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HOLMBERG: Richmond child actor getting plenty of attention

Posted at 11:41 PM, Feb 25, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-26 07:10:08-05

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--Quvenzhane Wallis, the child star of “The Beast of the Southern Wild,” got a nice blast of air time during Sunday night’s Academy Awards – a reminder of the rich history of child actors and their importance in the industry.

We were reminded of the much smaller but growing acting success of 11-year-old Hale Lytle of Richmond.

He’s been in five films already, all basically because of a chance audition at Mary Munford Elementary with the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community.

His first role, when he was 8, was the lead in the acclaimed short film “Henley,” which was an official selection at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He played a child who helped his father’s rural hotel business by luring animals into the road so motorist would have to stay in town  while their vehicles were repaired.

Hale has finished filming for the full-length movie “Young Bodies Heal Quickly” and stars in the short film “Fort Apache” that premieres at Byrd Theater Friday at 11:30 a.m. as part of the Richmond International Film Festival.

Watch our video report of Hale Lytle here on WTVR.com, just click on the video above.

And find out more about the Richmond International Film Festival here:  http://www.themixshorts.com/