Local Girl Gets a Spot in Schenectady Movie

An extremely lucky young girl is about to share the screen with two of Hollywood's most delicious leading men!

Cameras are rolling in the Electric City! Filming for the new Bradley Cooper/Ryan Gosling flick "The Place Beyond the Pines" has begun and 14 year-old Kayla Smalls of Duanesburg just made hundreds of females in the Capital District jealous by scoring a speaking role in the movie.

Kayla apparently waited eight hours for an audition that took about five minutes. She must have been convincing since she beat out everyone else looking to spend some time on-screen with the likes of Gosling and Cooper. Even a bout of stage fright didn't deter Smalls from standing in line with her brother, who also auditioned for a role in the movie. There are few details about her scenes so far, and Kayla hasn't received her script yet. She did, however, learn she will be doing her scenes with Eva Mendes, who will play her mother in the film.

Something else unique about our newest local starlet - she's not an actress. Her main focus in school is geared toward forensic science, but went to the audition because her brother wanted to try out. Kayla did mention that if doing this movie helped her overcome her stage fright, and if she enjoyed it enough, she might consider giving acting a second chance.

"The Place Beyond the Pines" is slated for a 2013 release; Gosling takes on the role of pro-motorcycle stunt-man turned thief Luke, while Cooper landed the role of Avery Cross, a cop who sets his sights on catching Luke.