A Local Girl on the Rise

At five and six years old, most children are begging their parents to let them stay up an extra hour or to eat ice cream for dinner instead of broccoli. At that age, Sophia-Rayne Dickinson was begging her parents to let her act. Whether from a theatre stage or from a sound stage for film, this young Beaufortonian just wants the opportunity to entertain people.
Sophia first discovered she had a knack and love for acting through her participation in The Beaufort Children’s Theatre.
The Beaufort Children’s Theatre operates out of the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, Center for the Arts, offering opportunities for local actors ages 6 to 18. The company produces two classic musicals per year, which are performed for thousands of patrons every year.
Her performances with the theatre include A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan, Willy Wonka Jr, Madagascar Jr, and a lead speaking role in Shrek Jr, as the young Fiona.
Despite her chance to act with the children’s theatre, Sophia still hoped for more. It took a year and half of asking repeatedly, but after months of perseverance, India Dickinson realized her daughter was not letting up and that she was also talented when it came to acting. India was not crazy about the idea of her daughter joining the industry.

“We kept saying no. I’m not so crazy about the industry, it’s scary to me. But, she finally convinced her dad to let her do it,” said India.
“I watched a lot of movies and thought I should give it a try,” said Sophia. Her mother further explained that she would go into her room and practice lines she had seen and then come act them out for her family to show them that she could do it.
Once her parents agreed to let her try her hand at camera acting, Sophia would travel with her family to Atlanta on the weekends to spend her Saturdays in acting classes. She began by landing spots in regional commercials, her first being for a homebuilder in the Southeast.
In addition to regional commercial work, Sophia did work as an extra in many top-grossing films including Bad Moms 2, Blockers, and was even a body double in The War with Grandpa. She also co-starred in a couple of television series including The Passage and Florida Girls.
“The work as an extra I think was important because it’s teaching her the lingo on set and how everything flows. She learned how to be respectful on set. It’s a lot different than people who are not in the industry think,” said her mom.
Sophia initially was doing work as an extra for Florida Girls, but she was so impressive to the directors that they re-wrote the script to include her as a speaking role.
“She was there as an extra, she didn’t know during rehearsals that she was just supposed to sit there, so when they started rehearsing she started doing her own thing and they loved it. So they called in the writers and re-wrote the whole thing,” said India. “A director on set said they just saw magic happen.”
Florida Girls just finished filming in Fall 2018 and will air this spring.
Her life may have many exciting adventures as she endeavors in her acting, but Sophia is still a normal kid. Attending Riverview Charter School here in Beaufort, she loves her school and takes part in additional extra curricular activities including golf and ballroom dancing through Revolution Ballroom in Beaufort. As the youngest of five, she finds much encouragement from her older siblings as they cheer her on.
As her career takes off, Sophia still maintains her schooling and plans to at this point. Homeschooling is not off the table if necessary, as her older sister is home schooled while she advances in her golfing.      A majority of her auditions are submitted via video submissions or are done nearby in Savannah or Atlanta, both of which have booming film markets. Sophia’s agency, Red Willow Talent, is also based out of Savannah. Additionally, Sophia has done some minor acting work for Savannah College of Art and Design students working on film projects, including one called Haint.
“So far, she hasn’t had to miss a ton of school. Savannah has so many opportunities available in the film industry, so it is nice to not have to travel very far,” said India.
At nine years old, Sophia’s ability in acting far exceeds her age. She has the capability to quickly emote whatever the casting directors are seeking and can even cry on demand. Even more impressive, is her ability to change her acting to accommodate the medium. She seamlessly goes from the stage with Beaufort Children’s Theatre to a set for a television show, knowing exactly what is necessary in each setting.

“With theatre you’re projecting your voice and doing scenes, it is totally different than film production. I don’t know if as she gets older it will be harder to go back and forth between,” India Dickinson said.
Even with her incredible talent, Sophia strives to further her skills and does training via Skype from an acting coach in Atlanta. Additionally, she plans to attend a few acting camps this summer in California and possibly one in New York that is more geared towards theatre.
With an IMDb (Internet Movie Database) page already and being declared SAG eligible for her larger role in Florida Girls, Sophia has already made a mark in the film industry.
Despite all of her talent, the industry can be cut throat with hundreds of others auditioning for the same role. India explains that for every 100 auditions, you will most likely receive 99 “nos,” with so many talented children who may all look exactly the same.
Sophia’s career continues to move forward with auditions stacking up faster than expected. Her capacity to take direction and to transform herself into the required role continues to impress casting directors. She also plans to audition for The Wizard of Oz with the Beaufort Children’s Theatre for the spring.
“She doesn’t care about being famous. She doesn’t want to be famous and in fact, hates it when we tell people what she does or tell her teacher why she needs to miss a day. She genuinely just wants to entertain people,” said her mom. “As long as she enjoys this roller coaster ride, we will keep going.”
For Sophia, she is already doing what she wants to do when she grows up.