During
one particular break, Foxx played the piano as Brody
sat on the bench with him and watched.
“I
don’t think he realizes the significance,” Pam said.
“Jamie Foxx playing piano for you is a big deal.
That’s why it worked out so well; Brody didn’t know
who Jamie Foxx was. He does now.”
When
the subject of a child actor comes up, the inevitable
question of stage mom enters.
“Stage
mom, no,” Pam says. “Soccer mom, yes. This is only
about 10 percent of what we do. We don’t spend all
of our time going to casting calls and auditions.
Brody does it for fun. His dad and I are very proud
of him. People ask how we do it having four boys
between 6 and 12? It gets hectic sometime but we’re
proud of all of our boys. Each one is different,
and that’s what makes it so much fun.”
You
have to remain humble with three older brothers
around the house to keep you in line.
“We
think it’s cool he’s an actor,” older brother Brandon,
12, said. “We get a little jealous sometimes.”
Brother
Cody, 10, said he’s glad his little brother is getting
his shot at the big time.
“It’s
awesome,” Cody said.
Ditto,
Tyler, 8.
“I
think it’s pretty cool,” Tyler said. “It gives us
something to talk about.”
None
of this attention has gone to Brody’s head, said
his mother.
“The
director, Peter Berg, was real nice to Brody and
me,” Pam said. “I got to sit under the director’s
tent during filming with a head set on and listen
to what was going on. I sat in Jamie Foxx’s chair
for about three hours.”
Soccer
is Brody’s main passion, the Horshoe Trails Elementary
School first‑grader explained.
“In
our first game, I scored three goals.”
Brody
only misses school about twice a month when he’s
moonlighting, Pam says.
“He
catches right up with his school work. He doesn’t
say too much about where he’s been because it’s
just too hard to explain over and over.”
“The
Kingdom” makes it’s debut Sept. 28 in Phoenix and
the Tardys are planning their own celebration.
“Brody’s
grandpa (Leon Bess) is taking our whole family,
including aunts, uncles and cousins to see ‘The
Kingdom’ on opening weekend,” Pam said. “My mom
passed away a couple of years ago and my dad is
doing this for all of us. I’ve got two sisters who
live in Phoenix, too. The whole family is very excited
and proud of Brody.”
The
cool part: Brody’s still wondering what all the
fuss is about.
