Twelve-year-old ‘1-ups’ his acting game

Robert Levey II is a 12-year-old 7th-grade homeschooled kid pursuing his dreams with the help of his mother, Denise. He enjoys acting, singing and playing the guitar and piano.

Recently, he landed a role in the upcoming movie “1Up,” playing Ace. The video game movie created and produced by Buzzfeed and Lionsgate stars Ruby Rose and Paris Berelc coaching a college team of misfit women gamers. The movie is produced by Richard Reid and directed by Kyle Newman.

Levey’s role, though he could only share little being it has yet to be released, is a supporting character with speaking lines, a notable feat for a child his age.

“I love the whole process of acting and getting to meet new people,” Levey said of his acting career. “I love being [in front of] the camera, it’s my passion.”

He landed the gig after eight years in the business and having starred on Investigation Discovery’s “Evil Lives Here,” as well as a Kohl’s commercial currently on air. Levey is also playing David in “A Holiday Homecoming,” produced by local Gemelli Films. The movie is filming entirely on Long Island. 

“A Holiday Homecoming” is a Christmas film spun off from the Gemelli Films series “Welcome to Hope.” Both will be on PureFlix later this year. Robert plays the role of David, a foster kid that ends up living with his sister, Abigail (Allison Mullaney), in the home of the lead character, Jessie McNeil (Jon Hacker).

"Robert is incredibly talented and an absolute joy to work with," said writer/director Candice Cain. "I look forward to doing more projects with him in the future."

“I am very proud of him,” said his mother Denise. “He’s really good,” she added, noting that his social media is beginning to generate a strong following.

He also was booked in his first Broadway tour as Young Nikki Sixx in "The Heroin Diaries.” Production was canceled due to COVID. He also aired on March 7 on “Evil Lives Here” on the ID Channel. 

Levey said he hopes to continue to land larger roles. Once he makes it big, he said, he plans to also open a nonprofit to help the homeless.

Both “1Up” and “A Holiday Homecoming” are expected to be released later this year. Levey can be found on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Levey will also be releasing covers on Spotify as of this week.