JP Romero looks up at the tennis ball atop a lengthy pole – his only aid to visualize the prehistoric beast.
Well, that and countless hours of make believe.
“Playing pretend with my friends, that has helped me a lot,” said the 13-year-old Miltonian, speaking to what was arguably the biggest tool in his acting skill set for the recently-launched Dino Dex – streaming on TVO YouTube. “I’m still young, so I still have some imagination.”
That no doubt served him well as the lead character for the latest instalment of the popular Canadian live-action series, created and directed by J.J. Johnson.
Roughly three years into a budding career that’s included a lot of voice acting and a part on the teaching tool Moozoom, JP seems tailored-made for his new gig.
At the top of his wide array of beloved TV shows and movies is anything dinosaur-related – be it Steven Spielberg’s creations or those of Johnson and Sinking Ship Entertainment.
“I watched Dino Dan, Trek and Dana and thought ‘Oh my gosh, the chance to be the next Dino kid would be awesome.’ We just kept reading the script and tried to find the perfect way to do this (audition ) because it meant a lot.”
Parents Leo and Tatiana knew that all too well.
So after an extensive auditioning process – which included a video call with the creator and a chemistry read with the other potential actors – mom and dad added a little suspense to the big reveal.
“About two weeks later (after final audition) I came home from school and my parents said we’re going to Starbucks, which was cool but seemed strange because we never go to Starbucks after school,” recalled JP, whose initials – fittingly enough -- could stand for Jurassic Park. His other passions include Transformers, Pokemon and an ever-growing Lego collection. “My mom got the lady to write Dino Dex with polka-dots on the lid. I took a sip, looked down and said ‘Did I get it? Yes, I’m Dino Dex!’ That’s a moment I’ll never forget. It was awesome.”
Premiering at this fall’s TIFF – right around his birthday – Dino Dex follows the adventures of a young artist and paleontologist in training. Like his predecessors, Dex/JP uses a dino field guide to magically see and study dinosaurs in the real world.
In short, a dream come true for a young dino diehard, who’s memorized the names of popular and lesser known species alike, and lights up when thinking of iconic scenes on the big and silver screen.
Of course it was all business once filming began last summer in Grimsby.
JP admits it was a hectic and at times tiring process, but one he wouldn’t trade for anything.
“One thing I really admired about JP, he put the work in,” said dad. “It came with a lot of effort, but he never complained or whined. He went about it with a lot of professionalism and gratitude for the opportunity.”
Unlike previous gigs, Dino Dex – which could well continue for a season season – afforded JP the chance to learn about the vast array of individual contributions required to bring a show of this type to life.
And the crew found an eager student in their leading man… aah, boy.
“It was cool because they were happy to share (what they do) on my breaks,” said JP, who as fortune would have it also got to share a Dino Dex scene with his actor uncle. “And it took a while, but I learned everyone’s name.”
Added Leo, “JP had the opportunity to sit with a lot of the trades and they would explain what they’re looking for. You see how much teamwork there is, and how important it was to be ready every day because he was part of that team.”
So what does the young actor think about the finished product?
“It’s awesome, to finally see all our hard work on TV. It’s so cool!”