7-year-old from Viera stars in new ABC sitcom
Florida actress Ella Grace Helton stars in ‘United We Fall’
A 7-year-old from Viera stars in a new sitcom debuting July 15 on ABC.
Florida actress Ella Grace Helton plays quirky, intelligent Emily Ryan in “United We Fall.” The show follows the multicultural Ryan family as parents Jo (Christina Vidal) and Bill (Will Sasso) try to make it through each day with their daughters — Emily and Lulu (played by twins Ireland and Sedona Carvajal) — while dealing with opinions of their extended family, including live-in grandmother (Jane Curtin).
“It’s just an escape into the funny side of real life,” said Lee Nessel, Helton’s mother who graduated from University of Miami and is currently the managing editor at EverythingBrevard magazine.
For the first time, Helton plays a big sister.
“It was really fun, and it was exciting, and I loved being the big sister for once,” said Helton, whose character helps her little sister often on the show. “And when we’re not filming, it’s like I still really am the big sister to them.”
Helton will also make her feature film debut later this year in Adam Sandler’s Netflix film “Hubie Halloween.”
In the movie, Helton plays four-year-old Jessa Phillips who goes trick-or-treating. “Hubie Halloween” is geared toward adults, according to Nessel, so outside of Helton’s part, she isn’t sure how much of the movie her daughter will see when it debuts this fall.
“Adam Sandler plays the main character, who is one of his quirky, comedic characters. And
it’s like a supernatural whodunnit situation,” she said. “It could be one of those movies everybody watches every year because it’s a Halloween comedy, and we don’t really have a lot of Halloween comedies.”
Helton said before filming her mom showed her a video of a young Sandler playing a song. When she arrived on set, the young actress was surprised when she met him.
“He just had like a mustache and dark hair. And I’m like, ‘That’s really Adam? That’s what he looks like?’ And Mom’s like, ‘No that’s an old video. This is how he is now.’ … It was really funny.”
Sandler was so silly during filming, Helton said she had to try hard not to laugh.
“And at the end, he told Mama, ‘That this kid’s a superstar,‘ ” Helton said.
Nessel saw her daughter’s talents emerge when Helton was about 2.5 years old.
“She was so articulate, verbal and expressive, so I tried to find activities for her, but nobody would take her at such a young age,” Nessel said. The Viera Studio for the Performing Arts, however, agreed to give the young artist a shot, and she enrolled in musical theater classes.
Helton’s first acting jobs include a commercial for Bruster’s Ice Cream filmed in Jacksonville and a spot in a short film shot in Orlando called “Hollywood Hurts.”
In her free time, she enjoys going to the Brevard Zoo, swimming and visiting Central Florida theme parks. Helton has even been featured in a popular Walt Disney World commercial, which she filmed at age 4 at all four parks.
“It was a memorable experience,” Nessel said. “Slinky Dog dash is her favorite ride.”
Support from others, including several agents in Central Florida, has been a huge asset in furthering Helton’s career, Nessel noted. What’s also helped: Disney Channel and other live-action movies and shows.
“Watching live-action shows … that are around kids helped to formulate her own personality,” Nessel said.
Shows and movies like “Bunk’d” and the “Descendants” trilogy are go-tos for inspiration for Helton. Dove Cameron’s portrayal of twins on Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie” even inspired a sketch comedy bit on the 7-year-old’s social media in which Helton plays twin sisters, one American and the other British.
“That’s just totally her, like no one trained her how to do that, it just comes out,” Nessel said. “I guess that’s what she was born to do.”
“United We Fall” debuts at 8 p.m. July 15 on ABC. For more information about the show, go to abc.com/shows/united-wefall. For more on Ella Grace Helton, follow her on Instagram and Facebook (@adventuresofellagrace) as well as Twitter (@EllaGraceHelton) or subscribe to her YouTube channel.
Want to reach out? Email me at kchristiansen@orlandosentinel.com. Find more fun things on Instagram @fun.things.orlando and Facebook @fun.things.orlando.