Local Actress Co-Stars in 'Parental Guidance'

Perhaps best known for her tragic role as "Sophia" in AMC's "The Walking Dead" TV series, Alpharetta's Madison Lintz, 13, has shed the zombie makeup for her new role in "Parental Guidance."

Opening Christmas Day and starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei, the family friendly comedy centers on the grandparents portrayed by Crystal and Midler, who are tasked with taking care of their modern-day-raised grandchildren. The movie was filmed at various locations around Atlanta.

Madison, or Madi, as she's known, snagged the role of the best friend of Crystal and Midler's granddaughter after auditioning for the part on her last day on "The Walking Dead," also filmed in the Atlanta area.

While she says she loved her "Walking Dead" days and grew attached to the cast and crew, she also appreciated the more "happy" atmosphere of "Parental Guidance."

"I had to go from 'I'm a zombie' to 'I'm a happy middle-schooler,'" Madison says, adding that the make-up artists on the "Dead" set helped her scrape off the zombie gunk and fixed her hair for her audition.

While Madison has one scene with Billy Crystal in "Parental Guidance," she said it's one with lots of dialogue. She notes that it was interesting to watch Crystal improvise and change the dialogue every time.

Madison says she knew she wanted to be an actress after going to "really cool" sets with her mom, Kelly, also an actress. In fact, Madison's sister and two brothers are also in "the business"  – her sister Mackenzie appeared in "The Hunger Games." Madison says it's become a family tradition to go to Los Angeles with her mother and siblings each year for pilot season, too.

The young actress, who is home-schooled with a small group of seventh- and eight-graders, says she thinks her mother's involvement in the acting industry helped her get "The Walking Dead" role, while that role in turn helped her get the "Parental Guidance" part.

When not acting, Madison says she loves spending time with her friends and reading good long books. But don't expect to see her on stage anytime soon. She prefers TV and movie sets because she has "stage fright." And she doesn't sing – "I sound like a dying turtle," she laughs. "I can't carry a tune."