Eleven-year-old Brandon Spink is having the best year of his young acting career. In the first few months of 2016, he has already given great performances in three major motion pictures and one network television series, appearing alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Currently, Spink can be seen on the silver screen in the latest comedy from director Garry Marshall, “Mother’s Day.” In the flick, he plays Peter, the son of Jennifer Aniston and Timothy Olyphant’s characters.
“It was so fun working with all these great people,” Spink told HNGN during an exclusive interview. “Jennifer Aniston’s a really good actor. She makes things so funny, and she’s really sweet. Timothy Olyphant was really nice too.”
As for Marshall, Spink said he didn’t realize just how important the renowned director was until he started working with him. “I didn’t know he was that big,” the preteen recalled. “I started to figure things out when I met him. He’s so cool, so fun. It was such an honor to work with him.”
Spink has been acting since he was in the first grade. ”I started doing theater because I thought it would be fun - and I really liked it,” he explained. “It just took off from there.”
One thing that has helped Spink score such high-profile roles is his home base of Marietta, Ga., which is only a short drive away from Atlanta, a city that’s become a prime location for studio productions in recent years. Not only did he film “Mother’s Day” in the ATL, but also “Game of Silence” (he plays Petey in the TV series, which is currently airing on NBC) and “Miracles from Heaven.”
In the movie “Miracles from Heaven,” which opened in theaters in March, Spink played Billy, a good friend to Anna (Kylie Rogers), the lead character who miraculously gets cured of a chronic illness after a near-death experience. “He kind of protects Anna while she’s being bullied by the other kids, and he has a little crush on her,” the actor said about his on-screen persona.
Anna’s mother was played by Jennifer Garner, who Spink revealed often brought her three kids to the set with her. “It was so amazing that I got to work with her,” he added.
Did working on this flick - which was based on a memoir by author Christy Beam - make Spink a believer in wondrous phenomenons? “It did make me realize there are miracles always all around us,” he said.
While not quite a miracle, one of the most marvelous roles Spink has been paid to play so far is young Bruce Wayne in this year’s blockbuster “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The self-proclaimed Batman fan called the experience both “crazy” and “awesome.”
Spink had to travel to Chicago and Detroit to shoot this flick, but didn’t mind one bit. While he only got to work with actor Jeremy Irons, who played butler Alfred, he did get to meet the older version of his character, played, of course, by Ben Affleck. “He did a really good job,” Spink said about his new favorite Batman.
When not working, Spink likes to do what all other young boys do: play video games (especially “Madden NFL 16”) and baseball (the Atlanta Braves fan can be found pitching or at second base). “I’m good at football [too],” he added, “but I don’t really play [much] because of my acting - I don’t want to get hurt.”
He also pals around with younger brothers Cooper, 5, and Roman, 9, who is also an actor. “Whenever Roman has to learn a script, I help him with it,” he admitted.
Spink is in the mix for some new projects, which he can’t talk about just yet. While he loves both mediums, he said he prefers starring in movies “because you could play different characters all the time and, in TV shows, you have to stay the one character.”
Who would his dream co-star be? “Leonardo DiCaprio - he’s my favorite actor!”
For more on Brandon Spink, visit his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
