie talkies saying that they have Mylie Stone on set. Watching them cater to her…I was like, ‘Whoa, is this really happening? There’s no other word except for surreal,” Paula said.

“I couldn’t believe it for sure,” agreed Mike Stone. “It was exciting for all of us.”

Paula and Mylie flew to New York on opening weekend to see “The Leisure Seeker” in person. Mylie doesn’t just appear in the film, but does have a line in the scene with Sutherland.

“It was weird, because (the screen) was so giant,” Mylie said. “I was like, ‘Oh wow, there’s me,’” She laughed. “Weird, but cool.”

When the credits played at the end and Mylie’s name came up, “I lost it,” mom said.

‘Full steam ahead’

Mylie has always loved the camera and the stage, her mom said.

Mylie first got a taste of the spotlight when she was just 18 months old.

One of her older brothers was in the musical “Seussical” at Nation Ford High School and they needed a baby to play the part of a baby elephant bird. When the show was over, the audience started clapping and “she looked around in awe,” and smiled and clapped herself,” Paula said.

“As a mom, you could see the moment she fell in love,” she said. “It was full steam ahead from that moment on.”

Since her acting debut as a toddler, Mylie has appeared in dozens of live dance performances, auditioned for and earned roles in music videos, appeared in a handful of musical theater performances and half a dozen TV shows and movies. She was a featured dancer in a performance in Times Square, she has danced during an NFL half time performance with Jordin Sparks and has walked the runway in Charlotte Fashion Week.

She appeared in the Cinemax show “Outcast,” the Paramount Pictures film “Captive” and had roles in the movies “Echoes of a Note” “Basements Aren’t Scary” and “A Snap in Time.”

Mylie works with an agent and an acting coach and regularly travels to Atlanta for auditions.

Her most visible role to date was a big speaking part in an episode of the TLC network television show “A Haunting,” which aired on Halloween night in 2016. Mylie said she enjoys the horror genre.

“It’s a challenge and I get excited when we can make it look real. It’s like dressing up for Halloween but in front of a big camera,” Mylie said.

‘She’s a chameleon’

“It’s pretty wild to watch her go from off camera to on camera and off again. She’s like a chameleon, she blends in to her surroundings and adapts perfectly,” Paula said.

But when the lights go down, she’s just like any other 10-year-old girl, mom said.

“When Mylie comes off set, it’s as if she just got home from school. She never wants to make a big deal of it. All she wants is ice cream and to be able to make slime,” her mom laughs.

Not surprisingly, Mylie wants to be an actress and dreams of moving to New York City and making a name for herself.

“Like, Fort Mill is good, but it’s so slow, it’s so quiet,” Mylie explains. “Time Square’s awesome. I love that place.”

“We’ll end up moving to Atlanta, probably sooner rather than later,” Paula said. “This is what she loves.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Is Fort Mill girl’s dream coming true? Screen time with Helen Mirren a good start."