The son of a 2007 Madison High School graduate will appear for a few moments in the upcoming T.C. Christensen film “Stand Out” to be released Jan. 23 in Rexburg.

Anneli Wilcox Fielding and her husband Jordan Fielding’s son, Colton Fielding, 6, plays the younger version of Ben Kjar, who also experiences Crouzon Syndrome.

The movie details the struggles of Ben Kjar (Care) who suffered from Crouzon Syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder. It shows how he managed to overcome the syndrome through wrestling that helped strengthen him physically, emotionally and mentally.

According to a movie press release, doctors told Kjar’s parents their son would face numerous limitations while growing up.

“Ben yearns for an ordinary life free from the harsh scrutiny he faces daily,” states a press release. “However, each experience of adversity, including relentless bullying and a series of painful surgeries, ignites a fire within him. Determined to succeed, he pushes himself relentlessly, breaking through physical, social, and even romantic barriers that once seemed insurmountable.”

Colton also experiences Crouzon Syndrome. His grandparents are Rexburg residents Eileen and Terry Wilcox.

After Anneli learned about Kjar, she contacted him, and the Fieldings and Kjar soon became good friends. About the same time T.J. Christensen and his son Tanner Christensen scoured the country looking for a grade-school aged boy to play the young Ben. When Kjar met Colton, he knew he had found the younger version of himself.

“When Ben walked into my daughter’s house and saw five-year-old Colton, he thought ‘That boy not only looks like me, but he acts like me,’” Eileen Wilcox said.

Following the get together with the Fieldings, Kjar contacted Christiansen about Colton, and a young star was born.

Following his first day of filming, Colton found himself a bit worn out.

“He said to my daughter, ‘I am so tired. I just want to go home, but I’m a movie star,’” Wilcox said.

Initially, the Christensens were concerned about how five-year-old Colton would handle acting, but those worries quickly evaporated once the cameras started rolling. Tanner Christensen was thrilled by Colton’s performance, Wilcox said.

“His comment was ‘Colton crushed it,’” she said.

During the filming of a scene where children and their father belittled Kjar, the producers changed the words originally said to Ben so as not to frighten Colton.

“The words weren’t directed at Colton,” Wilcox said. “They were really, really careful with him.”

The producers later dubbed in the cruel words said to young Kjar.

After filming the first scene, surgeons scheduled Colton for surgery but later wound up cancelling it. About that time, the Christensens called and said they needed to film one more scene. If Colton had had the scheduled surgery, he wouldn’t have looked the same.

As a five year old — the same age that Colton plays him — people called Kjar a monster. Parents shielded their children from him, and those children would shriek while leaving stores after seeing Kjar.

At one time after being called a monster, Ben came home and locked himself in the bathroom.

“He found a razor and started slashing his face up,” Wilcox said. “His mother unlocked the bathroom and got in there and talked to him. She said, ‘Ben, you are different. You need to stand out.’ That’s how she treated him. It was not ‘Oh, you poor thing.’ She said, ‘Kids make trouble and do things wrong to get attention. You’ll get attention without doing anything. Be somebody. It’s something people need to see.’”

And Ben got attention through sports.

“Wrestling becomes his proving ground, a place where he learns to transform his facial difference into a source of power,” said the movie’s press release.

Young Colton didn’t earn any money from his movie star debut but instead had the experience of a lifetime staring as young Kjar, Wilcox said.

“This is a documentary,” Wilcox said. “They’ve had to find people to help fund it just so they could produce it. They’ve had fundraisers contacting people to help fund some of the expenses. I’m trying to get people to go see it.”

Wilcox has seen the movie.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “It tells how difficult it is to look strange. I don’t think Colton looked as badly as Ben did. Ben got to the point where he wouldn’t look people in the eye. People would stare at him.”

If there’s enough interest in the movie, it may remain in Rexburg for longer than a week.

For more information on the movie visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohM_FRWfO6Q.