Whether working as a Ford model for major ad campaigns like Ralph Lauren and the Gap, or acting in the independent movie "BUG BOY," Keli Price says "center stage" is where he feels most at home.
The 16-year-old Long Island resident's passion for performing began at an early age and has exploded over the years.
Price believes his passion will become obvious to all when his character "Bobby Love" debuts in April on the Nickelodeon television series, "The Naked Brothers Band," which premiered Feb. 3. The show chronicles the lives of band members from a world-famous rock group, and focuses on crucial issues adolescents face like break-ups and friendship.
As Bobby Love, Price portrays a Los Angeles surfer and leader of a band. He says his character wants so much to look the part of an international rocker that he trades in his surfer lingo for a British accent.
While Price can't relate to being a faux British rock star, he said he drew from his personality, including a passion for surfing, to make the character believable.
"Something we have in common is we both love to perform, and love to be on stage in front of the cameras," he said.
Although Price and his character, Bobby Love, share the tendency to "both ham it up," he said their similarities end there. "He has this evil spark about him that I don't have."
Price says the television series, and acting in general, offer him the chance to walk through life wearing another's shoes. The trick, Price has learned, is to mirror the character after people he knows who share similar attributes.
"If you know people like that, you can think of them and you know what the role will be," he said. "I know how this character is supposed to be, because I've seen it before."
Acting also gives Price a chance to temporarily escape from his reality.
"I've always wanted to see what different characters are like, and to maybe forget myself for a while," he said. "It's just really cool to see what it is like to be someone else."
While "The Naked Brothers Band" marks Price's television debut, it isn't his first foray into the entertainment industry.
"I've always loved to be in front of the camera or on center stage," he said.
In fact, he portrayed a character in the 2005 independent movie, "BUG BOY," in which he was a product of a "dysfunctional family," having an alcoholic mother and an absentee father. Price said his character, Danny, found an escape through his passion for horses and eventually trained to become a jockey.
"This kid had the dream to be a jockey, and a lot of things get in the way," he said. His character's perseverance to overcome his challenges made the movie inspirational, Price said.
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