The role Grayson Thorne Kilpatrick tested for was originally called “Fat Kid at Halfpipe.” It was a bit part in the 2015 Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell comedy film “Daddy’s Home.” Kilpatrick was around 9-years-old when he was cast in it.

Later, on the “Daddy’s Home” set in New Orleans, between takes of a scene in which skateboarding legend Tony Hawk served as Ferrell’s stunt double, any time Wahlberg and Kilpatrick passed each other they’d fist-bump as a greeting. Because of that, the name of Kilpatrick’s role was changed to “First Bump Kid at Halfpipe.”

Many of the other roles Kilpatrick has played so far have similarly generic names: On TV’s “American Horror Story” he was “Older Kid.” On FX comedy “Dave” it was “Teenage Boy.” And he was “Brother of Hot Teenage Girl” on IFC parody “Documentary Now!”.

The Huntsville native’s profile is about to get a hard-earned lift. Kilpatrick has landed the recurring role of “Ethan” in season two of “Chad,” the acclaimed TBS comedy series created by and starring “Saturday Night Live” alum Nasim Pedrad. “Chad” season-two arrives July 11. Asked for details about his character, Kilpatrick says, “I cannot tell you anything other than I am in it and it was very fun to film.”

Now 18, Kilpatrick has already spent half his life pursuing acting. While there have been some (small parts in) big projects, there’ve also been disappointing near-misses. He was cast as a series regular in an untitled TV show from “How I Met Your Mother” executive producer Kourtney Kang. The pilot was directed by Fred Savage, with a cast including Paula Abdul. But then the show didn’t get picked up.

“With something like that it’s heart-crushing,” Kilpatrick says, “because it’s like, well, this is my chance to get people to see me. At first you go, I wonder if it was because of me? I wonder if something went wrong.” He was also considered for the role of “Ben Hanscom” in 2017 hit horror film “It.” And a bigger scene with Wahlberg in “Daddy’s Home” was cut.

An actor’s life is famously difficult for the vast majority of those who pursue it. Many no’s for every yes. It’s a challenging existence for adults let alone children. But Kilpatrick seems to have his headspace dialed in. Asked how he handles the valleys of an acting career, he says, “There’s other things that are going to be out there. It’s like, well, on to the next.”

With his red hair, glasses and baby face, Kilpatrick definitely has “a look” filmmakers and TV showrunners often find useful. It’s helped him find work on projects like Netflix’s “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.”

Growing up in Harvest, Alabama, the Kilpatrick family had a TV in their home’s kitchen, so they could watch shows while they cooked meals. At an early age, Grayson became entranced with reruns of classic shows like “Green Acres,” “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Three Stooges.” His dad, Charles Kilpatrick, recalls, “He would act out, sometimes better than what was on the TV, the whole scene we had just watched. And he could go through that entire scene by himself. Whether it was a Nickelodeon, Disney, or even a commercial. He just had a knack for it.”

He caught the acting bug when “Space Warriors,” a Hallmark Channel movie with a cast featuring Danny Glover, Mira Sorvino and Dermot Mulroney, was filmed in Huntsville. A chance to be an extra on “Space Warriors” stoked Grayson interests to follow this interest further. He took lessons from local actors Bill Billions and Danny Vinson.

Now basked in Jacksonville, Florida, Vinson has appeared in close to 100 movies, including an upcoming Kathleen Turner and Anna Ferris comedy called “The Estate.” His TV credits include “The Walking Dead.” Back in his Huntsville days, Vinson would give Kilpatrick one-on-one lessons at a local coffee shop.

“He always seemed to me to be just programmed to succeed,” Vinson recalls of Kilpatrick, who was 10 when he began teaching him. “He was quick.” Just as crucial, Vinson adds, “Grayson has probably one of the best support systems I’ve ever seen, as far as parents. They’re not stage parents. They don’t push him, and they don’t try to glorify themselves off of him. They just let him do what he’s capable of and wants to do.”

When Kilpatrick first started acting, he filmed mostly in the Southeast. Dad Charles Kilpatrick and his wife Sherry Lee Kilpatrick would take off work to drive Grayson to Atlanta, New Orleans, Nashville, Dallas, Florida or wherever he needed to go. At the time, both Charles and Sherry worked on Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal. He was with NASA and she was with the U.S. Army.

After Grayson had built up chops and experience, people he worked with told his parents he was ready to go to Los Angeles, the epicenter of showbusiness. “We took a vacation out there,” Sherry says, “And for the two weeks that we were out there he auditioned every single day. We only had one day free.” Grayson’s manager told Charles and Sherry that wasn’t enough to take his career to the next level. Grayson needed to move to L.A.

