It was 2 a.m. in the snowy streets of Shell Lake, Wisonsin, and a post-apocalyptic tragedy was unfolding. Under an inky-black canopy of pines, a handful of dedicated actors with ash-gray zombie makeup caked on their faces milled about in the frigid air. The somnambulant cast was shooting a scene for an upcoming independent film about the end of the world. And there in that eerie early-morning street, amid the bustle of camera equipment and a director barking orders, stood a very young professional: 11-year-old Tommy Propson, an Edina native playing one of the thriller’s lead roles.
That was during the winter of 2010. Today, Propson’s work in the Midnight Releasing Studio film, After the Dawn is behind him, and he can bask in the film’s release, which came this past September. In theory, he could get back to being a normal 13-year-old kid after the six long months he’d invested in the filming process. But Propson is not your average kid.
Before Tommy Propson could even eat solid food, he was chasing (or crawling, as it were) after the spotlight. The Valley View Middle School student happens to come from a family that encourages the arts (after school, of course). Propson’s parents, Thom and Carin, always saw value in exposing Tommy and his 10-year-old sister Helen to as many opportunities as possible, as early as possible.
When he was only five months old, Propson was being chauffeured around the metro area to modeling gigs. From shoots for Target ads to Dayton’s catalogues, the cameras flashed, and little Tommy was earning tidy paychecks as a child model. With his pudgy baby feet on the rungs of the ladder to stardom, Propson naturally began to climb, taking on bigger challenges over the years.
By the age of seven, Propson was doing voice-overs for radio and Internet commercials, including ads to promote Minnesota tourism and for Park Nicollet Health Services. He was also acting in television commercials for companies like Breyer’s ice cream. Eventually, Propson became so skilled as an actor that he was earning roles in films such as Into Temptation (2009) and Thin Ice (2011), working alongside celebrities like Greg Kinnear, Jeremy Sisto and Kristin Chenoweth.
During this time, Propson was meeting other industry professionals, navigating recording studios and film sets, getting familiar around sound and camera equipment, all the while as cool as a cucumber in front of the camera.
“I never really got nervous as a model or an actor,” Propson says. “I warmed up to it pretty fast.”
Recognizing that their son had more than just a knack for performance, Carin and Thom got serious about his theatrical pursuits. He took a number of acting classes, along with his sister Helen, through the Children’s Theatre Company, Stages Theatre, and even trained with various acting coaches.
“Tommy has a terrific talent,” says Bill Cooper, one of Propson’s acting coaches. “He’s focused, determined and his acting craft has grown.”
Instead of working with one agent to book his auditions, Propson’s name is multilisted on a website called ActorsAccess.com, where producers can search for the specific look or type of actor they need. For Propson, this approach eliminates the hassle of going to countless open auditions where myriad other bright-eyed kids are waiting for the chance to read a few lines. To this point, the Propsons are very down to earth and practical about the boy’s career as an actor.
“The world of acting and filmmaking fascinates me, but I’m happy with where we’re at as a family, with acting being a hobby,” Carin says. “Our agents know that school and sleep come first for the kids.”
Over the years, Propson managed to multitask and juggle activities better than most ramen-noodle-eating grad-school students can. A passionate football and lacrosse athlete, he also focuses on math and science in school, dabbles in electronics at home, uses a Sony flip camera to shoot his own short films (with the help of an enthusiastic cast: his sister, cousins and grandparents), edits the film on his laptop, and—oh, yeah—somehow squeezes in photoshoots, TV commercial gigs, radio voice-over recordings and roles in various independent films.
“I’m happy with the spot I’m at now as an actor,” Propson says. “Acting is fun for me. It’s an outlet and a good experience, but I haven’t made up my mind yet if I want to move to L.A. to be an actor. I’ll have to decide about that when I’m older.”
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