Thirteen-year-old Sidney Fullmer made her mark in Hollywood after starring in the American Girl Doll movie “Saige Paints the Sky” and filming expected blockbuster “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
Fullmer’s drive to succeed has led her to great places. Her friends call her the “golden girl” because she works hard and has an inner drive to be the best she can be at everything she does.
“Sidney knows how to get what she wants because she has that inner drive,” said Sidney’s mother, Allison Fullmer. “She was even that way when she was little. She was just born with it.”
The Fullmers were at the local mall one day when someone approached 9-year-old Sidney, encouraged her to pursue a career in acting and invited her to audition for an upcoming Disney acting camp.
After weeks of callbacks, Sidney Fullmer got a phone call saying she had been chosen as one of three children to move to Los Angeles for the summer to work with Disney Channel stars. The Fullmers packed their bags and headed to LA for the summer.
“We totally supported her,” Allison Fullmer said. “We wanted her to live her dream.”
Audition after audition, Sidney Fullmer gained exposure and experience. She uses those experiences to keep her grounded and tries not to lose sight of what’s most important in life.
The Fullmers are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and let its teachings guide their lives regardless of what others around them may believe.
“Every time before I go into an audition or anything, I pray,” Sidney Fullmer said. “I really look toward my Heavenly Father when I have a big audition. When I’m closest to my Heavenly Father, I feel like my performance is best.”
The young actress’ first audition was a unique experience. She auditioned for a show being produced by Ellen Degeneres, for which 1,500 other girls were also auditioning. After several rounds of callbacks, Sidney Fullmer made it into one of the top two spots for the role.
“I remember flying out to LA with my dad, and I remember just every night getting a call from my manager saying I made it to the next round,” she said.
Degeneres flew her out to LA to meet for an interview. Although another actress received the part, Sidney Fullmer said it was a great experience for her. She enjoyed meeting Degeneres and getting a taste of what life in Hollywood might be like.
“I can’t even keep track of how many auditions I’ve done,” she said. “Whenever I do an audition I have to let go because it’s so rare that I’ll ever get anything back. It keeps me grounded.”
Her first movie role was in “Saige Paints the Sky” in 2013. She played the main character, Saige, and was on set for every scene of the movie.
Shortly after filming wrapped up for “Saige Paints the Sky,” Sidney Fullmer landed a part in a movie adaptation of a popular children’s book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” which is set to premiere in theaters nationally this October.
This project gave her the opportunity to work with Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner, who star in the film.
Sidney Fullmer plays the role of Alexander’s next-door neighbor and school-girl crush. She said her favorite part of this movie was working with an amazing cast who feels like family and being able to work with well-known actors like Carrell and Garner.
“It was so cool to have them there on set. I look up to them so much because they are such fantastic actors,” she said. “I feel so honored to be able to work with them.”
Sidney Fullmer keeps grounded by not allowing her acting to define her. She loves being an actress but looks at it as more of a hobby than a way of life.
“I still feel like I have a normal life,” she said. “I live in Texas; I don’t live in LA. I go to public school. I’m on the dance team. I feel like I’m just a normal girl. Acting is just my hobby — not my life. I try to surround myself with normal things.”
The young girl remains close to her family and has great relationships with her parents and three younger brothers.
She has a particularly special bond with her brother Zach, who is just two years younger than she. Allison Fullmer said they have a close relationship and love to stay up late into the night talking.
Sidney Fullmer said she has learned a lot from the many blessings she has received these past four years since seriously pursuing acting. She is grateful for her inspiring family members and friends who keep her grounded and remind her what’s important in life.
As she makes her mark on the big screen this fall, her goal is to remain a humble, genuine actress who lives life as normally as possible.
“Acting has given me a lot of self-confidence,” the young actress said. “I’ve learned just to be myself. That’s really big in the acting world, I guess. People want to see the truth; they don’t want to see something fake.”
