Lights, cameras, action!

DI 5 year old adds two holiday movies to her acting resume
Showtime is just about any time at Brynne Kurland’s house on Daniel Island. 
 
After a dance class on a recent Tuesday afternoon, the effervescent kindergartner bopped about the living room in her pink leotard and ballet slippers, bursting with energy. A few cartwheels and handstands later, she jumped over to a speaker on a nearby shelf for her next act. 
 
“Alexa, play ‘Party in the USA’” Brynne exclaimed.
 
And as the Miley Cyrus song started pumping, Brynne sprang into action, sliding and swaying to the beat while belting out every word. 
 
“… Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time. Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign. This is all so crazy! Everybody seems so famous!”
 
What’s really crazy is that this tiny dancer could soon be singing this song about herself. And once you meet her, that comes as no surprise. 
 
At just 5 years old, the Christ Our King Stella Maris student has already had roles in six  Hollywood features – three motion pictures and three streaming productions – and Brynne is continuing to audition for more. Her parents, Scott Kurland and Candice McDonough, couldn’t be more proud. When it comes to the reasons Brynne has been able to be so successful at such an early age, three attributes take center stage - her spunky personality, her love of performing, and her uncanny ability to memorize and articulate lines.
 
Brynne’s first foray into the acting world was as a featured extra on the set of “Salem’s Lot,” directed by Gary Dauberman and shot in Massachusetts last year. She was just 4 at the time and played a little girl. The movie is expected to be released in theaters in 2023. 
 
“They told me it was scary!” said Brynne, who won’t be allowed to watch the movie until she is much older. “… I am thankful to Gary Dauberman for casting me in my first movie!”
 
Also on her resume is a stint on Hocus Pocus 2, now streaming on Disney+. For that production, filmed in Rhode Island last year, she plays a little girl trick or treating in a unicorn costume. She has also taken part in the yet-to-be-released film “The Holdovers,” starring Paul Giammati and Tate Donovan. Additionally, Brynne will appear in “Suncoast,” which is currently in post-production after filming in the Charleston area. And this past summer, she had her first two speaking roles in two upcoming holiday movies – “Holiday Harmony” and “A
Christmas Mystery,” both filmed in California and due to be released on HBO Max on Nov. 24. 
 
“In ‘Holiday Harmony’ I had a real apple in my hand,” Brynne said. “And the class behind me and the teachers in front of me, and I came up to the teacher and I said ‘if teachers were apples, that would be you!’ And that was one of my sight words (in school)!”
 
Brynne also has no trouble remembering one of her lines from “A Christmas Mystery.” In the scene, she is walking with her on-screen mother carrying Christmas presents, when some boys ride by on their bikes. 
 
“’Hey!” she shouted, getting back into her character. “Watch out!’ And then the boys said ‘Have a Merry Christmas!’”
 
Those who have worked with Brynne on set are among her biggest fans. 
 
“Brynne’s natural instinct blew me away and her work ethic and spontaneity is that of an adult 10 times her age,” said Ali Afshar, producer of “Holiday Harmony.”
 
“I was floored by how good Brynne is at 4 years old,” added Alex Ranarivelo, director of “A Christmas Mystery.” “She’s only in the movie for a moment, but everyone remembers it. It gets a big laugh.”
 
For Brynne, who recently received her official Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card, taking part in the productions is, quite simply, fun. And she loves the costumes. But the best part?
 
“That when I shot it and it comes out – my friends get to see it!” Brynne said.
 
As for what’s next, Brynne already has her eye on a dream role – playing a mermaid.
 
“I wonder what my powers would be?” Brynne asked. “I hope I have fire power! Mermaids are really nice.”
 
Back in Brynne’s living room, as she continued to sing along to the closing lyrics of “Party in the USA,” the message once again rang true in her own life.
 
“So I put my hands up,” Brynne crooned, “they’re playin’ my song, the butterflies fly away! Noddin’ my head like, yeah.”
 
Yeah, indeed. If her current performance chops are any indication, Brynne will have audiences nodding their heads for many years to come. 
 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
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