.png)
Lacey Caroline is an actress and entertainer on the rise. She's vibrant, passionate about her craft, and effervescent. Lacey Caroline started in the entertainment industry, following in her father's footsteps performing as mini versions of sports mascots, including at the 2015 French All-Star game in Paris, France, where she entertained 25,000 fans as Mini Hugo. Lacey also trained as a competitive dancer while honing her vocal skills. Lacey then made the jump to acting, landing the role of Mariah in the 2019 award-winning Hallmark Hall of Fame, "A Christmas Story," ( https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-christmas-love-story) directed by Eric Close. Lacey starred as the lead in the TV pilot "Harbor Island," which earned her numerous nominations and more than a dozen "Best Actress" awards on the film festival circuit, including 2021 nominations from the Young Entertainer Awards and Young Artist Academy.
Additionally, Lacey was recognized by the Carolinas Film Community at the Made in Carolinas Film Festival as Best Actress for her role in "Beyond the Yard." In 2020, Lacey won the Young Entertainer Award for Best Young Actress - Web Host for her work with NBC Sports as the NASCAR Kid Reporter. Lacey is NASCAR's Kid Reporter hosting their YouTube shows, and their wildly popular channel has more than 3 million views.
When Lacey had a moment to stop she spoke with Gemma Magazine about her career roles, how she got started, and her plans for the future. So, let's get into it!
Please tell me about your job as a NASCAR Web Host/Reporter. What do you love about it the most?
My job with NASCAR started a few years ago through an audition for a kid reporter on NBC. NBC was advertising the midseason switch from FOX, and I filmed several days of interviews with all of the drivers. I’ve been hired directly by NASCAR for the next few years to continue the Kid Reporter segments and have had so much fun. I have loved meeting the drivers and learning more about them off and on the track. I filmed a segment with Denny and Taylor Hamlin at Denny’s house last Spring, and he was so welcoming to all of us. We even got him to do the Sprinkler and the Snake.
So, you were singing and dancing before getting into acting, correct?
Yes, I started dancing at the age of 3, then was a competitive cheerleader before I got into acting and singing. My mom has a lovely recording of us singing “You Are My Sunshine” when I was little, but I didn't start lessons until 10 or 11.
I dream of being in a Marvel movie and love Jennifer Lawrence’s career path. She is proof that following your dreams and working harder than anyone can pay off! The list is long, but Jennifer Lawrence, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, and Chris Evans are top. (Lacey Caroline)
What was it like to play Mariah in "A Christmas Love Story?"
I had just wrapped a callback for a local theatre production of FUN HOME, and we went straight to the movie auditions. I hoped to be in the chorus when I auditioned as they held auditions at my art school. I was too young to get nervous and messed up singing, but I messed up with confidence and went on to book the role! Being a part of the Hallmark family is incredible and filming “A Christmas Love Story” went by too fast.
Was it fun to work with Kristen Chenoweth and Scott Wolf?
Working with Kristen, Scott, and Kevin Quinn was terrific. The first day I was on set, I walked into the HMU trailer (which was my first, by the way), and I heard this voice say, “Well, come sit next to me, cutie.” As a musical theatre kid, getting to be face to face with one of your icons was genuinely life-changing. And Scott and Kevin were so very nice. I had a few scenes with Kevin and have enjoyed watching his career continue.
Please tell me a bit about your character, Jamie, in "Harbor Island"? It also received an incredible amount of awards.
Jamie was a fun character to play, and filming a TV pilot was a great learning experience. People seem to like Jamie, and I am sad that we won’t get to know her better! So many pilots are filmed every year and don’t ever get seen. I feel fortunate that Harbor Island and Jamie got so much love on the film festival circuit, but I am very proud of its success during the 2020 youth awards season.
Tell me a bit about the film "Beyond the Yard."
"Beyond the Yard" is an extraordinary project to me. I got to work with director Cameron McCormack, who cast me in my first short film project, and even more unique, I got to act with my mom. "Beyond the Yard" story is quite personal and emotional, and I love the arc that we see the character go through. The past few years have been challenging for everyone, including my family and me, and filming this project was therapeutic. This experience and another project, WORM RADIO (which was just released on YouTube this past weekend), were the projects that helped me realize I wanted to turn acting into a career.
What do you love most about acting?
Honestly, I love meeting new people in each cast and crew and traveling to many new places. I just renewed my passport, so I hope to travel somewhere super cool this year!
How do you balance school with your acting schedule?
It is not easy, but I just went back to homeschool, which helps. I loved my art school, but missing a few days or weeks made it challenging to stay engaged with everyone. Being homeschooled gives me flexibility with acting and singing lessons and filming auditions. I am studying extra hard to take my CHSPE this Fall to focus 100% on my career.
Who are some actors/actresses you would love to work with?
I dream of being in a Marvel movie and love Jennifer Lawrence’s career path. She is proof that following your dreams and working harder than anyone can pay off! The list is long, but Jennifer Lawrence, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, and Chris Evans are top.
What do you do for fun?
I have recently gotten into journaling and enjoy writing down my thoughts. We live in a lake area, so swimming is my favorite warm-weather thing to do, and I love to sing - in the shower, car, on the street. I sing my heart out! Oh, and I definitely binge on Netflix.
We are excited to watch Lacey Caroline's career and the exciting projects that she will take on.
In the meantime, you can follow her on social media: