Lauren Wallace: “I’m a hundred miles away, son, ready to strike”
Quote selected text Published May 1st, 2008 in NASCAR News
The toughest, coolest, most ruthlessly ambitious driver in motorsports was born in Richmond, resides in Chicago, doesn’t have a driver’s license and is more familiar with the nuances of Hamlet than those of Denny Hamlin.
Meet Lauren Wallace, the fictitious pre-adolescent pepperpot whose quest to replace distant cousin Mike Wallace behind the wheel of the No.7 GEICO Racing Camry is the premise for a series of popular and wickedly funny television commercials created for GEICO by the Richmond-based Martin Agency.
Many believe Lauren to be a flesh-and-blood prodigy who one day will shove opponents out of his way on the high banks at Daytona. That perception is a tribute to the work of Eddie Heffernan, a 14-year-old actor who has breathed honest-to-goodness life into Lauren’s voice, mannerisms and ill-concealed contempt for his adult cousin.
“As an actor, I can sort of relate to [Lauren the driver],” said Heffernan, who will not appear at Richmond International Raceway this weekend. “I’m probably not as cocky as Lauren is, but I understand his passion. Believe me, when I need to be, I can be pretty competitive.”
Nor is that the only similarity. Lauren is a take-no-prisoners go-kart driver. Heffernan, a freshman at a Chicago-area public high school, says laps at a go-kart track near Nags Head, N.C., have long been personal highlights of his family’s vacation trips to the Outer Banks.
“Every Christmas, I used to ask my parents for a go-kart,” he said. “One year, I actually got one. I drove it until it broke down.”
Magic occurs when the right actor and the right role find each other. Steve Bassett, the Martin Agency’s senior vice president/creative director, said his firm conducted casting calls in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Most of the candidates, he said, “were typical Hollywood kids who tried to play [Lauren] cute. Eddie was the one who understood that Lauren had to be wise beyond his years. He played him as a man in a little boy’s body.”
He had help, of course. Lauren’s lines were created by Joe Lawson, a former Martin Agency copywriter. Most are memorable. Some are delicious: “I didn’t say I wouldn’t go fishing with the man,” and “I’m a hundred miles away, son, ready to strike,” and “If he comes near me, I’ll put him in the wall.”
More at Richmond Times-Dispatch
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- ESPN’s Rusty Wallace on racing at Dover
- Rusty Wallace and Wife OK after Major Accident
what….. he’s not really Mike’s third cousin, once removed? Oh well…. I thought all this time his name Warren.
haha those commercials are hilarious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYPkWe0GqB4
Ok, must be some confusion on this kids name. Youtube has both names!
http://benchracing.typepad.com/bench_racing_with_steve_a/2007/11/wace-weather-wi.html
Looks like warren to me!
I thought it was Warren too!
“My Story with Mike Wallace is put him in the wall!”
when the commercials first came out thought OK another Wallace. There is a bunch now so why not??
Then I find out this kid is a actor I think wow why not, Regan was a actor turned President so why can’t this kid be a race car driver?? He has the name and face reconnation already going for him and Im sure he would do as good as some of these new kids so why not… Then I woke up and counted noses and man there is way to many Wallace’s already, sorry kid.. We can’t use U for this gig..
Warren Wallace could be in the near future be getting into Nascar, he will be just like Kyle Busch, RECKLESS, and a attitude like Kyle Busch, actor or no actor, you can tell he’s got an attitude at such a young age☺☺☺
gonesouthern wrote:
IDK it seems these Hollywood types have a weird transition to racing, some do it real well (Patrick Dempsey) and others (Frankie Muniz) just seem to tick a lot of people off by saying they are a better driver then Michael Schumacher.
As far as Lauren/Warren at first I thought he was really related, but then sometime either late last year or early this year on NASCAR live or trackside or something like that Mike didn’t even know which one was his name, and thats when I started thinking that Lauren/Warren wasn’t really related to him.
JAG wrote:
give me a break, he is a paid actor and he is paid to have a attitude, how come you compare him to Kyle Busch who is a real driver and he does not even race or intends to race.
Howie motorsports photography wrote:
Hay Shutterbug my statement was a possibility quote, “not a fact”, read “COULD BE” means possibility!!!
Pay more attention to the commercial, paid or not paid if this was real, as I said it could be in the future, he’s a Wallace and could be getting in racing, he plays a good role as a attitude boy!!!
JAG wrote:
NO he is not a WALLACE, his name is Eddie Heffernan, he is a paid actor , i dont know why you keep saying he is a Wallace.maybe you should pay more attention instead of just writing nonsense on here.
Lauren Wallace is not a real Wallace, he is Eddie Heffernan, a make believe cousin of Mike Wallace who is not planning on going into racing but will make a ton of money as a actor because he is hot.
love him
Howie motorsports photography wrote:
OKAY Shutterbug, sorry for the misunderstandings then, the commercial had me fooled then, I admit it, lets go to say if this actor kid does become a racer in the future, my statement still stands, he will be another Kyle Busch☺☺☺
JAG wrote:
Umm Dude, honestly did you read the article at all?
Fisha695 wrote:
Ummm Dude yes I did, did you see the appoligy?