Sherry found a job in Los Angeles working for the Air Force, and the family put their Alabama home up for sale. After they moved, Charles stayed at home with Grayson to take him to auditions and be on set with him. “We kind of thought of ourselves as ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’” Sherry says, “you know, going to Los Angeles.” Eventually, Sherry started her own public relations side business, and now has around 45 clients including Grayson.

Since the pandemic began, the Kilpatricks are back in Huntsville. Now many TV/film auditions are “self taped” (recorded) remotely and submitted digitally as opposed to in-person auditions. In Huntsville, Grayson’s room is now outfitted with the camera, lighting and background he needs to tape auditions. The call-back, later rounds of the auditioning process, including deeper when directors, casting directors and producers are involved, remain in-person.

Like his parents, Grayson has made sacrifices too. The biggest of which has been home-schooling instead of attending a brick-and-mortar school. “He’s a very personable person,” Charles says. “And he really loves being around people.” Outside of acting, Grayson’s interests include playing guitar, watching University of Alabama football and solving and collecting Rubik’s Cubes.

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Kilpatrick’s favorite actors include the late Chris Farley. “He played these high energy characters that just don’t fit into the world. We just don’t have that anymore.” An avid comic book reader, Kilpatrick’s dream role is starring in a film adaptation of DC’s Dick Grayson character, Batman’s original Robin sidekick who later became the superhero Nightwing.

No matter how profound a parent’s love, moving a family across the country and changing jobs are still a lot of chips to put on a chasing a child’s dream. There are a couple big reasons the Kilpatrick’s have done so. One, he’s into acting for the acting, not chasing fame or stardom. “He didn’t care about the money. He only wanted to be on set,” Sherry says. And two, acting has been therapeutic for Grayson, who at age 3 endured a traumatic human invasion. Through creative exercises as part of therapy, “his acting ability really came out,” Charles says.

The fantastically named Alpha Trivette is a seasoned Atlanta-based actor whose credits include Hulu series “Dopesick,” Netflix’s “Sweet Magnolias” and HBO’s “DMZ.” Trivette worked with Kilpatrick on 2016 kids’ comedy film “The Substitute Spy.”

“Grayson had a natural comedic ability,” Trivette says. “To me, great comedy actors sometimes are funny when they’re not even trying, and he sort of has that quality. Beyond that, it was obvious he really wanted to not just be on set, he wanted to be a good actor. And I think that’s what he’s becoming.” Young actors might be Hollywood’s most crowded heat. But Trivette thinks “growing up in Alabama gave (Grayson) a different perspective than growing up like in New York City or in Hollywood. That grounding.”

Grounding is also important for any teenager looking to break into showbiz, where substance abuse is an occupational hazard. But beyond “The E! True Hollywood Stories” cautionary tales of too-much-too-soon, these days sexual predators are of even greater concern. Corey Feldman, one of the most iconic child actors of the ‘80s, has spoken with Grayson and encouraged him to be careful on sets and make sure his parents are always with him. Mom Sherry Kilpatrick says if Grayson’s, “going to be on set, we’re there.”

During his career, Grayson has benefited from the kindness of some major stars. During the filming of 2015 war drama “Man Down,” Shia LeBeouf and Kate Mara were especially welcoming to him, going out of their way to make him feel comfortable. “It was so awesome,” Sherry says. “It meant a lot to Grayson, for them to take that time with him, and we really appreciate everything that they did to make him feel so good on set.”

Getting to work with Wahlberg early in Grayson’s career also left a huge impression. Although Wahlberg often plays tough guys onscreen, in real life he was “super friendly” to the young actor, who calls him one of the “most genuinely nice people I’ve met.”

Like Kilpatrick, Wahlberg also started in showbusiness at an early age. He first found fame as a teen rapper called Marky Mark in the ‘80s, before later becoming a talented actor in such classics as “The Departed,” “Boogie Nights,” “Ted” and the “Transformer” franchise. “I think the reason that he’s gotten so big,” Grayson says of Wahlberg, “is he can play almost any character. Watching him was one of the big wake-up moments when I first started acting. I really needed to step up my game.”

Thus far, the roles Grayson’s offered tend to be variations of “the bully,” “the loud kid next door” and “the brother/friend in a horror film.” As his career continues, he’d hopes to get more roles, “that really push my acting. Like, I’d love to have one where I have to learn a new accent or change personalities in the middle of it. Roles that challenge me are the ones I’d love to do more of, because they’re not only fun to do, they’re more interesting to watch.”

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