INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Getting To Know Sage Correa, Halle Berry’s ‘Kidnap’ Co-Star [Interview]

By Michelle Tompkins
Published on: 05:24 PST, Aug 4, 2017

Nine-year-old actor Sage Correa is an interesting kid with many interests. Not only does he enjoy acting, but he is also an avid sports fan — in fact, he endeavors to be an Olympian. Just ask him about basketball and you will be amazed by his ability to recall stats and tidbits. He will be seen opposite Halle Berry in the film Kidnap, which opens on August 4.

Correa lives in Los Angeles with his mom Apryl, a former pediatric nurse who is currently working on real estate investments; his dad Frank, an entertainment attorney and business consultant; and his rescue dog, Gracie. Correa first got interested in acting after being in a Christmas show at his school. He has been seen on TV shows such as Life in Pieces, Uncle Buck, and Grey’s Anatomy, and he is the voice of Pig­-Pen in the new Peanuts series.

Sage Correa, along with his dad, spoke with Michelle Tompkins for the Inquisitr about his goals as an actor and in life, what it was like for him to work with Halle Berry, what he wants to be when he grows up, what he likes to do for fun, and more.

Michelle Tompkins: Hi, Sage. What are you up to this summer?

Sage Correa: Oh, well next in a couple weeks, I’m going to Martha’s Vineyard and that’s basically what I’m doing this summer.

MT: Have you been working or playing with friends?

SC: Yes, I have a couple sleepovers last week and I’ve had a couple of auditions this summer.

MT: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

SC: I like to play basketball and play video games.

MT: Will you return to school in the fall? Do you go to a regular school?

SC: Well, I used to but next year I’m going to school for working kids so like actors and singers and yeah.

MT: Which grade are you in?

SC: I am going into the fourth grade.

MT: What are your favorite subjects?

SC: My favorite subject is math and religion.

MT: And you’re 10, is that correct?

SC: Nine. I turn 10 November 26.

MT: Ah, that will be here soon enough.

SC: Yeah.

MT: Where are you from?

SC: I’m from Los Angeles.

MT: Oh, okay, and you still live in L.A.?

SC: Yeah.

MT: Do you have any brothers and sisters?

SC: No, I don’t. I do have a dog.

MT: What’s his or her name?

SC: Her name is Gracie, and she was in a shelter so I rescued her.

Sage Correa and Gracie. [Image by Correa Family]

MT: Now how did you decide you wanted to be an actor?

SC: Well, we have at school– We had a Christmas concert and after that, I really liked being on stage, so I decided to be an actor.

MT: Did you take acting classes?

SC: Yes, I took acting classes with Dustin Felder. But that was my first acting coach, and now I have many others.

MT: What was your first acting job?

SC: It was a commercial. It was Fresh Society and I had to rap in it.

MT: Oh, that’s cool.

SC: Yeah.

MT: Tell me about the movie Kidnap.

SC: Well, Kidnap comes out August 4 and it was filmed in New Orleans, and it’s about a kid named Frankie who gets kidnapped. And Carla, the mom, goes out of her way to rescue him, her son, and it’s like a car chase and everything. It’s crazy, intense. It’s a thriller, an action movie. And it’s rated R for child endangerment because it is pretty scary, but that’s all I know about it.

MT: Were you ever scared when you were filming it?

SC: No. Not at all.

MT: Now, how did you get the part?

SC: So my first audition — so the funny thing is, I was — so I was in a meeting with someone who is now my manager. But we were getting a manager and we were — when we were in the meeting, we got the call to audition for it, and I did not want to do it. That was the funny thing. I didn’t want to do it and I did it. I nailed the first audition. Then I had the second audition. I know that, but there’s up to three people for the third audition. And before, all three of us had an acting coach to work with in the audition room before we actually did it. And when we actually did it, it was with Halle Berry. So we had to do that last audition with her.

MT: Ok, nice.

SC: And I was in the car and my mom told me that I had got the job, and I was so happy. So after a couple days after that, I got a flight to New Orleans to film it.

MT: How long were you filming it?

SC: About five weeks. At least that was how long I was filming. I don’t know about everybody else. I was filming for five weeks.

MT: Please tell me a little bit about Halle Berry?

SC: She’s really, really nice. A couple of days before we started filming, she invited me over to her hotel, and we talked about some movies. She gave me advice on what it was about, and that helped me a lot. And she gave me advice on set. She brought her daughter that I played with when we were not filming. And yeah, Halle’s really nice.

MT: What were some of your favorite things about making the movie?

SC: I really liked when we filmed the swamp scene because we weren’t in a swamp, but it was like a sound stage and there was a big — almost like a pool. It was huge. You had to climb up on a ladder to get in. And it was done so the camera could work. So when we weren’t filming it, we had to go in the hot tub to warm up. And that was a couple of days before my birthday. And Halle knew that I really liked Michael Jackson, so she brought in a speaker to play Michael Jackson for my birthday and that was pretty cool.

