It’s good to have some competition in the family, right?
It certainly seems to be the case when it comes to the acting Laverock sisters, Mamie and Laiken, who are taking turns at hogging the limelight on and off the screen.
Last year, elder sibling Mamie, 11, grabbed all the attention when she was nominated for, and subsequently won, a Joey Award for her recurring role in When Calls the Heart, which features on the Hallmark channel in the U.S. and CBC in Canada.
This time around, however, it’s 10-year-old Laiken’s turn to shine with two Joey nominations for starring in a nationwide Home Depot commercial and a role in an episode of The Flash, much of which is shot in the Lower Mainland.
It all leads to the awards gala this Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Pacific Gateway Hotel in Richmond, where more than 150 young performers from across Canada will converge for the “baby Oscars” to celebrate youth achievements in screen and on stage.
“Laiken has been trying equally as hard as Mamie over the years, but Mamie just got the breaks at the right times,” said Nicole Rockmann, mom of the sisters, who both attend Anderson elementary.
“But this has been (Laiken’s) year and it’s all the more pleasing as the competition (to get in The Flash) is intense; she’s up against people with massive resumes.”
Despite only being on the planet for 10 years, Rockmann said it’s been a long road for her youngest daughter, who had a speaking part in the 2013 blockbuster Godzilla, which was filmed in the Lower Mainland, including Steveston.
“She had a part in Godzilla but the entire scene was cut,” said her mom.
“It was a speaking part; she was stuck in a car. But it didn’t make the final edit.
“Thankfully, we found out just before the movie was released, otherwise she could have been going there believing she was in it. She was six, turning seven at the time. She cried.
“She was in Nanaimo for the filming and was treated like a princess. She had her own hotel room and it was an amazing experience.”
But, as the saying goes, good things tend to come to those who wait, or at least persevere.
“(The sisters) appeared together in The Hollow Ones and Laiken had the bigger part in that, so Mamie is getting used to it now I guess,” added Rockmann.
“Laiken has the same teacher as her sister last year and there’s a newspaper cutting of her sister on the wall in the class. She’s hoping to get one of her own up there soon.
“But I feel for both of them, like most parents do, and it’s all part of the business, the ebbs and the flows. And to be honest, Mamie has been amazing and has been very supportive of her sister.”
