HomeEntertainmentBucks County’s Leo Abelo Perry stars in ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’

Bucks County’s Leo Abelo Perry stars in ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’

The Doylestown native makes his film debut as twin Luca in the new Disney+ original movie

Local face: Doylestown’s Leo Abelo Perry stars in the new Disney+ original movie ‘Cheaper by the Dozen,’ a remake of the 2003 Steve Martin comedy. Source: Mayhem Entertainment Public Relations

At the age of 9, Doylestown native Leo Abelo Perry has already accomplished more than what most of us achieve in a lifetime.

Not only is he a podcast host, dancer and social justice activist, he can be seen in the brand new Disney+ original movie Cheaper by the Dozen.

A modern reboot of the 2003 Steve Martin comedy of the same name, the streaming platform-exclusive film follows the massive, blended family of Paul Baker (Zach Braff) and Zoey Baker (Gabrielle Union). When Paul has the opportunity to turn their Baker’s Breakfast restaurant into a franchise, he uproots the family from Echo Park to an upscale gated community in Calabasas.

In Cheaper by the Dozen, Perry makes his motion picture debut as Paul and Zoey’s son Luca, twin of Luna (Mykal-Michelle Harris). Along with the rest of their siblings, this dynamic duo gets into adorable hijinks, such as drag racing in the house.

According to Perry, there are many similarities between himself and his character, including a talent for dancing. However, there’s one striking difference – whereas Luca has seven siblings, Perry is an only child (if you don’t count his beloved dog).

For Perry, an avid watcher of Disney Channel shows such as Raven’s Home and Bunk’d, landing the role of Luca was simultaneously exciting and shocking. After dreaming of someday seeing himself in a Disney project, Perry was in disbelief when it became a reality.

“I just thought, ‘This is not happening to me. I did not book this,’ ” he told The Times in a recent Zoom interview.

Perry, who moved from Doylestown to Los Angeles, California, previously appeared in one episode each of FOX’s The Big Leap and ABC’s Black-ish. While those were amazing opportunities, Cheaper by the Dozen took his passion for acting to the next level. He couldn’t wait to see the finished product and feverishly checked Disney+ every day during the week leading up to its release.

“I kept saying, ‘Where are you!?,’ ” said Perry, who recently enjoyed a trip back to the east coast to enjoy a special viewing with friends and family.

When asked to reflect on the experience of filming Cheaper by the Dozen, Perry said he had a blast being surrounded by co-stars his own age.

“It was fun for my first time because I was super excited to meet all these people. I knew there was going to be so many kids on set, which means I get to make more friends,” he said, adding that he’s still close with his on-set sister Harris. “After the movie, I am best friends with my twin. I love playing a twin because you think of your other twin as like a soulmate.”

A fresh take: The modern reboot of ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ follows the massive, blended family of Paul Baker (Zach Braff) and Zoey Baker (Gabrielle Union). Doylestown’s Leo Abelo Perry plays their son Luca. Source: Disney+

Cheaper by the Dozen is largely full of feel-good, funny moments, but it does tackle some heavier topics. For example, when the mixed-race family moves into their new predominantly white Calabasas neighborhood, Zoey is under immediate scrutiny from security and residents alike because of her skin color.

As an advocate for social justice and racial equity, Perry was thrilled that this issue was addressed by Disney. In his opinion, it’s something kids his age should know about.

Over the past two years, Perry has raised over $20,000 for Black Lives Matter, as well as organizations that use the arts and sports to inspire kids, through his Dance for Justice movement.

It all started when Perry and his mom Claire attended a BLM protest. Though Perry recounted parts of the day as being “scary,” by the end, he was entertaining the crowd by doing the Cupid Shuffle in the middle of an intersection. A few days later, he launched Dance for Justice, which featured him showing off his moves every day, for 365 days, all in an effort to drive attention to the GoFundMe campaign.

Additionally, Perry hosts The Activators!: A Kids Podcast About Activism, which is currently gearing up for its second season.

“I interview and highlight kids who are changing the world by doing what they love to spread more love,” Perry said of the podcast. “I think it’s great because I get to put kids’ stories out into the world so that people can actually know them.”

There’s a bright future ahead for Perry as both an activist and actor. Regarding the latter, he has a few specific goals in mind. He hopes to appear in another movie and, eventually, star alongside some big names in the industry.

“Lin-Manuel Miranda or Trevor Noah,” he said. “Those are my favorite people in the world.”

Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com

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