10 Sisters Actors
Young Actors Relish Moments with Real Sisters
Find out what is was like for these young actors to get to know the real 10 sisters during filming.
By Morgan Dietkus, "Deloris"
Filming 10 Sisters: A True Story was an experience I will never forget. When actors prepare for playing a role, they often have no one to help guide them through their studies of whom they are playing. For me, it was the opposite. While playing ‘Dodo’, or Deloris Hart, I was fortunate enough to not only meet her, but to form an everlasting friendship. I met her when the girls playing the younger sisters were filming at the Cunningham Children’s Home.
From day one I knew this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. For three weeks we worked from 7:30 in the morning until about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. We also had a lot of down time in between our scenes to scope out the always full snack table and coolers. This time allowed the actors to really get to know each other and begin to bond. We never met until the first day of filming. It was thrilling and intimidating at the same time. We all had our books out reading about each sister we were playing and the difficult life each one led. For all of us, it was incredible to play these women. These were real people, not famous, but to each one of us they were. It was almost eerie some days filming because we walked through the halls of the courthouse that the girls walked through and where they were sadly separated in 1942. Playing Dodo was truly an honor and I could have not be prouder to have met and befriended her before she passed away the following November.
She gave me one of her rings the day we met. I still cherish it. In our letters to each other, I told her about school, what I study and a little about me. They were more like get-to-know-you letters, but I felt like I had known her for years. She was a wonderful woman who despite her hardships and separations from her family for so many years was a strong and inspiring woman.
Ciara Reilly, "Irma"
When filming 10 Sisters, it was really fun to dress up in old clothes and have our hair fixed up for the movie. Also I really enjoyed being with my “sisters.” We were always having a blast and laughing. Another neat thing about filming the movie was that I got to meet Irma, the sister I played. Irma is really nice and we still keep in touch through email and letters.
Madeline Whitesell, "Mary Margaret" or "Margy"
It was cool to meet the real sisters. The sister I played had died, but the rest of the sisters helped me by telling me what she was like. They said she was really small and got sick a lot. They said she was motherly and helped take care of her younger sisters.
My favorite day of filming was the day we swam in the creek. The hardest day was the first day, when we had to walk a lot on a dusty country road and I was wearing old-fashioned boots that hurt my feet.
The sisters talked to us a lot. They told us how sad they felt when they were split up. But they eventually got back together so their story had a happy ending.
