In the Pipeline: Young actress stays grounded even as she soars

The picture says it all. It was the moment that Hadley Miller found out she would be the voice of Lucy Van Pelt in the upcoming animated feature “The Peanuts Movie.”

Her father, Dan, took the photo to capture the joy and perhaps relief after an almost yearlong audition process that included many demos, callbacks and other stress-inducing procedures inherent in show biz.

But it’s not like the kid didn’t have some experience. Hadley, a fifth-grader at Smith Elementary School in Huntington Beach, has worked with a variety of local theatrical companies since she was about 6 years old.

And after Hadley returned from a national tour of “Peter Pan” starring Cathy Rigby, things began to fall into place with her first big theatrical feature.

“I was actually going to meet with an agent,” the bright and personable 10-year-old told me, “and it just turned out that that same day they were having some readings for this new ‘Peanuts’ movie. So the timing worked out really well.”

Did it ever.

The 3-D animated feature, which has garnered a lot of press, will be released in November. Last November, Hadley and the rest of the cast members were introduced on the “Today” show during the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The film commemorates the 65th anniversary of the “Peanuts” comic strip and the 50th anniversary of the first “Peanuts” television special. The family of the strip’s creator, Charles Schulz, is closely involved in the project, as it is with anything “Peanuts”-related.

Hadley told me that although she is familiar with many of the earlier animated “Peanuts” specials, she wasn’t trying to copy the previous voices of Lucy, perhaps the edgiest “Peanuts” character. Rather, she has been trying to inject a new personality into Lucy, and so far it sounds like everything is going great. The film is still in production, but Hadley says she loves the clips that have been shared with her.

Hadley says all this hasn’t disrupted her school life too much. The voiceover sessions aren’t like doing a television show, when you have to be away a lot of the time.

Hadley seems to have a good hold on what she is doing and where she would like things to go.

“I love singing in addition to acting,” she said. “Musical theater is also great, and I really hope to continue doing all of these things that I love. Performing is something I’ve always really enjoyed, mostly because it’s just really fun.”

She says her classmates are excited for her but not treating her any differently from before — thankfully.

“I have lots of friends in my theater groups who perform, obviously, and go on auditions and do all of these things that I do in my spare time,” she said. “But at Smith, it’s just really important for me to not get any special treatment or anything because I’m in a movie. I just want to be a normal kid with my friends.”

Hadley’s parents are very much part of everything she does. Dan, a lawyer, was able to do a lot of his work on the road when he went on tour with Hadley during the “Peter Pan” run.

It’s a whole new world for them and a very exciting time. Hadley plans to have friends go with her to the film’s premiere this fall.

It will be fun to watch her career. She’s a great example of how discipline, hard work and talent can make dreams come true, even at a young age. You can see more of her work at https://www.hadleybellemiller.com.

Essay competition

A reminder that it’s time for my In the Pipeline essay competition.

The contest is open to any high school-age students in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach and Westminster.

In 500 words or less, explain the one thing you would like to change in your community and how you would go about it.

The deadline for essays is April 10. The winner will see his or her work in print and get to cut the ribbon at the popular Taste of Huntington Beach festival on April 26.

All essays can be emailed to me at chris@chrisepting.com.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 25 books, including “Huntington Beach Chronicles: The Heart of Surf City.” You can chat with him on Twitter @chrisepting or follow his column at facebook.com/hbindependent.