Young actress enthusiastic and professional

If enthusiasm was all it took to become a movie star, Madison Pettis would be huge. Even more huge than Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise.

The 9-year-old actress was practically bouncing off the walls as she discussed her film debut in "The Game Plan." At one point, she even jumped up on a couch, in a rough approximation of Tom Cruise's infamous appearance on Oprah Winfrey's TV show.

"I'm sorry," Madison said with a giggle, "I'm just really excited to talk about the movie. I had such a good time making it."

She was in Salt Lake City recently to promote the comedy, which stars former WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Madison plays Peyton, the biological daughter of Johnson's character, spoiled professional football player Joe "The King" Kingman.

"People might try to tell you that Dwayne is the star of the movie, but it's really me," she jokingly boasted. "No, I'm just kidding. He's the reason people are going to go. I'm just along for the ride."

Madison's professional acting experience prior to the film is mostly in television, including guest shots on "Barney & Friends," "Hannah Montana," "The 4400," and as a regular on the Disney Channel's "Cory in the House."

She has the poise of actors who are many times her age. In fact, both co-star Johnson and director Andy Fickman, who visited Salt Lake City with her, say they were in awe of how relaxed and natural she was throughout the filming.

"I honestly think I was more nervous than she was most of time," Johnson said.

Literally hundreds of youngsters auditioned for the part of Peyton, but it was the rather brazen Madison who quickly made the biggest impression on Fickman and Johnson.

"She just walked into the room, sat down right next to us and introduced herself," Fickman said. "All the other actresses were just standing around, several feet away, holding onto their head shots."

Madison recalls things a little differently. "There weren't any other seats available in the room. Where did they expect me to sit?"

She quickly added, "I was convinced I blew it right off the bat. All I could get out was, 'Hello, I'm Madison. Who are you?"'

Johnson jokingly attributed that awkward moment to Madison being star-struck. But she insists she had no idea who Johnson was before they made the movie together. "I had never seen him wrestle, and my parents don't even let me watch his movies (all of which have been rated R for PG-13 until the PG 'Game Plan')."

Being mindful of her co-star, however, she quickly added: "Don't tell him that, OK? I think it might hurt his feelings."

Both Madison and Johnson insist they formed a strong bond working together. "I know he has a daughter," she said, "so he got a little overprotective of me. Sometimes it got a little embarrassing."

Despite her professional, almost adult, demeanor, Madison is still very much a kid. She says that in her off time, she enjoys goofing around and dancing.

She said she was thrilled to perform in a couple of ballet scenes in the movie. "We got to perform with the Boston Ballet — even Dwayne. Seriously, how cool is that?"

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com

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