Teen appears in TV show

Becca Gardner, the 15-year-old Whittell High School student fresh off her appearance in "An Unfinished Life," is nervous how people will take her next role.

Scheduled for a 10 p.m. airing on Jan. 15, the television show "Grey's Anatomy" will have a guest appearance by Gardner in a character unlike her past portrayals.

"She's nervous for people to see it," said her mother, Kelly Gardner. "She just hopes people remember it's acting."

Kelly said her daughter will play a person uncomfortable in her body during the Golden Globe nominated ABC drama about medical interns at a fictional hospital in Seattle.

Becca has television experience, earning a guest appearance on ABC's law-drama "The Practice" a few years ago.

Asked if she prefers acting in television or movies, the teenager was noncommittal.

"I actually love both but I think being a guest star on (television) shows is good, too, because you get a taste in between movies," Becca said.

She spent two weeks working on her guest television appearance. The real bright spot, she and her mother said, was the opportunity to loop her sound at a facility in Meyers.

The Gardner family traveled to New York City for the 2005 fall premiere of "An Unfinished Life," which Becca starred beside such notables as Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman. After the East Coast premiere, she showed up to Wallace Theaters for a South Shore premiere complete with a lime-green carpet, her favorite color.

"The best premiere was in Tahoe, by far," Becca said. "It was so cool. It makes me feel good that people care. I didn't really expect that much."

Despite reviewers such as Richard Roeper praising her role in "An Unfinished Life," Becca said she ignores the outside comments. The reviews that really mean something to her come from family and friends.

"I don't want to get caught up in it and I don't need to know what people are thinking of it," she said.

"As long as my family and the people who I love are satisfied, I don't care what other people think."