Valley girl in 'Spanglish' is now an L.A. woman
Festiva's "Hometown Hollywood" tracks down the big names that have emerged from the Rio Grande Valley, as well as the rising stars who are bound to make us proud in the future. Click here to meet more of them!
Mention Twilight's Robert Pattinson and Shelbie Bruce squeals and giggles. She is 16, after all.
Nevertheless, she looks at movies like Twilight with an insight many other fans don't have. As an actress living and working in Los Angeles, she knows a lot goes on behind the scenes to create the magic on the screen.
Shelbie, a Brownsville native, just wrapped up filming a pilot, Little Miss CEO, in which she plays a teenager who inherits a television station. She's hoping the project is her ticket to superstardom - not that she hasn't has her taste of it before.
Almost five years ago, Bruce starred opposite Adam Sandler in Spanglish and has since had many doors open before her. She has a jewelry line and her own perfume, and she's had guest spots on several TV shows.
At her age, she's still susceptible to teen celebrity crushes, and she tends to speak with childlike excitement about her hopes and dreams. But her youthful exuberance belies her clear career goals and the genuine instinct she has for operating in the industry. She knows it's important to name-drop Wal-Mart, the distributor of her perfume. She wants to continue working with charities like the Children Affected by Aids foundation and many others as her success progresses.
Just like her character in her new pilot, Shelbie finds herself a teen an in adult industry but is handling it all in stride.
SHELBIE BRUCE
Hometown: Brownsville
Where she lives now: Los Angeles for 2 years
Job: Actress/voice actress/activist
You've seen her: Spanglish, ER, Just Jordan, Lincoln Heights
Where you'll see/hear her next: Little Miss CEO (pilot), Cirque du Freak, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
>>> Long-term goal: Make a difference in the world with her acting
>>> What you might not know: Shelbie has her own jewelry line and fragrance called "Floresita Shelbie Bruce," which is on sale at Wal-Mart, CVS and revelationsperfume.com.
>>> She'd love to work with: Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz and Reese Witherspoon
>>> What she misses most about the Valley: The weather and the Mexican food. "I'm a big fan of heat," she said.
>>> She returns to the Valley: About twice a year. One of her favorite things about returning home is her family's tradition of crossing the border in to Matamoros every Christmas day to eat tacos.
>>> Her three favorite movies: Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz and Twilight
On the development of her perfume: Shelbie was surprised when Wal-Mart first approached her about the idea. But was even more surprised when it came time to create it. They asked her about everything from her favorite food to where I liked to shop. "They were things that you would never imagine going into (creating) a perfume," she said.
On working on the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana movies: You won't exactly see Shelbie in jamming along with the Jo Bros or Miley Cyrus, but you will hear her. As an ADR artist, she worked behind the scenes of the movie, adding voices and screams to several parts of the movie. "I lost my voice on both of those. I had to propose to the Jonas Brothers several times," she said, laughing.
Behind the scenes: While working with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Shelbie got a chance to present with That ‘70s Show alum Wilmer Valderrama, whom she called a "really nice guy." And though his most-famous character, Fez, was notoriously a funny man, Shelbie says Valderrama is a surprisingly poignant person. "He's such an amazing motivational speaker. He talks about becoming an actor and not knowing any English. It's really an amazing inspirational story he has to offer the world."
Click the links below to read more Hometown Hollywood profiles. Go back to the top.
* LINDSAY GRAHAM: Sharyland grad helped cast Oscar-nominated film The Wrestler
* CARLOS MORENO: San Juan actor had roles in Transformers, ER
* ENRIQUE CASTILLO: A South Texan who wrote music in Will Smith's new film, Seven Pounds
* VERONICA LOREN: A McAllen actress and singer who's sweeping 2008's indie awards
* LIZ RAMOS: A McAllen dancer who taught Brad Pitt to tango
* ERIC HAHN: A clown at the Nolana IHOP who did stuntwork in 'Platoon,' 'Delta Force'
* MANDO ALVARADO: San Juan actor shared scene with strippers, Doogie Hauser
* RICK DEL CASTILLO: A Brownsville rocker who found a knack for screenwriting
* RAUL CASTILLO: A McHi grad who has acted and studied with Philip Seymour Hoffman
* TANYA SARACHO: A Valley playwright who is hot in Chicago
* DAVID BARRERA: A San Juan native who was in an NYPD Blue episode everybody saw
* MICHAEL RAY ESCAMILLA: A writer, actor, director and producer from Pharr
* MARISA QUINTANILLA: A McAllen Memorial grad who was in Road House 2
* FAUSTO CUEVAS: A Brownsville drummer who has toured with Britney Spears and Stevie Wonder
* GABRIEL PENA: An Edinburg North grad who does Matrix-style stuntwork
