When Hallie Kate Eisenberg opens her mouth in front of a TV or movie camera, we're never sure what's going to come out. 'Sumtimes it's da voice of a gangsta thug upset cuz she ain't got no Pepsi,' and sometimes it's tons of cake that was stuffed in her mouth during a powerful scene from her performance as Helen Keller in ABC's remake of the movie The Miracle Worker. At the age of nine, Hallie has already had the sort of career most actresses only dream about. She's played a pal of a talking parrot in the 1998 film Paulie and the daughter of a wanna-be beauty queen in the hit movie Beautiful. She's worked with Oscar winners Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, and she's recognized around the world as the "Pepsi Girl," a deceptively sweet looking kid whom nobody wants to mess with.

Hallie may be a Hollywood star, but her home life is pretty typical of other fourth graders at her public school in New Jersey. She cleans her room, makes her bed, sets the table and helps with the dishes. It's clear, though, that show business runs in her family. Her mom used to be a clown and her siblings, Kerry, 21, and Jesse, 17, are also actors.

Hallie seemed destined for the spotlight. The day after she was born, she had her first photo op; her baby picture was plastered on the cover of the hospital newsletter. The day she graduated from preschool at Temple B'nai Shalom, she landed her first role in a feature film. Recently, BABAGANEWZ caught up with the young Jewish actress to find out how she got her start in showbiz and how she balances her life and work.

BABAGANEWZ: How did you get interested in acting?

HALLIE: I grew up around it. My brother and sister used to do community theater and when I was little, I used to go see them perform. They also did little improvisations with me. Then I would see TV commercials, and I was like, "Why can't I do that? Why aren't I there?"

BABAGANEWZ: What was your big break into show business?

HALLIE: When I was three, my brother was switching agents and I went along to one of his meetings. I started to sing and to play with the toys. I was entertaining everybody and the agent asked my mom if she could send me out on auditions, too. I got one of the very first jobs I auditioned for: a commercial for a TV show called Blue's Clues.

BABAGANEWZ: Were you nervous about auditioning for Paulie, your first feature film?

HALLIE: When I did the screen test, I didn't know about birds, and I bent down to kiss the bird and it bit me really hard on the thumb. I started crying and I thought, "This is it. I'm not going to get the part." But then, I came home from my nursery school graduation, and I was going up to take my nap and all of a sudden my brother and sister ran in and said, 'Hallie, don't go to bed. We have to go, come on, come on, you got the part!'"

BABAGANEWZ: What's the hardest thing about acting?

HALLIE: A lot of it is challenging, but I really like the challenges. To learn about my characters, I ask a lot of questions and I do research. To play Helen Keller, I visited schools for deaf and blind children. I learned sign language. I watched all the old Miracle Worker movies. The role was demanding, but it was also fun. I got to have temper tantrums, spit eggs in [co-star] Alison Elliott's face, step in sausages, and pull hair.

BABAGANEWZ: What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you on the set?

HALLIE: When I was doing [the food fight] scene from The Miracle Worker, actress Alison Elliott, who played Helen's teacher, was feeding me coffee cake. She kept giving me cake and all of a sudden I had so much hanging out of my mouth that I was like, "mmfffppphhh." I was supposed to make these noises, like a deaf person would, but I couldn't do that without the cake falling out of my mouth. The boy who played my brother was sitting there covering his mouth, like he couldn't take it any more; he was bright red. Then the director said, "Cut" and I was like, "Oh, my gosh!"

BABAGANEWZ: What is your Jewish life like?

HALLIE: We celebrate the Jewish holidays; we light the menorah on Hanukkah and we go to the Passover Seder, usually at my uncle's house. I also went to preschool at Temple B'nai Shalom, a Reform synagogue.

BABAGANEWZ: How do you balance work, school and friends?

HALLIE: When I'm on the set working (about half of the school year), I have a tutor and I study at least three hours a day. I miss my friends when I'm away, but back home they just treat me like a normal kid. They don't say, "You're the movie star, can I have your autograph?" They're happy that I'm having fun.

BABAGANEWZ: What advice would you give to other kids about starting an acting career?

HALLIE: My brother and sister started in community theater, so start with that and see if you like it. Because acting isn't for everybody. Also, only do it if it's fun.

Mitzvah Mission

Become a Mitzvah Star!

You and your friends can put your talents together and have lots of fun doing hesed, acts of kindness, at the same time. Start a drama troupe to bring cheer to others.

✡ Find an adult to be your coach and advisor. Look for someone who loves theater.

✡ Decide on a place and time to meet.

✡ Invite any student who loves to perform to join. Enthusiasm is as important as talent.

✡Jewish holidays make wonderful themes for productions and provide opportunities to perform in the community. Choose a holiday at least two months in the future for your first performance. Now is the right time to begin rehearsing for Hanukkah!

✡Look for audiences who will welcome your troupe, such as senior citizen groups, Jewish group homes for the disabled, and Jewish nursery schools. Be ready to travel if the audience can’t come to you.

✡Get costumes, props and scenery. The main rule is “keep it simple.” Create costumes from clothing in your house. Search your home for props or make them from inexpensive craft items.

✡Don’t forget to plan the cast party to celebrate the performance!

BABAGANEWZ wants to hear from you! Write to us about your group’s mitzvah performance!