Young actor plays role in near-miss Fox pilot

Like many 12-year-olds, Sean Peavy says he wants to be a movie star.

The member of the Augusta Jewish Community Center in Evans took a big step toward attaining that goal after he landed a starring role on the Fox network television pilot Julie Reno, Bounty Hunter.

"It was the best time. I got a lot of experience," Sean said of his first experience shooting a network pilot.

Sean, who acts locally with the Children's Musical Theater Ensemble and has appeared in television and print advertisements and an ABC News Primetime Live dramatization about bullying, starred in the Fox action-comedy pilot opposite show-businesses veterans Annie Potts and Erin Daniels.

Sean played Clark, the son of the show's title character, played by Daniels, whose television credits include the NBC drama Boomtown and the feature film One Hour Photo. Potts, known for her work in the Ghostbusters movies and on TV's Designing Women, played Angel, Sean's on-screen grandmother.

"To work with these people who have worked (in show business) so long, I was very lucky," said Sean, who lives in Augusta.

The home-schooled seventh-grader caught the eye of talent agents in Orlando, Fla., at the October Actors, Models and Talent Competition and nearly landed in two feature films at auditions in New York, he said.

Beginning in February, Sean spent two months in Los Angeles preparing himself for acting in Hollywood, learning how to quickly memorize scripts, handle screen tests and take auditions.

His mother, Tami Peavy, helped him land 23 auditions for various pilots. His 23rd audition won him the part as Clark Reno.

"They wanted an older kid, they wanted a 15-year-old at first," Sean said.

But the other boy failed his screen test, Peavy said, and after re-shooting a series of scenes, the pilot's producers told Sean he got the part, pending an interview with Fox network executives. Sean aced the interview and won the part, she said.

"I think that was a very intimidating experience for a lot of those kids because you are walking into a room with 15 network executives, they're not creative types, they're executives," Peavy said.

Filming began in March with Sean on set for three days.

"It was definitely a shock to me that I got my own trailer," he said. "It was really fun, I got a lot of experience actually being on set with a lot of people in front of a camera."

The Peavys waited until May 19 to find out whether the pilot would make Fox's fall lineup.

"Up until the last minute it was on the table (for full production), but they did not pick it up," Peavy said.

Though the show was not picked up for the fall season, Sean said he is encouraged by his agent, who told him it is rare for someone with his level of experience to encounter so much success.

"I'm definitely going to do more," he said, adding that he plans to return to L.A. for next year's pilot and episodic guest role season.

Peavy said she is proud of her son and his talent, but is careful to make sure that show business is something he really wants to do.

"I nurture it but I don't push him," she said. "You can't be the chauffeur, the banker, the other roles you have and be your child's drive and desire for them. They have to be the ones leading the way."