Haley Bennett is living proof for those of you who have stopped believing in fairy tales. Let me introduce you to Haley Bennett (although it is likely that soon she will need no introduction at all.)

Haley Bennett is a Collier County native and former Barron Collier High School student who is just about to become a movie star. Hopefully.

At 17, with the help and support of her family, Bennett withdrew from high school in her senior year (she is now home schooling herself) and moved out to L.A. to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress, singer and songwriter. Now, just one short year later, all three of these dreams seem to be coming true.

"Last February I went to an open call audition for the part of Cora Corman, a rising, Britney-esque pop star who wants to produce and perform a song with her own pre-teen rock idol (now an aging and essentially washed-up, former rock star in desperate need of a hit). There must have been a thousand girls at the call,
but I was lucky. I got the part."

Lucky, indeed, the part is perfect.... no, make that a better-than-perfect role for an aspiring young actress who also longs to be a singer/songwriter. In the film, Bennett not only gets to act, but also to perform as a rock star. In fact, the movie sound track includes three of her own recordings. "Warner Brothers flew me to New York to record the songs," she says.

If you are wondering if it is possible for this fairy tale to get any better, it does. The film, which is titled Music and Lyrics, also stars Hugh Grant as the aging has-been and Drew Barrymore as Grant's love interest. I say also stars, because Bennett is getting star billing.

The film is scheduled for an early 2007 release. "This has been my dream my whole life," says Bennett. "I can't imagine ever doing anything else."

Bennett may not have had to wait tables in anticipation of her lucky break, but she has been putting in her time since a very early age. She performed in a host of school and local playhouse shows while she was in elementary school and she sang in the school choir. By the age of 11, she attended the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA), a professional modeling and acting training program and association in New York. "I didn't end up getting a lot of modeling or acting work at that time, but the IMTA program gave me tremendous poise and confidence that I don't think I could have gotten anywhere else," she says.

More pixie dust, please, because Haley Bennett's fairy tale just keeps getting better. Along with Music and Lyrics, Bennett has also signed to do two more major motion pictures (still not announced) AND she will be releasing her own debut album early next year. "My music is very important to me," says Bennett. "I would describe my style as a kind-of pop, rock. I play the guitar. It is very different. Very authentic."

Bennett adds that she initially taught herself to sing by watching the Wizard of Oz and by putting on plays for her mom and dad in the living room. Later, she worked with professional vocal and acting coaches. "I currently take acting classes three times a week with George Pallo," she says.

For those who have not seen much of Bennett yet, you will have plenty of opportunity. She will be appearing in a variety of magazines in upcoming months, including; G.Q., Teen Vogue, Allure, Cosmo Girl, Fade-in and Hollywood Life. Not bad for 13 months in the business.

When I ask Bennett if there is something she is still longing for, she replies. "I do want to try some darker roles too. I want to be taken seriously, even though I'm well... blonde, I want to do things that are unexpected."

My advice to Bennett... just click your heels three times. Good things are certainly headed your way.