Young actress Maryanne Emma Gilbert shows comedic talents in Season’s Greetings
Maryanne Emma Gilbert is funny. She has a natural ability to make people laugh. She knows how to deliver a line, and knows when to bring a comedic screen presence. And she is only seven-years-old.
Gilbert was born in Calgary, Alberta, and quickly discovered she wanted to be an actress. Immediately, she began appearing in nationwide commercials for huge brands like McDonalds and feature films such as Jewel Fools, and the upcoming Space Rippers. When she starred in a commercial for Doritos at just five years old, she has audiences laughing with her portrayal of a scout who refused to share her chips. She excels at accents, and has done both British and Ukrainian in front of the camera.
“I like pretending to be other things and people. And to be goofy. I like to tell jokes,” she said.
When filming the Christmas film Season’s Greetings, Gilbert once again got to show off her natural comedic talents with her acting abilities when she plays a child whose pivotal but humorous line makes the main characters realize they are in love.
“I love Christmas. Also, I love to be in funny movies. And to say funny things. And we were filming close to my auntie’s house, so I got to swim in her pool. I was swimming in the pool outside the same day as filming a Christmas scene,” Gilbert laughed.
Season’s Greetings, a Hallmark film for UP TV that premiered this past December, is a love story at a company that makes holiday cards. Darcy Blake, played by Laura Bell Bundy (Jumanji, Dreamgirls), has the perfect job — she works for Harrington House, a successful greeting card company, in the editorial department. Writing heart-felt, meaningful copy for cards is very important to Darcy, especially at Christmas, which was important to her as a young girl. She realizes that she is a bit out of step with her fellow millennials but that is fine with Darcy. Everything is about to change when Andrew Harrington arrives at the company to take over from his grandfather and he has a very different view of the holidays.
“I got to make Halloween cards and decorate them while filming the movie. I like crafts. There were also lots of kids around in a scene. And it’s always super cool that so many people see me. My family can watch it on TV even if they live far,” said Gilbert.
Gilbert’s talents make her a hit on every set she works on. Dianne Freeman, who worked on the production team for the film, describes working with Maryanne as an incredibly enjoyable experience, something that resonates with many the young actress works alongside.
“Maryanne is very, very patient and understands that waiting around is part of the business. She made use of her downtime and occupied herself which is a bonus for the many crew members working in the area. She was very mature about the delays we were having getting her on set,” said Freeman. “Besides being super cute she is a very polite young person. You know immediately that she has been on set before as she has amazing set etiquette. I had to pick her outfit choice for her role and she communicated to me what some of her choices would be and why which was very helpful. I wanted her to be comfortable on set and her helping with the wardrobe was an asset. Maryanne is very committed to her craft as she was well prepared with her lines. She has definitely had training and fully understood the Director’s directions given to her. The Director wanted to try her scene different ways and she listened and adapted to the requested changes. She immersed herself in her role and did not get distracted by the camera, equipment and the dozens of people watching her do her scene. She knows the vocabulary used on set such as take your mark, action and cut and does not have to be told anything twice.”
Despite all of her success, it is the little things that Gilbert loves.
“I got to make cards and decorate them while filming the movie. I like crafts,” she concluded.
Be sure to check out Gilbert’s performance in Season’s Greetings on UP TV.
