GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Gallatin high school senior has rehearsed thousands of lines for dozens of roles throughout his young acting career.
Ahead of his lead role in Station Camp High School's performance of The Wedding Singer, he was also handed the toughest role of all — one you can't even audition for.
He plays Robbie Hart in the musical, but his real name is Cole Harris.
“When I was about 10 years old, I was on my way to an indoor soccer match and I just looked at my mom and I was like, ‘mom – I hate soccer!’” Cole said.
Rather, he felt the stage was his natural calling.
“He likes to take on every single role," said Leah Miller, the theater teacher at Station Camp High School. "Not even just the acting parts. He loves to direct, he wants to do publicity, he loves to write.”
I spent a good bit of time with Cole. I went to one of the rehearsals, the first night of the school's performance and then we chatted for close to 45 minutes a few days after the Sunday matinee.
So I asked him: "what is Cole Harris' character?"
His response: "Amazing good looking guy," he said while laughing.
That laugh and sense of humor reminded me how he's so full of love and life — and it hasn't always been so easy for him.
“My sister got leukemia when I was 12," he said.
Cole's younger sister, Meredith, had leukemia in 2020. She needed a bone marrow transplant to save her life.
“I was the closest match when they asked me to do it," he said. "I didn’t think – for a second because – why would I?”
“I don’t think there’s any – strength or courage that comes with that. It’s just like – you have to! It’s family.”
Cole donated his bone marrow and Meredith is thriving in her early teenage years.
“Doing the show – gave people something else to think about other than whatever is going on in their lives," Cole said.
I briefly spoke with Meredith ahead of the show. She told me she wanted to be here to support her brother, while acknowledging how hard he has been working for this moment — to be the star in the show in his senior year.
“You should always try to do what you love even when you feel like – you can’t," Cole said.
Cole knows the lines, music and dances. This performance packs more than a plot — it deserves a front row seat.
“It just makes me so excited, it makes it so – everything worth it," Miller said. "Getting to just see them be successful and to see Cole happy and really excited and having his whole family in the front row like cheering him on and it’s just amazing.”
Here's the deal, though, There's another plot twist.
“When we started working on the show, I was like – three weeks out of having my brain tumor removed," Cole said.
Cole was diagnosed with a brain tumor just before Christmas. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor and began more than 30 rounds of radiation.
“He noted that his right side of his face felt a little bit funny," said Dr. Devang Pastakia, a pediatric oncologist with Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
“Thought like – the worst is behind us and then this happens," Cole said. "Nothing can prepare you for what you’re not expecting.”
“This is a malignant tumor – this is a cancerous type of tumor," Pastakia said.
Despite bouncing between radiation treatments and rehearsals, Cole wasn't going to miss this. He wasn't going to stop doing what he loved. An understudy wasn't going to be necessary.
“I gave it my all and I left everything I had on the stage," Cole said.
“You’re putting your whole heart into something," he added. "And once you see the product that you get, out of putting your heart into something, it’s – it’s so much more fulfilling.”
There are some parts of life you can prepare for — others you can't. In Cole's case, he deserves a round of applause and a final bow for showing us character that no script could ever capture.
Do you have an inspirational story you'd like to share? You can email me at Austin.Pollack@newschannel5.com.
I'm not sure there is a story that's brought a bigger smile to our faces than this one celebrating Ms. Marie's own story is amazing - a true Rosie the Riveter! What was also amazing to see was how an entire community turned out to celebrate her. You've got to check this out!
-Carrie Sharp