MT: Sounds very cool. Now, as this movie’s rated R, you going to be allowed to see?

SC: Yes [laughter].

MT: Now, what are some roles that you’d like to play in the future?

SC: I would really like to star in a TV show so I’m always working instead of just waiting for an audition. So I’d rather just book a TV show starring it. A recurring role at least. That’s basically what I want to do.

MT: Who are some of your favorite actors?

SC: Well, who inspired me to act with Don Cheadle? I used to love the movie Iron Man, and he was like Iron Man’s sidekick, so he was my favorite character. So I listened and watched a lot of his interviews, and I actually got to meet him a few years ago, which is cool.

MT: Did you say you got to meet him?

SC: Yeah.

MT: Did you like him?

SC: Yes. He’s really nice. I also like Dwayne The Rock Johnson. I didn’t get to meet him, but I really liked him and I really like his WWE character [laughter]. And I like the Fast and Furious movies. He’s one of my favorite characters in there. And yeah, that’s basically it about him.

MT: Now, what are some movies and TVs shows you like? You said you like Fast and the Furious. What else?

SC: I like Creed, with Michael B. Jordan. TV show, I like Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain.

MT: I love that your parents exposed you to Anthony Bourdain. That’s awesome.

SC: And I like Seinfeld. And I used to always watch clips of Gilligan’s Island. I liked that. And that’s basically it.

MT: What do you like to do for fun?

SC: I like to play basketball and play video games, but I can only play it on the weekends.

MT: What’s your favorite game? Are you an Xbox or PS kind of guy?

SC: I have a PS4. I have a PS4, a PS3, and a Nintendo Switch. I like to play games on there like my favorite game, NBA 2K17. And the next game that they’re going to have is going to be on a Nintendo Switch because that will be pretty cool, the fact that I can play it wherever I go. And I also like this computer game called Roblox. And on Instagram, I got this comment that this — one of my acting friends, he saw the trailer that came out on Roblox, so I’ve been playing it a lot just to find the trailer. And that’s basically everything I’ll — I like Madden. I like a lot of sports games because I’m a sports fan. That’s basically all I really like. I like Mario on the Switch. Mario Cart.

MT: What are your sports teams, your favorite sports teams?

SC: I like the Clippers and the Lakers. I’m a LA guy, so I got to like them. I like the Rockets.

MT: I was told that you know a whole lot about basketball.

SC: Yes. A lot. I also like the New Orleans Pelicans. And I also like the LA Rams and the New Orleans Saints for football. And that’s probably all I like.

MT: That’s a lot. Well, what’s something you want people to know about you?

SC: That I am a really good — I’m really good at sports and athletic.

MT: I’ll make sure people know that. Which charities do you support? Are you involved in any charity work?

SC: Well, I’ve done work with Cancer Runs, and last summer I went to the Mattel Party on the Pier on the Santa Monica Pier, where they give toys out to the kids that don’t have any and they play games.

MT: Is there somewhere you want to travel to that you haven’t gone to yet?

SC: I really want to travel to somewhere — I would say Tokyo.

MT: Oh, nice. Japan. Why?

SC: Yeah. And also China. I did a movie there so I just want to see how big it is there. I mean, it’s probably not as big anymore because it’s been a year. But I heard it was really big when it came out. I want to see if I’m made of a Lego there [laughter].

MT: Now how do you like fans to connect with you?

SC: Instagram. Instagram and for like Chinese, in China, I do this Chinese social media that I used to do. I’ll probably start using that again. And WeChat. I also use that. That’s basically it. Maybe SnapChat.

MT: What is the name that people could find you on?

SC: Well, on Instagram I am @officialsagecorrea. S-A-G-E-C-O-R-R-E-A. Some people I’ve got to spell my last name. Put that out there.

MT: Sage, what would you like to be when you grow up [laughter]?

SC: Well, I would like to be a sports owner.

MT: An owner?!! Wow. Okay.

SC: And I’d like to work at Chipotle [laughter].

MT: Chipotle? Ok. Good burritos there. Okay. What’s your favorite thing at Chipotle?

SC: I eat a burrito in a bowl there. Chicken bowl.

MT: Okay. So you want to own a sports team, and you want to work at Chipotle. Anything else?

SC: Probably be an Olympian in some way. I’m a very fast runner, so I could stick to that, track, maybe? I haven’t done it yet. But I’m the fastest kid in my class. Maybe—

MT: Oh, nice. Good goal.

SC: And I don’t even do track, and most of them do. So that’s a surprise in my class — well, what used to be my class. Because I’m going to a new school.

MT: So basically, you want to act as long as it’s fun, but you have other things you want to do.

SC: Yeah. Yeah, I want to keep on acting. Oh, man. I forgot. I’m probably never going to be able to do track, though. I want to it, but track— I have flat feet, so my feet hurt a lot. I’m really fast so I could just maybe stick to that if my feet don’t hurt. And yeah I want to keep acting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Ht8VRPRvU

Learn more about Sage Correa here.

[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Images]

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