When a pair of Upvalley teens got the chance to appear in the major motion picture, “Little Children,” it seemed as if they were skating through life.

Actually, Walker Ryan, 18, of St. Helena and David Cole, 17, of Angwin, skated their way onto the silver screen in September 2005, at the invitation of film director Todd Field, a former St. Helena resident whose earlier films included “In the Bedroom” and “Eyes Wide Shut.”

When Field was searching for an expert to help set up skateboarding scenes on Staten Island, his daughter recommended Walker.

“We had a distant relationship with the director — our families hung out, and my mom sort of knew them,” said Walker, now a freshman at the University of California at San Diego. “The director was having trouble with the skateboard element in the movie and I got involved as a skateboard consultant to make it more realistic. His daughter remembered me. ‘Walker can help out,’ she said.”

Walker took off for New York with his mom, Ann Mitchell of St. Helena.

“I helped them pick a location and went over the script,” he said.

After Walker returned home from New York, things got interesting. Field wanted Walker to return to act in the film.

“One thing led to another, and they wanted guys to skate. They asked if I knew anybody, so I brought in David, a close and good friend.”

“Walker set the whole thing up,” said David, who currently works at White Sulphur Springs Resort. “He called me up and said, ‘You want to go to New York and skate in a movie?’ I was, like, ‘Yeah, I can do that.’”

Neither young man had ever acted before, but they suddenly found themselves filming over five days in New York. Before they could work as actors, each young man needed to become legally emancipated, due to child labor laws that prohibit children from working long hours. Most days, the two teens worked 12 or more hours.

‘Lots of pressure’

“It was amazing, I couldn’t believe it,” said Walker. “We kind of just skated, but on the last day we had to do a bunch of lines for a short scene. You kind of feel pressure when there are 60 people on the crew, waiting for the scene to end so they can get back to work. There were quite a few takes.

“David and I are the key skateboarders,” said Walker. “We have some speaking lines at the end, and basically we are the only adolescent characters in the whole movie.” Other skaters in the film have no lines.

“One of the best parts was getting to go to New York,” said Walker. “There are talented, up-and-coming skaters up there. We basically kicked it with these skaters and hung.”

The film, which Walker describes as “really intense, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” was nominated for three Academy Awards, including leading actress (Kate Winslet), supporting actor (Jackie Earle Haley) and screenplay adaptation. The film also stars Jennifer Connelly and Patrick Wilson.

Walker returned to New York for a third time in October 2005 for the preview of the film at the New York Film Festival.

“It was a laid-back little hotel gathering, and I got to talk to a lot of people.”

Kate Winslet was there, along with Patrick Wilson. Jennifer Connelly couldn’t make it.

A philosophy major, Walker said his brush with show business fame won’t change his career plans.

David, on the other hand, came home with a few new ideas.

“It made me eligible for the Screen Actors Guild. With a portfolio I could do commercials,” he mused.

“David always did what he wanted, even when he was little,” said Terri Cole, his mother. “He’s always been very popular and independent.”