News Release

Local angle: Tallahassee, Fla.

Photo: To download a photo, see end of release.

UNC graduate and former varsity gymnast
lands role in upcoming Disney film ‘Stick It’

CHAPEL HILL — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumna and former varsity gymnast Madelyn "Maddy" Curley has vaulted to the top with a role in the new Disney film "Stick It," starring Jeff Bridges.

The movie, with a musical score by Grammy Award-winner Missy Elliott, is slated for release April 21. Curley, originally from Tallahassee, Fla., plays Mina Hoyt, a 16-year-old rising-star gymnast.

A Phi Beta Kappa student, Curley graduated in 2004 from the dramatic art department in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences.

"Stick It" is written and directed by Jessica Bendinger ("Bring It On," "First Daughter"). The action-comedy revolves around a talented renegade girl who introduces the idea of rebellion into the regimented world of women’s competitive gymnastics.

Bridges stars as the gymnastics coach, and Missy Peregrym ("Life As We Know It") and Vanessa Lengies ("American Dreams") face off as young rival gymnasts. The gymnastics term "stick it" is slang for when a gymnast executes a landing correctly, with no movement of the feet.

"(Mina) looks up to the main character, Haley (played by Peregrym), and goes from being a rather naïve, sheltered, obedient gymnast to having a stronger, more independent nature," Curley said of her character.

Curley heard about auditions for the movie from 2004 UNC graduate Twilla Tanyi, who was with Carlyn Davis Casting in Washington, D.C.

"(Twilla) wrote me an e-mail one day saying she needed an actress and a gymnast," Curley said. "So I went up to Washington, D.C., and auditioned. I got called back and then called back again. Disney flew me out to Los Angeles for another audition. I waited and started training at UNC again with my coach, Derek [Galvin], until I heard that I got the part."

Filming began last June. She loved the star treatment – complete with a chair with her name on it — and getting her hair and makeup done before each shoot. Everyone, from the director to the acting coach to the cinematographer to Bridges, was friendly and helpful, she said.

"Jeff Bridges has such a fabulous personality," Curley said. "He makes everyone feel welcome. He takes advice on coaching from all of the gymnasts, and he’s quite the photographer and takes pictures of everyone on the set.

At Carolina, Curley was involved in the UNC Dance Marathon, Alpha Chi Omega sorority and student performance groups Lab! Theatre and Company Carolina.

As a sophomore varsity gymnast, she got the Coaches’ Award for floor exercises. She had top-10 finishes in every meet of her junior year and was balance beam champion at meets at George Washington and Rutgers universities.

Curley received two different academic team honors each year for all four years at Carolina: She was named to the Academic All-Americas team and the East Atlantic Gymnastics League All-Academic team. The National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches honor requires students to have at least a 3.5 grade-point average over an academic year.

Curley currently is living in Hollywood, going on auditions and working as a production assistant to Jordan Scott, daughter of producer and director Ridley Scott. She said the experience of being in a movie was "better than I ever imagined."

"A drama major from UNC can go a long way," she said. "I get to act and do gymnastics – my two favorite things."

To view a trailer of the movie, visit http://touchstone.movies.go.com/index.html?dlink=stickit.

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Note: Curley can be reached at maddycurley@gmail.com.

Photo URL: To download a photo of Curley with Jeff Bridges, go to http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/students/StickItCurleyBridges.jpg 

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-4093 or spurrk@email.unc.edu

News Services contact: L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589