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Maple Ridge star still in diapers

Just 20 months, Alanna Babic-Day has already starred in her first movie
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Alanna Babic-Day and her mother Ashley Babic. Alanna played baby Jessica in the movie Magic Beyond Words

Alanna Babic-Day is a girl who hates getting her feet dirty. She’s the kind of kid who makes sure every grain of sand gets dusted off her toes after she steps out of the sand pit.

“She’s a really girlie girl,” says her mom, Ashley.

With curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes, Alanna likes dressing up, putting on a show and doesn’t shy away from the spotlight.

“She’s an attention seeker,” Ashley says with a laugh. Perhaps that’s why Alanna, who is two and a half, wasn’t even slightly fazed by the hot lights and big cameras when she made her acting debut earlier this year in the made-for-TV movie Magic Beyond Words.

In fact, says Ashley, Alanna was thrilled that everyone wanted to play with her.

Based on a true story, the Magic Beyond Words follows world famous author J.K. Rowling on her inspirational journey to creating and writing Harry Potter.

Growing up in working class England, Rowling struggled between dreams of wanting to be an author and the harsh reality of finding a career that would keep her out of poverty.

Despite constant obstacles, including her mother’s early death and a destructive marriage, Rowling never gave up hope of achieving her dream. Instead, she uses her past experiences – good and bad, as the inspiration that leads her to dream up the magical story of a young orphan on his way to wizard school – a story that would change the face of literature.

Alanna plays Rowling’s daughter, Jessica, aged 14 to 20 months. She spent five days shooting the biopic in Vancouver and Victoria, sometimes clocking eight hours on set.

Luckily the young starlet had her own trailer and formed an instant bond with Poppy Montgomery (Without A Trace), the actress who played Rowling.

Ashley was on set each day, lurking behind curtails off camera, just in case Alanna cried for “mommy.”

Ashley who also acted as a child, decided to sign Alanna with Reel Kids Talent Agency, because acting helped her break out of her shell.

They watched Magic Beyond Words together when it premiered July 18.

Alanna recognized her co-stars, but was a little frightened by a scene which featured a goblin.

“I think it will be so fun for her to grow up and see herself on TV or look back at the movie,” her mom said.