At first they turned down the offer.
But after careful consideration, Charlie and Harrison Halpenny of St. Thomas had a change of heart.
And the result hits movie screens this week at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The largest independent film festival in the U.S.
The 12-year-old identical twins appear in the highly anticipated romantic/horror flick My Animal, filmed last winter in Timmins, Ontario.
That was Charlie Halpenny. He and his brother, who previously appeared as extras in several productions, are in Grade 7 at Pierre Elliott Trudeau French Immersion School in St. Thomas.
The first thing you notice about the Halpenny twins is their hair. An abundance of wild, red hair which may very well be their ticket to fame.
Harrison notes hair is part of their contract.
The film has already been picked up by Paramount, which has acquired the global distribution rights to the film, excluding Canada.
They are cast as Cooper and Hardy in the in the movie which revolves around a teenage hockey goalie in a small northern town who falls for a figure skater.
Harrison explains how it was decided which twin would play which movie twin.
The brothers spent two months last winter filming in Timmins, while maintaining their Grade 6 studies when not on set.
With plenty of script lines to memorize, Harrison admits that took effort and concentration.
However, that was not as much of a problem as the salty language in the dialogue.
Something definitely not permitted at home.
Back to their distinctive hair, Charlie notes that called for a different treatment for the two of them.
The brothers began their acting careers with small parts in winter productions at the Princess Avenue Playhouse in St. Thomas.
My animal is directed by Jacqueline Castel, an international award-winning director and screenwriter based out of New York City.
Written by Ian McCallum
