BOSSIER CITY, La (KTBS) - A baby from Bossier City -- actually, two babies -- are the stars of a scene in this summer's big new comedy flick "The Campaign," which premieres tonight here and on silver screens across the country. It turns out those babies' stardom is all in the family.
In the scene, Congressional candidates played by funnymen Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis throw punches as they fight to kiss a baby. Except the baby also winds up getting punched -- in the make believe world of the movies.
The baby is played by 2-year-old identical twins Ever and Arabella Landrum. So which one made the scene?
"Whichever one was awake at the time," jokes their grandmother, Dawn Landrum, who co-owns a local talent agency, along with the babies' grandfather, George Landrum.
"When they needed a baby, and I had a daughter with twin babies, I was like, 'Yay, it's perfect!" Dawn Landrum laughed.
The Landrums booked not only the babies, but their daughter, too. Amber Dawn Landrum basically plays herself in the movie. And it was a good thing George Landrum was also on the set.
"I had to hold the child as though I was presenting her to be kissed," Amber Dawn explained, holding one of her babies out with both arms extended, adding that the children got heavy during the long hours of shooting. That's where George came in. He squatted on the floor beneath them, helping Amber Dawn hold the baby up, while also, "doing my best to stay off camera," he said with a laugh.
Both twins were used in the scene and played the same baby. That scene took 12 hours to shoot -- including lots of high tech digital photography -- to make the punch look real. Ever was on camera first.
"When they were done with the break, she didn't quite wake up yet. So they were like, 'Next baby!' So Arabella got to go on set then."
Amber Dawn says both big name actors, Ferrell and Galifianakis, helped keep their tiny co-stars happy.
"In between takes, as soon as they'd say, 'Cut!' Will would grab one of the babies, Zack would grab the other and they were bonding and having fun and just playing."
This is not the babies' first movie. They also play a key role in the horror film "Dark Circles." And their mom has 13 movie and television credits as an actress, and has also done some stunt work. Amber Dawn Landrum says as long as her twin girls have a good time doing movies, she believes there'll be more roles for them.
