Childstar

Hollywood’s most celebrated television child star, Taylor Brandon Burns (Mark Rendall), has just arrived in Toronto to star in a blockbuster action flick, The American Son. Best known for his role on a trashy sitcom, Family Differences, Brandon is accustomed to getting his own way all the time. Being only 12 years old, he is traveling with his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Mom is a self-absorbed, flaky and deeply horny California crazy woman who has decided her son’s wants and needs come before hers, no matter how banal or time-consuming for those around her. Like they do for all stars, the movie’s producers hire a driver to make sure their precious investment travels safely and arrives on set on time. Rick Schiller (Don McKellar), happens to be an experimental filmmaker and gets the job of driver to Taylor and his mom. He also, rather quickly, becomes mom`s lover. The three of them settle into an almost normal routine of family-like behaviour, and Rick becomes more and more enmeshed into the world and life of Taylor Brandon Burns. In many ways Taylor is special, but he’s also just a normal teenaged boy who does normal teenager stuff. Like running away from his problems. Which also means disappearing from the movie set, and it becomes Rick’s duty to find him and get him back.

Also see: Don McKellar Talks about Childstar, Hollywood and Fame, Canadian Style