Jenn Ricci lands role in Disney production

Editor's Note: Jennifer Ricci is the daughter-in-law of Don and Lou Ricci of Rainy River. She is married to former Rainy River citizen, Troy Ricci. They reside in King City, Ontario near Toronto.

Submitted by
Troy Ricci

When Jennifer Ricci graduated from Wiarton District High School in 1993, she hadn’t given a thought to a career in the film industry. Five years later, however, her road to the big screen began.

Beginning as a professional model, she moved from parts in commercials to acting as body-double for some of Hollywoods brightest stars, such as Meg Ryan (Against the Ropes), Rhada Michell (Silent Hill), and Maria Bello (History of Violence). Jen was hooked.

In 2003, Jen began to working on mastering the art, attending the world renowned National Institute for Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia, where actors such as Cate Blancett, Geoffrey Rush and Mel Gibson studied the craft. Upon returning to Canada, after securing a new agent and professional acting coach, the doors began to open. Her roles have included parts in TV shows such as “Kojak”, “Tilt” and “Instant Star”. She also played the late Amy Sweeny in ABC’s controversial mini-series “A Path to 9/11”. Sweeny was one of the flight attendants who relayed information to ground control before her plane hit the first World Trade Centre tower.

Jennifer’s latest project has her playing TJ Tyler in the upcoming Disney film, “Camp Rock”, to be aired June 20th on both The Disney Channel and ABC’s Family Channel. “Camp Rock” is the follow up film to the incredibly popular “High School Musical” movies. Jenn was thrilled to have a small part in the film, which also starred The Jonas Brothers. “This musical has fantastically talented cast of actors. It’s looking like it’s going to be a big hit.”