Alabama 10-year-old featured in Nike commercial to star in feature film

Yahoo

a day ago

Birmingham, Ala (WIAT) — You may have seen Aria May in a catchy Nike Ad with WNBA star A'ja Wilson that debuted in May of this year.
The 10-year-old from Alabaster can be seen teaching the three-time WNBA MVP from the Las Vegas Aces how to do a hand clap to the tune of Miss Mary Mack — but with catchier lyrics about Wilson's bona fides as a WNBA all-star and her Signature Nike A'One Basketball Shoes.
As for how they landed on that hand clap, Aria May said, 'We were doing hand claps seeing which one would be best for me, so I could like make it better. So, we did the hand claps, and I found the one that's best for me. Miss Mary Mack.'
May, who is entering the fifth grade this year, is the same age the commercial's director was when she first came on the national stage. That director, Malia Obama, was 10 years old when her family moved into the White House following the election of President Barack Obama.
Aria's mother, Tineshia May, said it was already a big deal that Aria booked Nike, but they were both surprised when they arrived at the commercial shoot and saw Malia Obama and A'ja Wilson. She explained that the production was kept secretive.
'I look over to my right and I said, oh — that looks like Malia Obama, and I was like, that can't be, you know, just sitting there,' Tineshia May said. 'And then, when she came in, she said, 'I'm looking for Ms. Aria May. She came in and grabbed her, and said, 'I loved your audition, I loved the call back.' She was like, 'I chose you'. I was like, 'oh wow.''
Aria May, who has been doing commercials for about five years, said this one is her favorite so far.
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'At first, I was thinking, 'This is a commercial. We're going to get it done and then we can just chill out,'' Aria May said. 'But then, a surprise. We have Malia Obama coming in, then we have A'ja Wilson. I was like, 'What, what?' I was really surprised, but I was very comfortable.'
Aria May said she wasn't nervous meeting Malia Obama, who she called Mo.
'She was very, very nice. She was really good at giving instructions, she was very precise, and overall, she was just very sweet,' she said.
This 10-year-old actor can make that observation based on her own experience, which includes several commercials and feature length films. Some of these films include 'Reparashun' and 'Just in Time for the Holidays.' Aria May will also be featured in 'Paw Paw and Dayja,' a Gregory Alan Williams film coming out later this year.
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