Local 11-Year-Old Leading Man Steals Hearts in New Christmas Movie

There’s something special about recognizing talent in the early stages and watching it grow. That experience is even more exciting when the rising star comes from our own community. Tristan Hallett is an 11-year-old actor from Joplin, Missouri, and dear readers, keep your eyes peeled as this young performer is definitely going places.

Tristan has been performing since he was 3 years old, and it’s clear the stage and screen are where he belongs. He loves to act, sing, model and dance, and his passion shines through in everything he does.

His first supporter was his Grammie, who recognized his talent early on. That early encouragement was soon echoed by dance judges as he began performing on the competitive dance circuit. One judge told his mother, Laurel, “You should get this kid an agent.” Taking that advice to heart, Laurel found him representation in Kansas City, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tristan says what he loves most about acting is “the experiences, becoming a new character, and all the people I get to meet on set. I have made some of my best friends on set.”  

“Gingerbread Men”

In his latest film, “Gingerbread Men,” Tristan plays Lucas, one of two brothers whose sibling rivalry takes an unexpected turn when a Christmas wish brings a touch of magic and a series of comical misadventures.

Tristan explains, “My character wishes to be big so he can get away from his brother Bobby. The Christmas magic works, the brothers go on a hilarious adventure, and I learn some valuable lessons along the way.”  

When Tristan learned he was cast in a leading role, the moment was pure joy.  

“I was so excited,” he says. “My mom and I were jumping up and down—we have a little ‘booking dance’ we do whenever I get a part.”

Lucas, the character he portrays in “Gingerbread Men,” is quite different from Tristan himself.

“He’s pessimistic and not very nice to his brother,” Tristan says. “He’s more focused on being cool than being kind, but he learns a lot during the movie and ends up valuing his brother in the end.”  

Among his favorite moments on the set of “Gingerbread Men” was filming the lively limo scene with his co-star Abel Affleck, who plays Bobby.  

“We had the best time,” he says.  

Not every scene, however, was as easy to film.  

“The cold scenes were definitely the hardest,” Tristan admits. “It was sooo freezing.”

He also got a taste of stunt work during production.  

“I did a crash on a crash pad; it was a lot of fun.” His favorite part? “The toot scene with me and my brother,” he says with a grin.

Filming took place over nearly a year, beginning with school scenes in July 2024 and continuing through winter. The final shot was filmed in June 2025 at Mythos, Tristan’s favorite restaurant in Joplin.  

Jason Hudson, the director of “Gingerbread Men,” says when he began scouting talent for the movie, he hadn’t planned for children to be a central focus. He was originally looking for “average kid performers,” but after meeting Tristan and some of the other young actors, he realized he needed to highlight the youthful talent.

“Tristan’s talent changed our minds,” he says. “I can’t wait for people to see how good of a kid actor Tristan is. I’m not joking, he’s comparable to “Home Alone’s” Macaulay Culkin. Tristan is smart, funny, witty and fun. I think America is going to fall in love with this kid. I’m sort of shocked we have him in our movie. He’s that good.

“It’s rare to come across someone who is exceptional,” Jason continues. “Not just good, but actually great. Tristan is one of those rare people. He’s got real talent. When people see him in action, I’m convinced they’ll see how incredible this kid is.”  

Who will enjoy “Gingerbread Men”? Tristan’s answer is simple and confident: “Everyone.”

The Life of a Child Actor

Tristan prefers performing drama just slightly over comedy, and he has been as far as California and New York for filming, including a film that was screened at Tribeca.  

Laurel and Matthew Hallett, Tristan’s parents, are equally invested in his career. Laurel is not only in charge of Tristan’s education but is also his dance instructor. Matthew works full time but is Tristan’s cheerleader and loves watching him act and enjoys attending festivals where his son’s films are screened.  

Megan Shumaker, of Maple Leaf Music Company in Carthage, Missouri, began voice coaching Tristan in April 2023 and has seen him grow in his musicianship each week.  

“Tristan is very friendly and always smiling,” she says. “He is always excited to be here to learn how to sing. He’s very focused and it’s clear that he takes time at home to practice as he has gone through all of our vocal curriculum and now we are focusing more on musical theater pieces.  

“I am very impressed by him. He is so talented and I can tell he takes direction well because of how he puts a lot of effort into music lessons. I am just thrilled and honored they would allow me to teach him. It’s very humbling,” Megan says. The three words she uses to describe Tristan are “diligent, intentional and persevering.”  

Rejection is part of being a performer, and Tristan says, “It’s hard when you get rejected, but I think it will prepare me for when I’m an adult. I try to brush it off and celebrate that we got in front of another casting director.”

When not acting, Tristan is just a regular kid who loves playing with his friends in the neighborhood, riding bikes, playing tag, building with Legos, playing Pokémon and working on motorized builds. Tristan says of his friends and their thoughts on his career: “We don’t really talk about it much; we are too busy playing.”  

Balancing life and acting could be a challenge, but his homeschooling helps.  

“…We school year-round to always stay ahead,” Tristan says. “Some jobs have built-in school hours, but by homeschooling, we have the flexibility to make it work with my acting, auditions.”  

Tristan says he hopes to continue acting as he gets older.  

“I love (acting). I also hope to pursue an engineering degree since I enjoy math and engineering. I would really like to become an EGOT (a performer who wins an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards). I received a Grammy nomination for my role as Danny Torrance in “The Shining” opera this year, and the film I was in, “The Hicks Happy Hour,” won a student Emmy this year, so you never know, it’s a big dream, but I hope I can fulfill it.”

If Tristan could play any character from a book or movie, he says, “I would like to play Hiccup (from “How to Train Your Dragon”), so I could do all the dragon stunts with Toothless. A remake of ‘Goonies’ would be awesome or Little Lord Fauntleroy, so I could be English nobility. I’ve been working on my accent.”  

The day after this interview, Tristan left to film the TV show “County Rescue.” He also had auditions for other jobs lined up.  

Tristan’s advice for other young people wanting to get involved in acting is “work hard, don’t give up, and take rejection well.”

To his fans, he says, “Thank you for your support. I hope I make you proud.”

‍