Hannah's Cinderella story came true

Nine-year-old featured in latest movie based on famous fairy tale

BY PEGGY BLIZZARD IRVINE WORLD NEWS

Nine-year-old Hannah Robinson had her first taste of fame at the premiere of "A Cinderella Story" on July 10 at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

As she stepped out of the limo her parents, Phil and Jane Robinson, provided for her as a special treat, she was called over by members of the press.

"They kept saying 'come here, come here,' " Hannah recalled. "They got me into these conversations. I kept saying, 'Hi, I'm Hannah.' I loved it." She even signed a few autographs.   

"We didn't know what to expect," said Hannah's mother, noting that they had arrived early for the 4 p.m. premiere, while the stars time it to arrive just 15 minutes before the showing and allow only two questions per major press publication or network.
Hannah, a third grader, plays the younger version of Hilary Duff's character, Samantha Montgomery, in the film. She is in several scenes, including one in which her father dies in an earthquake and she is stuck with her father's second wife and her two bratty stepsisters. Shooting at Warner Bros. began a year ago and lasted about a month. Hannah said she loved every moment. "It was so cool," she said. "I had tons of people who were working with me. I had my own wardrobe assistant and my own trailer. I had a make-up artist who did the 'Cat in the Hat' (Ned Neidhardt). And I had a tutor who worked with the Olsen twins."    

She also met Hilary Duff the first day on the set. Although they have no scenes together, for obvious reasons, Hilary was also shooting that day. "She said, 'Are you Hannah?' I went to her trailer. I got to see her every other day. I even got a picture with her." She also "got to say hi" to Duff's co-star, Chad Michael Murray.
Hannah also found out what a typical day on a movie set is like with the interminable waiting between scenes.

 "One day I got there at six in the morning and shooting was all the way to midnight. That was hard. People had to build a diner (for one of the sets). I was sick with a fever. I hated that day." Hannah's scenes include her holding a snow globe her dad had given her, driving with her father and eating ice cream, celebrating her birthday at a diner, in bed with her father reading to her when an earthquake hits and on a baseball field "where me and my dad played" and which required Hannah to cry.

"My mom and makeup man said to think of my dad really, really dead," Hannah said. She thought that was a "funny" thing to do, but did the scene. Then, long after the scene was shot Hannah recalled, "On the last day, the wardrobe person said 'It's Hannah's last day. Everyone clap for her' and I burst into tears and the director (Mark Rosman) ran after me."
He wanted to do the crying scene again. "The teacher said 'Don't do that to her.' " Cooler heads prevailed but a year later as Hannah looked at her mother across the dining room table in the Robinson's Oak Creek home, she said, "I should have done it. It would have made the scene."
    

Hannah came to filming by way of commercials. Her friend's mother, Jennifer Alcarez, whose daughter had been with Baby Talent Network for five years, urged Hannah's mother to take her daughter to the agency as well.

"She said, 'Would you like to act?' I said 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' My mom was not sure but she said 'Let's try it,' " recalled Hannah.
 They sent Hannah's pictures out and the Robinsons got a call that an agency wanted to see Hannah right away. They began sending her out on commercials two weeks later and the first time out she got a Christmas commercial for J.C. Penny. She was 6 and in the first grade.
    

Jane Robinson was wondering what she was getting herself into as she headed up to Los Angeles at 4 p.m. (auditions for children are required to be after school hours) in rush hour traffic with Hannah's brother, Ben, now 7, and sister, Hollis, 5, in tow. But, seeing the excitement in her daughter's eyes as she got that first commercial, she felt it was all worth it and still does.

Other commercials followed, for Dairy Queen and Ringling Brothers, among others, and several catalog shoots. Even Hollis is following in her sister's footsteps, having done five shoots for Disney clothing catalogs and an Iams commercial, all because she just happened to be along when Hannah was auditioning. None of this is for Ben. He's into sports, especially soccer and baseball, he'll tell you.
    

As a result of her success with the commercials, Hannah got a call to try out for "A Cinderella Story" in June 2003.
"There were tons and tons of people there," said Hannah. "I said to my mom, 'I don't think I can do it.' There moved back to Mrs. Robinson's native Michigan. But after one cold winter, they moved back when Hannah was 3, first renting in Irvine then buying their Oak Creek house in 1999. Her father is now a doctor at Hoag Hospital. Hannah continues to get calls for commercials. Last week she did one for Macy's shoes which will air on national and cable TV in October. She also did a print shoot for Macy's. She often gets called at the last minute for a wardrobe call the next day or even the same day, sometimes as late as 7 p.m. Her mother tries to keep these at a minimum during the school year. Hannah is definitely looking at acting as a career. "I think it's the best thing on Earth," she said. "I'm going to continue until I'm old and never stop doing it."
was one girl who looked exactly like Hilary. I went in pretty calm and said my lines. Two weeks later I got my callback."
    

She said her lines in front of the director, producer and casting director and two weeks later learned she got the role. Shooting began July 28. It was a grueling schedule for mom and daughter alike with no time for anything else for most of August. What did her friends and classmates think of her being in the movie? "They thought it was awesome," said Hannah. "Some didn't believe me. I said, 'I am. You ask my mom.' "