Local boys appear in upcoming films

Published 3:07 pm Sunday, April 26, 2015

Gabe Peeler is no stranger to the big screen. A senior at Carson High School, Peeler was cast as a photo double for a character in “Max,” an MGM movie about a soldier who is killed in Afghanistan and whose military dog is adopted by his grieving family.

Peeler is a double for one of the main actors in the movie, Josh Wiggins. A newcomer to film, Wiggins has been billed as the next Leonardo DiCaprio. He was discovered on YouTube.

“Gabe has a lot of connections now. The main stars follow us on Twitter – it’s really funny,” his father, Dale Peeler said. Gabe has also landed roles in the Hunger Games and Homeland.

In 2011, Gabe, his brothers, and mother Sherry were walking through a mall and were stopped by someone who happened to be a casting director. The next thing they knew, the boys were submitting their headshots and being selected for roles.

“Of course I had to do my research first, but it turned out to be legit,” Sherry said.

The Faith Fourth of July parade plays a special part in the movie, “Max.” The Faith fire trucks and Rowan County Veterans Honor Guard are featured. Originally, the producers were going to film a parade in a different town, but Gabe convinced them to film local.

“I basically told them how large the parade is,” Gabe said. “It’s one of the biggest and best in the state.”

Gabe’s 12-year-old brother, Brayden, has a part as an extra in “Paper Towns,” a movie based on a novel written by John Green. Green is most famous for the book and movie “The Fault in Our Stars” which has earned more than $124 million in box office revenue.

“This could be one of the biggest movies of the year,” Dale said.

Being on set to film movies takes up a lot of time. Brayden missed his little league playoffs and best friend’s birthday party in order to be in the film.

“I like traveling. I want to keep doing movies,” Brayden said.

Gabe says that his next step is getting signed with an agent. The only problem is, with film incentives being taken away, he will have to travel to other states to star in movies.

“He has gotten emails about starring in movies in Charleston and Atlanta,” his father said.

“I am more than willing to travel. I kind of want to get away from here,” Gabe said.

“Max” premiers in theaters June 26. “Paper Towns” premiers on July 24.

“We will probably be at both premiers,” Gabe said. His parents agreed.