ArtSpotlight Jr.

Sophia Bairley
Actress

At the age of five, Sophia Bairley informed her mother that she wanted to be an actress. Since this was coming out of the mouth of a five year old, her mother didn't take it too seriously. Dressing up and playing different characters, each having a unique voice, was something Sophia enjoyed and seemed like nothing more than child's play. Looking back seven years later, it is clear that Sophia knew exactly what she wanted at the tender age of five.

 

Sophia is the daughter of Rick and Bettina Bairley. They reside in Winter Haven, Florida where Rick is a Certified Building Contractor and runs his own business. Bettina is a State Certified Real Estate Appraiser. Sophia is the youngest of three children. Sophia's brother Nicholaus, is a graduate of Jacksonville University and is currently working as a sales rep for Brighthouse Communications. Her sister Brittany lives in San Diego, California and is working at Olive Garden and will attend interior design school in the fall.

 

When she was six years old Sophia stepped out of her generally shy nature and volunteered to sing the Star Spangled Banner at her brother's high school soccer game. Since her debut, she has been invited to sing the National Anthem at many local professional and amateur sporting events. When she was seven, she began vocal training with Alayne Archer (Orlando) who gave Sophia the necessary foundation for Broadway style vocals. Sophia fell in love with show tunes.

 

Her acting career followed suit. At age seven, Sophia was cast as one of the king's daughters in the musical The King and I that played at Theatre Winter Haven. After that, she was hooked. For the next two years, Sophia performed in many different stage events in Winter Haven, Lakeland, Orlando and Tampa. Her performance as 'Opal' in the musical Opal received a great review in the Orlando Sentinel. In 2004, writer and director Steven Scott Lay was so impressed upon meeting Sophia that he created a role just for her in his musical, A Whale of a Tale. The show was performed at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Sophia melted the hearts of the audience.

 

With singing and acting training going so well, Sophia expressed an interest in expanding her skills once more to incorporate dance. Since entering Kindergarten, she has been a student at Jewett School of the Arts. School tradition calls for all fourth graders to choose a major and Sophia chose dance. She began daily training in ballet and jazz with dance teachers Gloria Haigler and Annie Campbell. Sophia's passion for dance soon led her to after school classes at the Wright Step School of Dance. She continues to dance at the Wright Step taking classes in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, musical theatre and lyrical. Her teacher Amy Wright has been a great inspiration. Amy's husband, Kevin (Rockapella) also works with Sophia on pop style vocals which Sophia sees as a must as she approaches her teen years.
In June 2003, Sophia got her first taste of acting in film when she landed a lead role in the independent film, Little Men. It was a very exciting time for her and she cherishes her memories of working on the film. Since then she has worked with other seasoned actors such as Rhoda Griffis, and Paul Lasa . In 2005, Sophia was thrilled when offered a lead role in Canvas and had the amazing opportunity to work with Academy Award winner, Marsha Gay Harden and Emmy Award Winner, Joe Pantoliano. The film is currently in post production.

 

Creating character voices has been a past time of Sophia's since she was a young child. Sophia's dream of providing the voice for an animated character was soon realized when she booked Nickelodeon's, Furby Island, as the voice of 'E Lo'. In June 2006, Sophia was invited to Los Angeles to participate in a voice-over showcase and performed in front of representatives from companies such as Disney Animated Films and Nickelodeon. It was great fun for her and she's looking forward to booking her next animated project.

 

Sophia, now a seventh grader, realizes that receiving a good education will be her most important achievement in life. She has managed to maintain straight A's throughout her entire education. Last year, she spent about two months in Los Angeles, auditioning for film, commercials and television. While in L.A. she receives assignments from her teachers and works on them at home so she can keep up with her school work.

 

In her spare time, Sophia enjoys designing homes on her computer. Other extracurricular activities such as community service, tumbling, trampoline, and just hanging out with her friends give Sophia real life skills that she can bring to her acting, making it natural and believable.

Watch a Reel of Sophia's Work

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