Abigail Breslin: 11-year-old whirlwind

Tattle | Abigail Breslin: 11-year-old whirlwind


Philly.com(Philadelphia Daily News)


Posted on Wed, Jul. 18, 2007



By Howard Gensler


SINCE TATTLE'S regulars have been keeping their noses clean this week, we've had time to talk to some of Hollywood's most popular young stars. In the case of Abigail Breslin, real young. She's 11.

But the Oscar nominee for "Little Miss Sunshine," who'll be back in theaters next Friday in "No Reservations," is already a seasoned pro.

Before we could even get out a "Hello," Abigail was answering unasked questions.

"I was in Philadelphia once," she said, with the type of enthusiasm that disappears soon after one turns 12. "I stayed on the Rittenhouse Square and went to see Betsy Ross's House."

She was here to star in M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," her first role, shot when she was five.

"I don't know how I memorized my lines," she said. "I was so young. I can barely remember them now."

You know, now that she's so old.

In "No Reservations," Abigail is forced to live with her Type-A aunt (Catherine Zeta-Jones), one of New York's finest, and least socialized, chefs.

During filming, one of the sets was a giant kitchen and food was everywhere.

"It was a lot of fun," Abigail said. "But we'd eat so much that I'd go to lunch and not even be hungry."

One of her tasks in the movie's kitchen was to peel asparagus and Abigail said it was a challenge.

"I didn't even know they needed peeling," she said.

Since Tattle doesn't eat asparagus, neither did we.

Her best dish? Peanut butter and jelly. "The trick," she said, "is to put jelly on one side of the bread because it sogs the bread."

Abigail said two dream roles would be Helen Keller and Lady Jane Grey, but who has the time?

If you think your 11-year-old has a busy schedule, last week Abigail wrapped shooting on "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery" on Monday, traveled to New York for a few days of press for "No Reservations," spoke to Tattle by phone on Friday (the preparation for that alone would be daunting to most children) and then flew to Australia on Saturday for a three-month shoot on "Nim's Island," where she'll star with Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler.

"There are a lot of animals in the movie," she said, implying that was a good thing.

She added with a laugh, "I was telling everyone I was going to Bris-bayne, but it's really Bris-bin. . . . I'm so excited," she said.

And with that, she was off.

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