From Theatre 29 to the Silver Screen, a 12-year-old Twentynine Palms actress will appear with Eddie Murphy in a new major film, set for release in two weeks. Reporter David Haldane talks with Natalie Coughlin…
Natalie Coughlin hopes not to be remembered as the girl who dropped a can on Eddie Murphy’s head. It happened during the filming of “Mr. Church,” a new movie opening September 16 in which 12-year-old Natalie—an eighth grader at Twentynine Palms Junior High—plays a young girl for whom Murphy becomes a father figure.
Playing opposite such a huge star, she says, “was pretty crazy. Believe it or not, he’s actually pretty shy.”
Natalie’s showbiz career began locally at Theater 29 where she landed roles from the age of four. Eventually that led to an acting workshop where, voila! she ended up with her own agent and manager.
Doing a major movie, Natalie says, is kind of like living a dream. “It was weird to see myself on that big of a screen. It’s so crazy. I was just so excited…I’m like, ‘oh my gosh, is that me?’ It was so cool.”
And what of the unfortunate can incident? Let’s just say that it left a bump on the star’s head that has since gone away.
FROM THEATRE 29 TO THE SILVER SCREEN: LOCAL 12-YEAR-OLD IN A MAJOR MOVIE
