With the arrival of the movie "Music and Lyrics" in theaters this week, Portage County residents will see a hometown face on screen.

Haley Keeling, who uses the screen name Haley Bennett, was born in Fort Myers, Fla., and later moved to Stow with her father, Ronald Keeling. Her mother, Leilani Dorsey Bennett, graduated from Ravenna High School. While living in Ohio, Haley spent time with her grandmother, Shirley Dorsey, who lives in Randolph where she lived with her late husband, Darryl Dorsey.

Haley is making her screen debut as Cora Corman, the third lead in the romantic comedy that pairs Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. She performs all her own songs in the film, which is her first professional acting job.

"That"s where her real strength lies," said proud grandmother Shirley Dorsey. "There was always music in the family," singing in church and other groups, she said.

Since she was about 10, Haley was interested in acting and singing, performing in school plays.

Dorsey said Haley got her start in films in a lucky break. She and her mother were supposed to be going to Europe for vacation a couple years ago, but that fell through at the last minute, so they ended up in Beverly Hills, where her stepfather, Charlie Bennett joined them for a long weekend.

The vacation resulted in an encounter with a record producer who was going to show them some guitars, including one played by Jimi Hendrix. Soon, Haley was back in the control room, singing for some people.

People were impressed with her performance and her self-assurance and there was talk of a contract, her grandmother said. But the family came home to consider what to do.

Haley and her mother went back to Los Angeles the next summer to test the waters and got an almost instantaneous response. Then came "Music and Lyrics."

In addition to her movie appearance, Haley has been featured in a growing number of magazines, Shirley Dorsey said. "I was in Giant Eagle when I spotted her in Teen Allure. I was jumping up and down," she said.