CRANBERRY TWP — Pat Sebes has always been into movies. His viewing room, hundreds of DVDs and large-screen television are a testament to that passion.

The Cranberry Township teen has spent hours upon hours watching them with the dream of one day being a part of one and turning acting into a career.

Sebes, a junior at Seneca Valley High School, has taken his first major step toward that goal. He will appear in two independently produced movies that have been filming in the Pittsburgh area over the past several weeks, including a high-profile role as the son of veteran actor Ray Liotta's character in the movie "Chasing 3000."

In "Chasing 3000," two brothers follow the Pittsburgh Pirates from city to city, attending every late-season game to see Roberto Clemente get his 3000th and career-ending hit in the fall of 1972.

Ray Liotta, who has appeared in "GoodFellas" and "Field of Dreams," and Jeremy Davies of "Saving Private Ryan" and the television movie "Helter Skelter," in which he played Charles Manson, play the adult brothers. Trevor Morgan of "Jurassic Park III" and "Glass House" and Rory Culkin of "The Zodiac" and "Signs" play the same characters as boys.

The film's premiere is scheduled for the July 2006 All-Star Game, which will be played at Pittsburgh's PNC Park. The film was written by Steubenville, Ohio, native Bill Mikita, who spent much of his childhood watching the Pirates play at Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.Sebes plays Bobby, the son of Liotta's character in the movie, who Liotta is taking to a Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park — setting up the story before the movie flashes back to 1972 and the Clemente era.The second feature film, "Pain Within," is a drama about a child abused by his father. The abused boy grows up and is struggling to make ends meet when he learns he inherits a mansion.The leading actors include Ron Marnich as the adult version of the abused child, Amy Marsalis as his wife and John Shepard and Amy Landis as his parents.The film is being directed by actor and stunt coordinator Rawn Hutchinson, who co-wrote the screenplay with James Eason.Hutchinson grew up in Westmoreland County and shot the film around Hartwood Acres and several other local venues including the former Western Penitentiary.The film will be showcased at the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 19 to 29 in Park City, Utah. Sebes plays an abused kid named Todd."I always knew something would happen for Pat," said his mother, Jennifer Sebes. "He's been doing this since he was 10 years old."He's received hundreds of no's at auditions, but he never got discouraged. This is really the beginning of something big."Sebes spent five years from third to eighth grade as part of Act One Theater School, a performing group based in the North Hills. Last year, he performed the lead in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."He also spent several weeks last summer at the New York Film Academy and has taken courses with the Pittsburgh Filmmakers.But mostly, Sebes said, he acquired many of his early acting skills from watching movies and trying to learn what separates good from bad acting."This summer, when it was 92 degrees and the other kids are out at the pool, he's inside watching movies," said his father, Joe Sebes. "He is who he is, and he is going to do very well."Sebes, who had learned about the auditions through his agency, Docherty Model & Talent Agency in Pittsburgh, initially auditioned for a small role in the "Pain Within," but he was cast for a larger one. He worked for five days, his first time on a movie set.While working on the "Pain Within," Sebes received a call about the auditions for "Chasing 3000." He did an initial audition for the director and was later called in for a second audition with the director and producers at the Radisson Hotel in Greentree.At the second audition, he read for two scenes he had read in the first audition. However, the twist this time, according to Sebes, was that the director asked him to do them in totally different characters."He kept finding different ways for me to play (the scene)," said Sebes. "I think he was doing it to see whether I could handle the part and whether I could take direction."After sitting outside of the audition room for five nerve-racking minutes, Sebes and his family learned that he got the part."Working with these guys was just amazing," said Sebes of his experiences on "Chasing 3000. "I learned so much."

During the shooting, he watched how people like Liotta were treated and how the crew interacted with him and the other actors.Sebes even got his own taste of stardom and how actors are treated differently."People came up to me and asked for an autograph and take pictures," he said. "I was like, 'I'm not really anybody.'"Sebes said he's not interested in the money or fame that comes along with being a film actor — he just wants to be recognized for being a part of a good production."I would like people to say 'Wow, he did a good job in that,'" he said.Sebes will go to Los Angeles in February to do some final acting scenes in a studio and voice-overs for audio that wasn't exactly right during the shooting for "Chasing 3000" in Pittsburgh.During that time, he plans to talk with Los Angeles talent agencies, hoping to land an agent in California before he graduates next school year.Sebes hopes to move to California following his graduation to pursue his dream. Although post secondary schooling is not in his immediate education plans, Sebes said he wouldn't rule out attending film school in the future."I like everything about movies — the acting, the writing, the directing," said Sebes. "I just have to do it or I won't be happy."