By Natalie West, Staff Reporter

Senior Annie Hibbs wanted to disappear when she noticed the 15 other teenage girls clutching their overflowing binders and nervously adjusting their hair.

“I look like a joke,” she thought as she glanced down at her small purse, feeling completely out of their league. When it was her turn to audition, she took a deep breath and realized that her only choice was to be herself and hope for the best.

A week later, Hibbs got a call informing her that her gutsy audition for a role in the movie “Dare” had paid off. She would now be playing Donna, a fictitious girl frequently bullied in her high school. “When I went down to the first day of shooting, I didn’t know who was in the movie or really anything about the movie,” Hibbs said. “I was really dumbfounded by everything that was going on.”

“Dare,” directed by Adam Salky, is an independent film that tells the story of Alexa Walker, a hard-working high school senior who is looking for the opportunity to take risks and learn more about life. Filming for the movie began in Philadelphia in the summer of 2008. Hibbs teamed up with her cast members, who included Alan Cumming, one of the stars of “Spy Kids,” and Emily Rossum, whose previous movies include “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Mystic River,” for the production of the film.

“I was cast in the movie as a featured extra, which is when you’re cast as a part and you have a name, but you don’t say anything,” Hibbs said.

It wasn’t long, though, before Salky approached Hibbs and announced that he’d like to give her some lines.

“I went from a featured extra to an actual character in the movie,” Hibbs said.

After six months of filming, “Dare” was on its way to the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, competing with widely-released movies like “Precious.” It was then released in New York and Los Angeles, and arrived in Philadelphia on Dec. 4 at the Ritz at the Bourse.

Hibbs’ first encounter with real acting began at the beginning of high school, in her theater arts class at Conestoga. She then pursued her interest by enrolling in acting lessons at The Actors Center in Philadelphia, where she was recommended to audition for the part of Donna. Soon after the filming was completed, Hibbs received a phone call that convinced her that she might have a future in acting. The prestigious Screen Actors Guild requested to include Hibbs in its union of actors, a much sought after membership.

With her unexpected and exciting entrance into the world of film, Hibbs has taken her first step on the road to stardom. Hibbs is enthusiastic about being part of the acting world, but is not quite ready to become an addition to its long list of movie stars.

“I really want to continue acting, but as of right now I just want to focus on school and get ready for college,” Hibbs said.

Natalie West can be reached at nwest@stoganews.com.

Appeared originally on p. 15 of The Spoke’s Jan. 12, 2010 edition.

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