From 'Star Wars' to hydroplanes

California dreamin' becomes reality
for young actor Lloyd

By Don Ward
Editor
MADISON, Ind. (October 1999) – You've heard the horror stories about the pressures of Hollywood or professional sports, especially on children.
Often, it's the parents who drive their children to "make it big."
Ten-year-old actor Jake Lloyd is an exception. And his parents, Lisa and Bill Lloyd, are far from the typical Hollywood couple.

Photo by Don Ward The Lloyd family poses on Madison’s Main Street in between filming scenes for the movie “Madison.” They are (from left) Bill, Madison, 8, Jake, 10, and Lisa, who is working as an associate producer on the project.

In fact, were it up to them, Jake would be sitting in school or doing his homework instead of memorizing lines for his next take on a movie set.
But apparently, Jake has acting in his young blood. Like many children his age, he wants to be a movie star.
"Jake always wanted to be in a movie with Arnold Schwarzeneggar, and he did it," said his mother, referring to the 1996 film, "Jingle All the Way."
"He was relentless."
The Lloyds have been in Madison since July for the filming of the independent movie, "Madison," a project by Madison Miracle Productions. Jake stars as the young Mike McCormick, son of the late Jim McCormick, winner of the 1971 Golf Cup hydroplane race in the community owned Miss Madison.
His parents in the film are being played by actors Jim Caviezel ("The Thin Red Line") and Mary McCormack ("Howard Stern's Private Parts" and the upcoming "Mystery, Alaska"). The movie also co-stars Bruce Dern ("Diggstown," "That Championship Season," "Coming Home" and "The Cowboys").
The "Madison" story is told from the son's perspective, so Jake has a key role recounting through fictional flashbacks his father's racing career and life, leading up to the historic victory on the Ohio River at the Regatta.
"It's really a nice town, and I'm having a lot of fun here," he said of Madison.
Filming began at this year's Regatta, then started again in September with the return to Madison of the vintage hydroplanes, many of them built in the 1970s era and painted to look like the original boats. Dialogue scenes also are being shot at various locations in Madison and are scheduled to continue through November.

The project has given the Lloyds plenty of time to explore the historic city in between filming.
The family, along with their Doberman, J.J., first took up residence in Windy Hills Bed & Breakfast but recently moved downtown to be closer to the action. When he's not working, Jake and his 8-year-old sister, Madison, are in class with a tutor the family brought with them from California.
They also have had time for some family fun. For instance, they gone bowling, seen a movie and spent a day boating on the river. They also eat out just about every night.
"It's nice that we can all be here together as a family," said Lisa Lloyd, who works on the movie set as an associate producer. "But we don't have a lot of time for recreation because we're always working."
Bill Lloyd, a former diesel mechanic turned E.M.T. set medic, has mostly been playing "Mr. Mom" on this trip and says he enjoys spending time with his children. "It's not often that you have this kind of quality time with your family, so we're making the most of it."
Jake's parents also pay close attention to his health and keep certain foods on hand, since he suffers from hypoglycemia, which causes sudden decreases in blood sugar. "It's gotten better with age. It's just a matter of watching his diet," Bill Lloyd said.
Bill and Madison spend almost as much time on the set watching the action. It's an activity they've become accustomed to ever since Jake's acting career took off.
That career began four years ago, soon after the family moved from Fort Collins, Colo., to Santa Barbara, Calif., so Lisa could enroll in pre-law courses in preparation for applying to UCLA's law school. She never made it to law school "for various reasons," she said, among them Jake's intense desire to work in Hollywood.
"He never wanted to do TV, he just wanted to be in the movies," Lisa said.
"Ever since I saw Arnold Schwarzeneggar in "Terminator 2," I've wanted to do this," Jake said between filming shots in front of Madison's Rogers Corner. "I just pushed and pushed and never gave up."
His "pushing" led to his first acting job at age 6 in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial. Since then, he has done numerous other commercials for such clients as Ford Windstar, Oreos, Smuckers, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola and K-Mart. He's been in two television shows ("ER" and "The Pretender" series) and three movies, the most famous being this year's "Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace," with producer George Lucas.
"After making that movie, I made Jake take a year off," said Lisa, who was growing concerned about his studies. "He started to get an attitude about school, so I threatened to keep him out of acting unless he maintained a B average."
Jake quickly responded, and his "attitude" improved.
To Lisa, education is more important, and she says it will help her son's acting. "I want him to do well in school and have other experiences in life, because if you don't, how can you be a good actor?"
Of course, if Lisa had it her way, Jake would get movie making out of his system and go back to being a "normal" little kid. Still, she admits the unique experiences her son's career has provided her family have been "wonderful."
And the money's good, too.


Copyright 1999-2008, Kentuckiana Publishing, Inc.