Preston swimmer
dives into acting life
By DAVID LEONE
"Baby, you ain’t seen nothing
yet!"
— A1 Jolson, The Jazz Singer
For someone who doesn’t know
any better, the little girl sitting by
die pool at E*restonwood Country
Club could be j ust another kid wait
ing f(X her turn to swim.
But though 11-year-old Amanda
Minikus stands a mere 4 feet 5 in
ches tall, she has accomplished
more in her tiny shoes than many
have in sizes thr^ times larger.
And while her hobbies include
swimming, writing, singing, doing
pull-ups, soccer and hanging out
with her friends, Amanda still
makes time for her great passion —
acting.
"She’s a real natural. She’s com
fortable on stage and in front of a
camera," Amanda’s mother, Vicki,
says of the budding star.
Ever since the second grade,
when she first appeared in a class
play, Amanda has adored the stage.
Her second grade teacher recog
nized talent masked beneath her
enthusiasm and told Vicki to get
hCT involved.
That year’s Christmas present
was acting lessons at Raleigh Little
Theatre.
"I didn’t know what to expect,"
Amanda says of her unusual pres
ent, "I loved plays at school."
According to Richard King, e^-
cation director for the theater, dur
ing her time in the classes, Amanda
displayed an acting maturity un
usual for her age.
"She was much more challenging
to direct. I could direct her and not
have to show her what to do.
Amanda is truly a child actor," he
AMANDA MINIKUS
says.
Now, a mere three years older,
Amanda already has a portfolio of
jobs under her belt including a
lengthy ^pearance on the Matlock
television show.
In the episode, "The Verdict."
Amanda played one of two children
to Assistant District Attorney Mol
ly Clark. Their job was to get in the
hair of or under foot of everyone
else on the show.
"It was a lot of fun," Amanda
says. "It was really easy because it
was what I normally do."
Although, normally, she doesn’t
undergo four hours of intensive
tutoring each day in a private trailer
with a private make-up artist and
her own wardrobe.
And normally, she doesn’t spend
her off hours lounging around the
set of Carlco Studios in Wilming
ton, watching Andy Griffith ride
around the town on his bicycle.
Normally, the Raleigh resident
would just be hanging around with
her friends or swimming at the
pool.
Matlock has been Amanda’s big
gest job to date. She has, however,
appeared in various educational
health and safety films, including
"Eating healthy" and "Brush your
teeth." And she has aiqjeared in -
scenes for a Golden Corral Kids
Qub commercial where her lines
included "It’s, like, so cool" and
"Four stars!"
But acting isn’t all fun and
games, Amanda says.
"It’s a lot more work than you
think it is. It’s like putting on some
one else’s skin," she comments.
Sometimes, she says, she has
been called back for several inter
views before she has gotten or not
gotten the part. "Interview with a
Vampire" was one film, in which
she was called back four times be
fore the directors decided on some
one else.
But neither Amanda nor her
parents take these decisions too
seriously.
Her mother and her father, Mike,
are just as proud that she is on
Preston wood’s champ swim team
as they are with their budding star.
In fact, when asked what her future
aspirations were, Amanda left the
silver screen behind.
"I think 1 want to be a scientist,"
NOW IN CARY!
SOUTH HILLS MALL
The Morrisville and Preston Progress, Wednesday, June 21,1995 - 5
Abel is NCSU
valedictorian
Linda Abel, a 29-year-old Mor
risville resident who took up col
lege studies seven years after gr»l-
uation from high school, was one
of 10 valedictorians in this year’s
graduating class at North Carolina
State University,
Abel achieved a perfect 4.0 grade
average. She majored in animal
science and minor^ in genetics.
After finishing high school in
Medford, NJ., in 1984, she spent
seven years grooming and training
horses at throughbred race tracks in
Pennsylvania and new Jersey. She
studied one year at Burlington
Community College in Pemberton,
N.J., before transfaring to Ncnth
Carolina State when her husband
took a job in the Triangle.
She plans to woik a year and then
pursue a master’s degree in human
genetics. She’s considering a career
as a genetic counselor to expectant
mothers.
DIVING IN-Amanda Minikus prepares to plunge
into the pool at Prestonwood Country Club dur
ing swim team practice on a hot morning. The
budding aquatics champ may look like any other
11-year-old, but Amanda is already well on her
way to a successful acting career.
the former class president says.
Well, actor or singer, scientist or
swimmer, Amanda Minikus has
years ahead of her to decide. And
though she may be seen swimming
freestyle today or on a television
commercial tomorrow, A1 Jolson
was right. "You ain’t seen nothing
yet."
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