by FKO! Cub Reporter Rebecca Pauley

So, who really is Abigail Breslin? Let’s just say that an average day in the life of Abigail is suspended on zip lines, becoming acquainted with a Tasmanian Devil, swimming with a sea lion, and spending the day on set with two time Academy Award winning actress, Jodie Foster.

For most kids like me, that doesn’t sound too ordinary! But, there is more to this adventurous young actress than meets the eye. I got the chance to interview her and see that she is really just like us. I figured out that she is still very animated and distinctive when not in front of the camera.

Abigail was always very comfortable being in front of the camera, as she did a Toys ‘R’ Us commercial at only 3 years old. She grew up in New York City, and did her first movie, “Signs” at only five years old. So, now at 12 years old, she has been in many movies such as “Nim’s Island”, “Little Miss Sunshine”, “Definitely Maybe”, and “No Re-servations”.

Abigail seems to be doing a new movie at all times, and it is hard to imagine she is only twelve! You may have seen her last movie, “Kit Kitridge”, An American Girl. This movie is about a young girl named Kit who tries to solve a mystery to help her family.

“I was incredibly thrilled to do this movie. I have been collecting American girl dolls and now have all of them. I could relate to the character of Kit because we both love writing,” she explained. As far as her inspiration for the role of Kit, Abigail looked to her grandmother who grew up, like Kit, in the Great Depression in the United States, which is when “Kit Kitridge” is set.

“My grandma grew up during the Great Depression…so she was my research. And, my grandma approved the wardrobe!” she said. Filming the movie, “Nim’s Island,” was harder than anyone would expect. The movie was set in Austrailia, so you could only imagine what Abigail runs into. From Tasmanian Devils to swimming with sea lions, almost everything on and off the set is real. To all of you who have never seen the movie, “Nim’s Island”, it is about a girl named Nim who lives with her father on their very own island. But, Nim runs into trouble whenher father gets lost at sea and asks her storybook hero, Alex Rover, Jodi Foster, for help. Nim runs into many complicated adventures, but succeeds in all of them to help save her dad. From all of her experiences on the set of “Nim’s Island,”

Abigail’s message to kids is that, “You can do more than you think you can.” Abigail admits that is was pretty complicated to make a movie on an island. “The cast and crew had to spend two weeks on the island without television or telephones. The entire cast and crew had to live in tree houses and eat in one big lodge after climbing more than 100 steps to get to the lodge. It had no electricity except for the essentials,” she explained. She said everyone on the cast and crew knew “Nim’s Island” was a big accomplishment after everything they went through to film it. She said everyone of them knew it was truly worth it. “

One of my most memorable moments was swimming with a sea lion. I definitely liked riding on a sea lion. That was really fun,” she said. Although Abigail’s passion for acting has astounded many, I asked her what she would want to be when she is older if she didn’t act. She replied, “If I wasn’t acting, I would definitely be a veterinarian when I get older. I love animals and have two dogs, two cats and a turtle.“I became good friends with all of the animals in “Nims Island.” I fed the sea lions breakfast and held a lizard, but I wasn’t too happy about holding a handful of slimy maggots.. I admit I never got used to that, no matter how many times we had to redo that scene! It sometimes takes more skill than just acting to be in the movies that Abigail was in. Abigail had to take swimming lessons for two weeks in a tank to learn how to swim with a sea lion. She had to be able to climb a gigantic rock wall, pretending it was a volcano. She had to have two weeks training for the dance choreography in “Little Miss Sunshine.”

When I asked Abigail what she wanted kids to learn from her roles, she said, “I think that they make you feel stronger, and that you have an important place in in your family.” Abigail’s brother, Spencer is also in the movie business. These two young actors were once in the same movie. In fact, sixteen-year-old, Spencer played the part of Abigail’s brother in the movie, “Raising Helen.”

You might also have seen him as Josh Douglas in”The Shaggy Dog,” or as Curtis in “The Santa Claus” movies. She says her best role is in her upcoming movie, “My Sister’s Keeper” where she acts alongside Cameron Diaz, Joan Cusick and Alec Baldwin. She plays a teen named Andromeda Fitzgerald who finds out secrets about her birth thatleads her to a special journey.

Abigail’s movies give lessons that kids will hold onto for the rest of their lives. “If you want to be an actress, you have to “just keep trying…I would say and have fun!” Interviewing Abigail Breslin was very inspiring, and I know she has an incredible future ahead of her. We will just have to wait and see.