Suzie HarrisonFirst, it was A-list movie star...

Suzie Harrison

First, it was A-list movie star Cameron Corona who took to the red

carpet for her latest premiere. then more stars appeared, as

super-hot leading man Billy Bob Joe was greeted by screaming fans and

flashing lights before his latest blockbuster.

Both actors have made it to the big time ... well, it seemed like

the big time when two young student actors played the parts during an

acting class offered by the new Laguna Beach Actor’s Studio.

Cameron Corona, whose real life name is Karina Parker, 8, and

Billy Bob Joe, otherwise known as Drake Dixon, 12, did a range of

acting lessons with the help of instructor Johnny Lacey.

Lacey, a Laguna resident, started these classes on July 8. Lacey

brings experience with him; he has been performing on stage since the

age of 5, has studied the art and has worked as a professional actor

in Hollywood. His credits include work in musical theater,

independent film, television and commercials.

“It’s just always been my goal to open up an actors studio,” Lacey

said. “I thought, there’s no time like the present. In my head, I

envisioned and studio space and decided to start small and go from

there.”

Lacey said he wanted to get back to some kind of acting and he did

Hollywood, which he said could be rough.

“I just wanted to get back to my passion, which is acting,” Lacey

said.

As for teaching acting, he said he loves it.

“What I really like is just kind of focusing in on what works for

each individual person and going with it,” Lacey said.

He said that he uses this method because acting is subjective and

this way caters to each person on an individual level.

In class Tuesday, he was going over with Drake and Karina lines

from a new script he had given them.

“You saw those kids. They’re really young and they doing those

scenes from ‘The Secret Garden,’” Lacey said. “It’s their first day

seeing that script; they’re doing very well. I love to see how these

kids, even though they are so young, come up with some great stuff.”

He instructed the kids to remember that movies are only

adaptations after Karina was trying to mimic the script she had seen.

“As an actress, you make sure that you bring the character to

life,” Lacey said. “The books and the movies are different. You have

to adapt your own character.”

Drake enjoyed the improvisational piece and the script with his

British accent.

“My mom has always told me that I always put drama into my life

and I always wanted to get into acting,” Drake said. “I had always

fake cried and stuff, been a little dramatic, basically.”

He said he has been interested in acting most of his life and has

wanted to be in commercials and movies.

“I’m getting head shots and getting an agent,” Drake said. “My

goal for acting is that I want to have fun and to some day be in a

movie or something.”

He said he would like to be in a comedic role such as Will Farrell

in the movie “Old School” when he gets older. He also gets ideas

through characters in movies. When he has to use an English accent,

he said, he thinks of Harry Potter.

Getting up on stage and doing plays is his favorite part.

“I have more attention put on me, which I like a lot.”

Karina has been acting since she was 2 years old and has been

involved in several productions with local theater.

“In Actors Studio, I do monologues, camera acting, we talk about

backgrounds and auditions,” Karina said. “I’m learning a lot. I want

to become an actor and movie star and do commercials and stuff that

has to do with acting.”

Lacey said he covers a wide variety of acting methods, techniques,

improvisations and exercises to maximize students’ creativity while

allowing them to develop their own unique acting styles. He also

teaches more of the business side of acting for those who want to

make it a career.

“If I am working with Laguna locals or people from the area --

great,” Lacey said. “I don’t need to be in Hollywood -- Hollywood

will always be there.”

The actor’s studio is being taught from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays at

Legion Hall, 384 Legion St. Tuition is $100 per month, which includes

four classes, one per week. For information, call Johnny Lacey at

702-4416.