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Bebhinn Priest is not your typical 7-year-old.
The Sacred Heart School first-grader was leading a seemingly normal life until a talent agent spotted her during a competition in New York last July.
Now, the brown-haired, hazel-eyed girl is caught up in a Hollywood whirlwind, and her first acting job is to portray a young Elizabeth Taylor during the actress' televised birthday celebration. The event, honoring Taylor's 65th birthday, will be taped live on Sunday and aired later this month on ABC. "Happy Birthday, Elizabeth - A Celebration of Life" will benefit the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. The black-tie gala carries a $10,000-per-plate price tag.
Michael Jackson is a major player in the event and made the final selection for some participants, including Bebhinn.
Bebhinn (pronounced Bevin) and her 4-year-old brother, Christopher, moved with their parents, Jim and Cheri Priest of Warsaw, to the Los Angeles area just after the first of the year.
Rather than going to school daily, Bebhinn is homeschooled by her mother. Cheri said her daughter is very pleased with the current direction of her life, which includes a manager and the ability to jump at the beep of a pager.
Bebhinn's career goals began while watching a child on a television commercial and telling her mom: "I could do that." She was already taking dancing lessons at Deb Collier, and after making up her mind that she could act, Cheri said, "she kept bugging me, so I looked in the yellow pages." That led Bebhinn to Charmaine School & Model Agency. While Bebhinn wanted to be an actress rather than a model, the experience got her foot in the door, according to her mother.
"They're a good school and they have the connections," Cheri said of Charmaine Agency.
While Bebhinn was modeling for Charmaine Agency, she appeared in Crochet World (October 1996), a national magazine.
When Bebhinn took part in the July competition, she won awards in the acting categories despite having no formal training. She was then scouted by agents from New York and Los Angeles before Charmaine Agency placed her with MGC & Associates in Los Angeles.
"She's been lucky," Cheri said. "She's been in the right place at the right time. ... We didn't expect the response she got."
Bebhinn was signed to a three-year contract, but the family plans to return to Warsaw in June. Jim and Cheri are on leaves of absence from their jobs at Zimmer. Bebhinn doesn't have to remain in California, but will travel back and forth depending on whether parts are available.
Cheri said the family will remain in L.A. until June to allow Bebhinn to audition for television shows and movies for the fall pilot season, which begins this week. She already tried out for a Barbie commercial, but she hasn't learned yet whether she got that part.
The family has taken advantage of sightseeing in the Los Angeles area, but must carry a pager with them wherever they go. "We have to be available any time for auditions," Cheri said, adding that when the beeper goes off, "we've got to be ready to go."
Cheri describes her daughter as "very grown up for her age" and said she related well with the adults who interviewed her prior to being chosen for the part in the Taylor birthday show.
However, the family wouldn't be in L.A. at all if Bebhinn didn't want to be there. "We wouldn't have pushed," Cheri said. "It was her idea." She added that she viewed this as an opportunity of a lifetime for Bebhinn and the Priest family.
