Elizabeth Yozamp is a sweet little girl.

At 11 years old, she’s also a seasoned actor, an experienced if not grizzled survivor in the hyper-competitive, rough-and-tumble spin cycle that is Hollywood.

And come July, she’s going to be a little bit famous.

Remember the name: Elizabeth Yozamp. You won’t forget the face.

Elizabeth, who cut her acting teeth in Bend community theater and has filmed several commercials, recently finished filming a movie called “Stepbrothers,” co-starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Mary Steenburgen. But she doesn’t call them that. To Elizabeth, Ferrell is “Sugar Booger,” Reilly is “Foxy Locks” and Steenburgen is “Toots,” nicknames she came up with during two months of shooting in Los Angeles.

Elizabeth and her father, John, will share their experiences at noon Sunday at Freeman Motor Co., next to Sparrow Bakery at 50 S.E. Scott St. in Bend. Sponsored by Bend Experimental Art Theatre, a $5 to $10 donation will be accepted at the door. Elizabeth will talk about acting in a major motion picture; John will speak to the business side of the film industry.

In “Stepbrothers,” the story of two spoiled guys (read: losers) who become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents get hitched, Elizabeth landed a major role. She’s Tiffany, the snooty daughter of Will Ferrell’s older brother in the film.

“It’s my first movie and it’s all new to me,” she said. “It’s fun, but it’s hard work.”

Elizabeth said she was never starstruck, but she did have at least one awkward moment during filming. One scene required her to utter a four-letter word she wouldn’t dream of saying otherwise.

“It was hard to cuss,” she said. “(But) it’s being an actor. That was the only part that was a little awkward.”

On the set, Elizabeth and another child actor, Lurie Poston, would attend school three hours a day during breaks from shooting. And there was plenty of time to get to know her fellow cast members.

“Will Ferrell is a super nice guy, really funny,” said Elizabeth.

And the food was good.

According to her father, John, Elizabeth began talking at 11 months, and when she was 6 years old, she told her parents that she wanted to act. The family — John, mother Jennifer, Elizabeth and her two sisters and a brother — lived in Bend, and Elizabeth got involved in local stage productions here. She excelled, playing the lead role in “Annie” and honing her skills in a variety of plays.

She sings, acts and has a keen sense of humor.

“She’s the comedian of the family,” John said.

Believing Elizabeth possessed something special, John and Jennifer took a flier, enrolling her in Best New Talent, a company that combs the country for young actors and hooks them up with industry insiders. Elizabeth won several honors at the sessions in Denver and, more importantly, made some crucial contacts. Out of that competition, she landed an agent who started lining her up with auditions.

The next step was a move to Los Angeles.

Today, Elizabeth and her siblings live in North Hollywood with their mother (Jennifer and John are divorced), spending about three months of the year with their father in Bend.

To be successful as a working actor in films, living where the action is, in Los Angeles, is essential, John said.

“You’ve got to have talent, a little luck and the willingness to give everything up and pursue it,” he said. “It’s a longshot. It’s like a needle in a haystack. But if you never try, you never succeed.”

There are trade-offs.

“It takes its toll on the rest of the family,” John said. “The other children have to give up something.”

Elizabeth said she appreciates the sacrifice.

She’s looking forward to doing more movies and commercials, but won’t completely shut the door on live drama.

“Sometime I might decide to go back into a little theater,” she said. “They’re both hard in different ways. In theater, you have to rehearse, you have to worry about being loud enough, project and enunciate. On a movie set, if you make a mistake, you just say it over again.”

Elizabeth says she’s looking forward to sharing her experiences during the question-and-answer forum Sunday.

And Mary Kilpatrick, the artistic director of Bend Experimental Art Theatre who taught Elizabeth in Bend, believes her insights could prove valuable to others.

“You are in for a treat,” Kilpatrick said. “Elizabeth is so alive, multi-talented and willing to share from her heart.”

Contact: 419-5710 or www .beatonline.org.