Personalities 38 P o r t l a n d monthly magazine photo provided by Jillian Saravong By Jeanee dudley A ctress, model, hon- orary member of Mark Wahlberg’s en- tourage–these are un- expected aliases for a small 11-year-old bouncing a soccer ball around a field in her white-and-blue uniform. Yamilah Saravong lives in York with her parents, brother, and two dogs. Earlier this year, she spent two weeks in Western Mas- sachusetts filming Daddy’s Home 2 with co- stars Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson, John Cena, and John Lithgow. Yamilah’s first gig came when she was five years old, appearing in Miss Saigon at Ogunquit Playhouse, where she continues The Look The camera loves Maine’s emerging star yamilah saravong in the holiday hit movie Daddy’s Home 2. “I was like, ‘So…yes?’ My mom was like, ‘You got it!’ And I was like, ‘Cool!’ Then I called all my friends.” 4 to act year after year. “Every summer I do a kid’s camp there.” She still remembers her first speaking part. “South Pacific. It was ‘The boat!’ four times before running across the stage.” Before Daddy’s Home 2, she’d only act- ed on camera for a Lifespan Health com- mercial and a PSA. Jill Saravong, Yamilah’s mother, says luck played a hand in her au- dition. “Movie work is so competitive,” Jill says. “The filmmakers were very specific. They wanted someone already living in New England, of a certain age, height, and look.” Yamilah got a callback. After the second round of auditions, her mom received an email from their agent saying the filmmak- ers wanted her for the role and were awaiting final approval from Paramount Pictures. “She printed the email out and told my dad first, so they could film my reaction,” Yamilah says. “They gave me the paper. I started reading and didn’t get what it said at all, so I didn’t get excited. I was like, ‘So…yes?’ My mom was like, ‘You got it!’ And I was like, ‘Cool!’ Then I called all my friends.” Her favorite scene is one she filmed with Will Ferrell. “I memorized the whole script–that’s part of what I had to do for the audition–but then Will Ferrell started do- ing improv, and I didn’t know what to say at all! It was only my second day.” Yamilah loved life on set. She waxes lyr- ical about a food truck with drawers full