Lakin takes her celebrity
status "Step By Step"
Please don't misunderstand her. Actress Christine Lakin,
16, has no problem explaining to people why she might
look familiar. And she doesn't mind acknowledging to
inquisitive strangers that she's on ABC's popular Friday
sitcom ``Step by Step.'' But at a recent ``Ultimate
Oldies'' concert in her native Atlanta, where's she's
happily on hiatus for the summer, she just couldn't cop to
celebrity status.
``I haven't really been bugged, but the only time I'm
embarrassed is when I'm caught doing something really
stupid,'' says the petite actress who plays middle child Al
(short for Alicia). ``I was at this concert with a bunch of
friends and we were being so goofy and doing the swim
and other silly dances. I felt so stupid when two girls
walked up and asked my name. I was like uh, uh,
Samantha! My name is Samantha. The girls responded
with a disinterested `Oh,' and walked away.''
Christine laughs. ``In L.A. if someone thinks you look
familiar or expect it's from TV - since after all, it is L.A. -
they usually don't say anything and in Georgia they just
don't expect they'll know you from TV. I just look
familiar. It's so much more normal here.''
Christine explains why she's the only ``Step'' kid to live
away from Los Angeles: ``My school's here and our
house is here. We just love it. It's beautiful and safe.''
The Texas native lived in Maryland, Florida and Virginia
before her family moved to Atlanta (mom Karen says
they're ``corporate gypsies'') - all before she even began
school. She started first grade at the Atlanta private
school she still attends.
At 6, she had already tap danced in several states. Upon
arrival in Atlanta, Karen Lakin, who acts as her
daughter's manager, enrolled her in tap, jazz and ballet.
Then Christine saw a flier advertising a ``drama'' class.
``I asked my mom what `drama' was and she said, `It's
where you pretend to be characters in a story,' and I
decided I wanted to do that,'' says the young actress.
``She was reluctant, but I talked her into it.'' The class led
to auditions, which led to a series of both national and
local commercials.
``It seemed like every time my mom or dad would say,
`This may never happen again, so let's try it. This could
be your five minutes of fame,''' she says.
Those proverbial ``five minutes'' evolved into 10 years.
Christine worked in theater - she was spotted at
Georgia's Callaway Gardens by a vacationing talent agent
- and then appeared in the 1990 TNT production ``The
Rose and the Jackal'' opposite Christopher Reeve,
before landing a role on ``Step'' in 1991.
The only child says she's got the best of two worlds -
playing one of now seven children on the ABC sitcom
and having her privacy at home. ``We get along
amazingly well, especially Angie [Angela Watson] and
me. All of us can get on each other's nerves, like brothers
and sisters, but we're very close.''
While Al began as the resident tomboy, ``she's more
feminine now,'' explains Christine. ``She's not a total Miss
Priss, but still has an edge. She's feisty and
strong-willed.'' She's proud Al's ``a really good role
model, since she's straightforward and doesn't back
down.''
``Step by Step'' airs Fridays on ABC (at 9 p.m. on
WSET-Channel 13). For ages 6 and up.
