Child actress Victoria Hester, 9, got her fill working on the movie "Walk the Line." She got her fill -- and then some -- of cranberry sauce, that is.
The so-called cranberry sauce scene is set at a Thanksgiving dinner table, with Victoria playing a young Carlene Carter, daughter to country music's June Carter and stepdaughter to the legendary "Man in Black," Johnny Cash. For the scene, the young actress, who was 8 when the movie was filmed, had to eat a heaping helping of cranberry sauce. Take after take, she did so, along with fellow child actor Katie Lindsey.
"Between each take, they would fill the plate up to make it just like it was before the last take and tell the girls to eat just like they did in the last take," recalled Victoria's mother, Michele Hester, who was raised in Mobile and also worked on the movie. Victoria was born in Mobile, but now lives with her family in Memphis, Tenn. "They made themselves sick eating cranberry sauce."
Filming began in June of 2004 and continued through July and into August before the Hesters received a call with good news. The filmmakers wanted Victoria to play the role of June's daughter, Carlene Carter, who went on to have a country music career of her own.
On the set, the young actress said, she had a great time -- all that cranberry sauce notwithstanding. As all school-aged children working in movies do, she had three hours of tutoring a day during the shooting, and she enjoyed meeting and working with famous people. Victoria met the real Carlene Carter, whom she characterized as being "very nice."
(This photo of Carlene and Victoria was taken by Patsy Elmore after Carlene's performance in "Wildwood Flowers" in Nashville, TN in July 2005. Thank you very much to Patsy for sharing her photo with the Fan Club!)
Mike Brantley - The Mobile Register (Dec 1, 2005)