A star in the making
Caroline Hughes receives red card on the soccer field during Hyundai’s ‘Ref to the Rescue’ commercial
Caroline Hughes, 5, on the set of her debut commercial for Hyundai’s “Ref to the Rescue” spot, which aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday. For more,
As millions of Americans gathered around their TV sets to watch the New England Patriots battle the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, one home in Santa Clarita was watching for a different reason.
At the Hughes residence, the family of six invited friends and family to watch the youngest member of the house, Caroline Hughes, give her debut broadcast performance.
In a car commercial for Hyundai, a little league soccer official arrives in a hurry on Super Bowl Sunday with a plan to give every player a red card for reasons like “being too cute” or having “tiny legs,” so as to quickly end the game.
“But I don’t know how to tie my shoes,” says little Caroline Hughes in a close-up shot, before she is also ejected from the field.
The commercial aired on the most watched television event of the year — the Super Bowl.
“I seriously doubt she understands what’s happening right now. Maybe when she sees that we have the whole party set up for tomorrow,” said Amy Hughes. “Maybe that’ll help.”
Her proud father set up a red carpet and lights for his little star, and when the commercial went live, the house erupted in cheer.
The television debut comes as a much welcome distraction for the Hughes family, as Caroline’s older sister, Cheyenne Hughes, has been fighting an ongoing battle with cancer.
“Ironically, (they filmed the commercial) the day after one of (Cheyenne’s) surgeries, but she pulled it off like a boss. She did a great job,” Amy Hughes said.
Cheyenne, a student at Golden Valley High School, has been battling cancer for nearly seven years, as well as a genetic disorder called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. But she’s remained strong with the odds stacked against her.
“She’s super super excited about Caroline,” said Amy Hughes of daughter Cheyenne. “She loves to be on Youtube, that’s like her favorite thing… so it’s pretty exciting to see her baby sister on Youtube on a commercial,” she said.
Even though little Caroline Hughes cannot yet tie her shoes, she has started off her acting career on one of the biggest stages possible and has her own Facebook page to keep her new fans updated on her blossoming career.