The young man stars in a new short film opposite Oscar-winner Loretta Devine!
Can you image what folks in Denzel Washington’s home town of Mount Vernon, New York thought when the would-be Oscar winner first lit up the silver screen? Or what the residents of Terrell, Texas felt when Jamie Foxx got his first break on Fox’s In Living Color?
Folks in Northern California are about to get a taste of that with the release of The McHenry Trial, a short film starring Elk Grove’s 14-year-old Kaleb Alexander Roberts. He plays a young law school graduate (!) who decides to represent his father in court. Dad’s been incarcerated for a murder that he didn’t commit.
The McHenry Trial’s tagline was enough to prompt me to give the movie a look: “Don’t judge a kid by their hoodie.”
I got my hands on a screener of the film, and let me tell you: Kaleb literally lights up every scene he’s in. He holds his own with — and, frankly, out-performs — several established actors, some of whom are more than twice his age.
To give you an idea of how good Kaleb is, consider this: one of his equally-gifted co-stars in the movie is Emmy-winner Loretta Devine.
The McHenry Trial’s writer and director, Ken Sagoes, says both he and Devine were impressed by the young actor.
“I am so blessed to have had Kaleb on this film,” Sagoes said by phone. “The first scene we shot was him with Loretta Devine. She didn’t have that much time, so we were concerned about whether Kaleb was going to be ready.”
“Kaleb was more than ready,” Sagoes exclaimed. “He came on set like a top professional. He was head-to-head with Loretta Devine, and she was so moved by him.”
Sagoes went on to say that due in large part to Roberts’s professionalism, he and Devine had their scenes in the can in just a couple of takes!
“I just got back from Chicago, where I accepted a Best Short Film award for the movie. After the screening, and after every screening we’ve had, everyone asks about Kaleb. I am so impressed with him. This young man is going to be one of the best actors out there!”
As Kaleb’s burgeoning acting career takes off, his mother couldn’t be more proud. That said, she didn’t see this acting thing coming!
“Kaleb was 10 years old, in the fifth grade, when one of his teachers saw something in him and asked me to send him to an acting workshop that was going on in Sacramento,” Delores Roberts remembered by phone. “That just opened the doors to a Kaleb who I didn’t even know existed. It’s just been a fire that was ignited.”
When someone is as good as Kaleb is, especially at such a young age, I often wonder whether it’s in his genes. According to his mom, nothing could be further from the truth.
Read freelance writer MPC’s full feature, hear more from Kaleb’s mom and the movie’s director, and find out how you can help make this story into a feature length film! Watch the trailer to “The McHenry Trial”!
Click here to connect with freelance writer Michael P Coleman, click here to check out his blog, or follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP
