BRAWLEY NOLTE

HE WON THE HEARTS OF THE WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE AS THE KIDNAPPED BOY IN THE BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE "RANSOM"
 
 

"He made everyone move to the edge of their seats praying for his safety."

THE OUTRIGHT TEROR THAT HE WAS ABLE TO CONVEY WITHOUT SAYING A SINGLE WORD IS UNBELIEVABLE!
 

Eversince Brawley starred "Sean," the kidnapped boy in the thriller "Ransom" almost everbody wanted to know everything about him.  Well, he's just like his character in real life-- a shy, bright, precious little gem.  In fact, when people were looking forward to see him in person during the movie's premiere, he simply chose to stay away from the spotlight and just be with his friends in his hometown in California. 
 

BRAWLEY INTERVIEW ON "RANSOM"
 

Q: What all have you done? Have you done movies or television before? 

A: I've done two movies. This is my second. 

Q: What was the other movie? 

A: "Mother Night." 

Q: What do you like about acting? 

A: Oh, it's fun. You can make a lot of friends. 

Q: Do you like working in New York? 

A: Yeah. No earthquakes. 

Q: That's true, I guess, versus shooting in L.A. So, tell me about Sean. What kind of a guy is Sean? What's his family like? 

A: Hmmm, his father owns an airline called Endeavor Airlines. And I get kidnapped, and I get held for ransom. 

Q: Not a fun thing. What are these kidnappers like? Are they mean criminals? 

A: Well, some are mean and a couple are nice. 

Q: Which one's nice to you? 

A: Uh, Cubby. 

Q: Cubby. What does he do to make things nicer, or better? 

A: Well -- he's the one that talks more. He's just --- he's better than the other kidnappers. 

Q: Now, how do they kidnap Sean? Where do they kidnap him from? 

A: Hmmm, right in the park. 

Q: What's going on at the park? 

A: Uh, it's a science fair, and I have a model blimp with only one propeller. 

Q: Now, is he competing in the science fair? 

A: Yes. Well, his mother's a judge, so he can't compete. It wouldn't be fair to any of the others. But if he could compete, he'd win the science fair. 

Q: What's the best thing about acting? About being an actor? 

A: Hmmm. Well, it's fun. It's very fun. 

Q: Now, Ron Howard was -- he was a young actor with a lot of experience. Has he given you
any tips or advice? 

A: Many. A lot. 

Q: What kinds of things? What's he said? When he works with you, what kind of things does
he -- what do you guys talk about on the set, or off the set? In regards to acting. 

A: It's a very hard question. 

Q: Well, no. Let's put it this way: Don't fake it. That was really important to you in the scene you had to cry. 

A: Yeah, don't fake it. Don't fake. Go down deep in your emotions and just let it out. 

Q: Is that hard to do? 

A: Very hard. 

Q: Do you hope to keep acting? 

A: Yeah. 

Q: How did you get cast for this movie? 

A: In this movie? Well, when I finished "Mother Night," the word got out, and a whole bunch of people heard about me. And the people that were writing this movie, um, thought that I might look like Mel and Rene's son in real life. 

Q: You do. I think there's a resemblance there, maybe, in some way. Had you seen some of Mel's movies before, at all? 

A: Yes. "Road Warrior." And "Mad Max." 

Q: What kind of movies do you like, in general? 

A: Well, I like action. Sometimes I watch some drama. I like a bit of everything. 

Q: You've got another actor in your family. What have you learned from your family? 

A: Well, um, just stick with it. Just don't quit on whatever you started. And that has done a lot of good stuff in my life. 

Q: Do you feel when you're acting -- is it like learning, or is it... 

A: It's learning, and fun, in a way. 

Q: Walk me through -- try and tell me the story about this film. What goes on, overall? 

A: Well, I'm in a science fair. It's not too fair. I've made this really cool blimp. It's very cool. And I get kidnapped, and a lot of stuff happens. They handcuff me. They put a gag in my mouth, but they take it out after a little while, and they tape my eyes. And they turn on a radio up high, so I can't hear their voices. 

Q: What was it like shooting a scene? That must have taken more than a day. Was it weird being bound? 

A: Yeah. The one thing that I found out that is really irritating, is when I take the tape off. I get this outline, and there was, like, raw flesh. It really hurt. 

Q: What does your dad do? 

A: Um, he doesn't pay the ransom. He offers the same amount of money to the person that could help him find me, or find the kidnappers. 

Q: Pretty serious action. Does Mel horse around with you at all? What's he like on the set? Or is he very serious? 

A: Hmmm, he's serious. He's funny. He's very funny. If he doesn't feel like something's right in the script, he'll just play along and add some new lines that he feels should be in it. Very good at movie acting. 

Q: Is Ron a good director? 

A: Yes. He knows what it's like to be a kid actor. He gives a lot of chances, and he knows how hard it is to act when you're a child. 

Q: Going back to your character. Is Sean scared when he's with the kidnappers? 

A: Yes. He's very scared. He is afraid to talk. Very afraid to talk. He's afraid to do any sudden movements, or he thinks Jimmy might take out a gun again, or a knife. 

Q: Do they ever hurt Sean? 

A: Well, I get cut in the hand, and I've had a gun pulled up on me. I almost get hit. And I almost get buried alive. 

Q: Did they let you do your own stunts? 

A: Uh, there are no stunts. 

Q: Well, would you do your own stunts if they let you? 

A: Yes. Because I've done many, many stunts when they actually have. And I've been hit in the head with bricks before. Jumped off a trampoline, landing on my head on solid ground. And I did the same thing with a horse. Jumped off a horse. 

Q: You've got to do a big action picture next time. 

A: Yeah. The weird thing was the father kept on asking me if I was all right, and I said I was all right, and I didn't feel a thing. I didn't feel a single thing when I fell off the horse, or any of those. I didn't feel a single thing. 

Q: When you tell your friends or your family about this movie, how do you describe it? Do you say, like, an action movie? 

A: It's an action movie. It's a big drama, sort of. And it's really good. It's really good to watch. 

Q: Walk me through real quickly. Mel and Rene. Who do they play? 

A: Uh, Rene plays my mom and Mel plays Tom, my father. 

Q: And in the story, they're pretty good parents? 

A: Yes. They help me out. Uh, give me a lot of advice. 

Q: How about Rene? Is she nice? Do you like working with Rene? 

A: She's good at acting. She's very nice, and she's very funny. 

Q: What's been the most fun for you? 

A: The science fair, 'cause I get to learn. I look at all the projects, and I learn a whole bunch of new stuff that I never thought I would figure out. There's this little suction, where you get these, like, sticks with a rope, and you have this, like, hourglass, and you spin the hourglass, and you can launch 'em up
in the air. 

Q: Did you just learn that today? 

A: No. I learned it about one day ago. 

Q: Wow. What's your favorite subject in school? 

A: Math. And science.