Keefer Blakeslee poses for a photo outside the Chinook Observer office.

Local boy says he’s happy to be back home before attending art school in August

By Cooper Stevenson

Observer correspondent

LONG BEACH — Keefer Blakeslee, a Long Beach resident who now spends much of his time in Los Angeles, seems at first glance like any well-natured kid whom you might see in the park on a summer afternoon. A closer look, though, reveals optimism in Blakeslee’s eyes endorsing his warm smile. The enthusiastic 14-year-old isn’t so much observed as he is felt.

“I’m doing great, it’s good to be back home,” Blakeslee said, noting his return to Long Beach. After three devoted years, Blakeslee returns to the Peninsula for the summer having achieved performances as an actor, radio host and film critic. Blakeslee is known for his work on “Orchid Sunday,” “Teen Force Ninjas,” and “Toddlers and Tiaras: The Lost Episode.” He fills his current role as a film critic for Kids First! and Huffington Post Kids.

“I finally found something that I love and I’m good at,” Blakeslee says. “I finally found an outlet I adore.”

Candace Carteen, Blakeslee’s mother and Peninsula business owner, notes that Blakeslee played in over 30 stage performances by the time he was 10 years old. Still, Carteen said, “Keefer had to prove to me that this was who he was, he had to show me that he had what it takes. It’s like when I interview a fidgeting applicant for a job that requires being behind the cash register for hours at a time. They could be the sweetest person, but I simply can’t hire them.”

Noting Keefer’s zest, a reporter asked, “Would you hire Keefer as a cashier?” “No,” Carteen replied crisply with a laugh, “his personality is that he needs to have 20 things going on at once, and he needs to have constant change, which is exactly the direction he’s going; he’s choosing correctly.”

Blakeslee grabbed the chance last year to interview Mel Brooks (Mel Brooks! to hear Blakeslee pronounce it) during the American Film Institute Awards red carpet event in Hollywood. The interview was brief but, as Blakeslee tells the story, left him discovering his true ideal: to discover who the artists really are–to get beyond the glamour and to the heart of their stories. “These entertainers are human. They have a presence on-screen, but a different presence off-screen.”

The teen tells the story of his interview with Richard Glatzer, one of the directors for the movie, “Still Alice” starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart. “I interviewed Richard Glatzer, who was wheeling his co-director/partner Wash Westmoreland down the red carpet. Westmoreland was going through Lou Gehrig’s disease at the time. Glatzer said that Westmoreland’s disease helped write the script and that experience made the film stronger and personal to them.” Blakeslee reflects for a moment before continuing, “You see the personal side of all this… sometimes you get the genuine, heartfelt interviews, those interviews are special. It’s nice because I want to become like one of those people one of these days.”

Carteen is a huge part of his career. “My mother gives me support and believes in me,” Blakeslee says. Carteen picks up the story, saying, “My first job is to raise a productive adult. Sometimes that means not being his friend. Sometimes that means letting Keefer go out and make his own mistakes. I am here to guide him, provide mentorship and support. First, though, his first priority is to be a kid.”

To that end, Blakeslee heads for the Orange County School of the arts in August where he will attend the conservatory for film and television. “You have to have that love of learning. You have to have that passion for it,” Blakeslee says, “I can look up to artists because I want to learn from them. I want to collaborate with them. I chose to be in this business. When we’re in front of our green screen with our cameras and scripts we just go.”

Blakeslee’s long-term goals include continuing to build his foundation in the cinematic arts and some day raising a family. “But most of all, Blakeslee says, “I want to be known not for being famous, but for actually creating and making a mark in this world.”

‘It’s that human being part that I want to be involved with; it’s the person that I want to connect with.

Keefer Blakeslee