MARBLEHEAD — A child actor from Marblehead had the opportunity of a lifetime when he worked alongside one of his role models, Will Ferrell, in the recently released film, “Daddy’s Home 2.”
Trip Case, 12, played the part of a child in a bowling alley who taunts Dylan, the son of Wahlberg’s character and stepson of Ferrell’s character, for being bad at the sport.
“Meeting these big actors was really cool,” said Case. “It was the best day of my life. When my friends saw it, they patted me on the back and said I did a good job. They’re really supportive.”
The Veterans Middle School seventh-grader said Ferrell and Adam Sandler are two of his biggest role models and the type of actors he dreams of becoming because of their ability to make others laugh.
“They’re funny and they put smiles on people’s faces,” Case said.
“Daddy’s Home 2” is about a father and a stepfather, who went head to head in the 2015 movie, “Daddy’s Home.” The two join forces to make Christmas perfect for their children, until they are joined by their fathers, who turn the holiday season upside down.
The movie stars Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow, Linda Cardellini, and Alessandra Ambrosio.
Case said filming his brief scene, which began as two lines but was cut down to one, was an all-day event at a Cambridge bowling alley. His interaction with the
Hollywood stars was minimal, but he said Ferrell was very nice and Wahlberg kept to himself.
He got his start in acting at the age of 5 when his parents signed him up for a weeklong class with the Little Theatre Company. He began to appear in plays with the North Shore Children’s Theatre and through his school.
“My husband and I had never gone over lines with him,” said his mother, Daye. “He sat in his room and read lines and we didn’t know what to expect (at the show). He got right up there and, not only did he know his own lines, but he was mouthing everyone else’s.”
She said her son has always loved to perform and sing, and has never been shy when it comes to an audience.
By age 7, he fell in love with acting, and has since appeared in several independent films, horror movies, and student films.
Case has played a role in “Time Traveling Bong,” a mini-series in which two cousins discover a water pipe that can be used to travel through time when smoked, and will appear in the fourth episode of “SMILF,” a new series on Showtime about a single, 20-something-year-old mom, according to IMDb.
In each role, he plays a troublemaker, which he said is a lot of fun for him.
“It’s really weird when I see myself on TV,” he said.
While he loves acting in front of a camera, Case said he enjoys singing and acting on stage for plays and musicals just as much. He hopes to stick with acting as a career but is also considering a stint as sports commentator.
