Hinsdale teen living the dream in Disney's 'Prom'

You know that button people are always talking about being so cute?

Danielle Campbell of Hinsdale is cuter than that.

She's 16, a sophomore in high school, and a movie star.

The vivacious brunette has already been seen along with co-star Sterling Knight in the Disney Channel original movie “StarStruck.”

Friday, Campbell hit the silver screen in Disney's “Prom.” She plays Simone, a girl emotionally torn between a high school sports star and a super nice music nerd who just wants to date her.

I asked the plucky suburbanite what she used to dream about becoming when she grew up — before a talent scout spotted her, at 10, in a Chicago-area beauty salon and urged her to attend an audition.

“I wanted to be a spy!” she said.

Seriously, then. No so much now.

“There could be an opportunity down the road for me to play a spy,” Campbell said.

While that dream may be out of the picture for now, it's been replaced by a reality that most other teenagers still consider a dream.

“I had never pictured myself acting,” Campbell said. “I kind of fell into it. I've met so many great people, and I love learning about the business. I've been enjoying this, so this is the career I want to stick with.”

And if the acting thing turns sour?

“A journalist,” she said, not wasting a beat. “I love to write. English is my favorite subject in school. That would probably be my next place to go.”

Campbell and I sat next to each other at a long conference table in Chicago's Four Seasons Hotel. Her mother sat across from us, down at the end, flanked by a publicist from Allied Integrated Marketing in Chicago.

I asked Campbell if her mother had given her any useful advice about handling her life up to now.

“Trust who you are and be yourself,” she replied. “In high school, nobody does that. Everyone's trying to be with the in-crowd and trying to do what everyone else is doing.”

What about Dad?

“Hmm ... He's given me so much advice. He likes to go off on these talks. These long talks. I don't know if my dad's here right now ...”

From an adjacent room, Dad shouted, “I'm here!”

“Ooooo, that's awkward,” Campbell said. “Wow. Anyway, my father's father passed away when he was very young, and one of the pieces of advice he told him was if you don't trust yourself, then people around you won't know how to receive you.

“You may not know who you are, but you're on the journey. You can be 80 and still be on that road. I think that's the beauty of growing older.”

In “StarStruck,” Campbell had a lead role, and that took a real toll on her freshman year being away from her friends and family during a long shoot.

In “Prom,” she's part of an ensemble cast, and she admitted that it's a little easier.

“The cast was my favorite aspect of making the film,” Campbell said. “We got along so well. I'm not even cheesing it up when I say we became a family. We're so close. We talk to each other all the time. It's hard being here because I miss them all so much.”

To see Campbell in “Prom,” you'd think the actress is something of a girlie girl.

Not so fast with the assumptions.

“I grew up playing with dinosaurs instead of Barbie dolls,” she admitted. “I grew up playing football. I'm a huge hockey and football fan. I love snowboarding. I love camping. I love all outdoor activities. I have a tomboy side, as my mom always says.”

She credits her younger brother John, 14, with bringing out that side of her, as well as being her avowed best friend.

“Prom” could make Danielle Campbell a household name. For the time being, it's back to school, and that's just fine with her.

“The hardest part is when I'm filming,” she said. “I'm separated from my family. That's kinda hard for me. It's hard being away from them because we're a really close family.”