Being Wilbur
CBN.com - Old and young alike know Charlotte’s Web, the best-selling children’s book of all time. It’s the classic tale of a little pig named Wilbur who tries to stay alive and off the Zuckerman’s dinner table with the help of his farm friends.
An incredible ensemble voice cast is behind this updated version of Charoltte's Web. But, there is one name in cast credits you may not recognize. His name is Dominic Scott Kay and he's now 10 years old.
Before even hearing about the auditions for the role of Wilbur, Dominic finsihed reading E.B. White’s famous story for the first time.
“My mommy told me about it. It was a book that she used to love so much,” he says. “She said she wanted me to read it.”
Dominic also has grown to love this brilliantly, imaginative story of how Charlotte, Wilbur’s grey spider friend, weaves a plan to save his life.
“Every bit of it was so cool,” he says. “It was like I read it a million times when I read it… You feel like you already know the story because it’s so wonderful.”
Of all the children who auditioned for this part in the recreation of this children’s literary masterpiece, Dominic got the final call back.
“It was so amazing when I found out,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t even feel real.”
This ecstatic young actor then traveled to New Mexico where he worked with Director Gary Winick (13 Going on 30) and co-star Julia Roberts (voice of Charlotte A. Cavatica). While doing this film, he also met a couple of his other co-stars, including Dakota Fanning (Fern) and Robert Redford (Ike, the horse).
Dominic has played some good roles, most recently as the voice of Young Samson in Disney’s The Wild. Even though Charlotte’s Web is his a big part, he wouldn’t say it was all hard work and no play.
“It was pretty easy going,” he says. “Everything was so much fun. I had a blast on it….”
He recalls the recording sessions being a lot of fun. Winick ordered him to run around the studio to help him make Wilbur sound exhausted.
“He (the director) had me try to tag him because he wanted me to get out of breath…,” Dominic says. “And he’d tickled me to make me laugh” when Wilbur was supposed to giggle.
Acting out cool characters is great, but his real passion is telling stories. Since the age of two, Dominic has been creating and acting out his own tales at home. Now, at the ripe old age of 10, he’s starting his filmmaking career.
This young actor loves stories that move audiences, even to tears. Films are meant to provoke and illicit emotion in Dominic’s opinion.
“I love stories that you cry in the most,” he says. “I want to write emotional ones because when you cry it kind of grabs you and makes you think.”
Dominic looks forward to writing and directing many more films. That’s right -- more. He recently finished his first short film, Saving Angelo, which he wrote and directed. He also played a principal character, Danny.
It’s his adapted version of the true events when Dominic and his parents rescued an injured dog they saw lying on the side of the highway. Saving Angelo co-stars actor Kevin Bacon, a friend of Dominic’s. They worked together on Loverboy, an independent film directed by Bacon in 2005.
With his career taking off even before he starts his pre-teen years, Dominic continues to keep God in the center of his life. He’s realized at a very young age not only to recognize God’s existence, but also His importance.
“Some people see Him as someone we pray to or ask for something. People look at Him for their friend. People look at Him as God. Some people look at Him as everything,” Dominic says. “And I look at Him as everything.”
He recently watched Charlotte’s Web on the big screen for the first time. He gave his approval with a few tears as this tale of sacrifice and friendship unfolded before his eyes.
