Shot at stardom

Surprise teenager Crae Ingersoll-Taylor has landed a recurring role on a new television sitcom starring rap and reality television star Flava Flav.

The 14-year-old Willow Canyon High School freshman made his national television debut on a recent episode of Flav's "Under One Roof" on MyNetworkTV (7 p.m. Wednesdays on KUTP-Channel 45). Crae, playing the rapper's son, had to capture the essence of Flava Flav for his role.

"I had to be just like him and with all of the mannerisms, too," he said with a laugh. "It was so much fun, believe me."

Karen Quarles, Crae's mother, said her son filmed the episode earlier this year before their family moved to Surprise from California in February. She found an audition notice for the television role and asked if he wanted to try out for the part.

"(Crae) has such a personality; I'm sure that is what made him stand out to everyone involved in the show," she said.

The producers loved Crae's appearance so much that he'll return to film another episode of "Under One Roof" later this summer.

"Under One Roof" centers on a former prison inmate named Calvester, played by Flav, who lives with his wealthy real estate developer brother and privileged family in their mansion.

Calvester butts heads with almost everyone and even teaches his nephew, Winston Jr., a geeky suburban kid, how to be a gangster rapper.

Crae has always wanted to be an actor and thought he might have a shot at an acting career in the future.

"It just comes natural to me, I guess," he said. "I've been in the grocery store shopping or walking around and had people tell me that I should act."

Quarles said her son always had natural talent, so she has found auditions for him.

Crae can be seen in the original "Big Momma's House" as an extra in a church scene. He auditioned for several commercials before landing the role on "Under One Roof."

Quarles and her family moved to Surprise, leaving the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles for a much quieter life. Crae, a straight-A student, stays busy with sports, including track and football.

"He's very disciplined and focused on whatever he tries to do," Quarles said.

While on the set of "Under One Roof," Crae said he learned a lot about television. It took him two days to film the episode, which included a read-through of the script and several rehearsals with the cast and crew.

"We did, like, three to four takes from different angles, but not too many times," he said.

Crae, who looks up to Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, doesn't have any formal dramatic training but intends to take classes. In addition to becoming an actor, he would like to be an architect.

"I'll just have to wait and see how things go in the future," he said.

Quarles said she will leave it up to her son whether he wants to pursue acting.

"It's all up to him because I'm not going to push it," she said. "This has to be something that he wants to do."