Upcoming action thriller The Contractor hitting theaters April 1 featuring features Chris Pine and Ben Foster will also star Tyler teen and Whitehouse Junior High student Nicolas Nolbitt.

A Tyler teen with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and hearing loss is pushing past boundaries with his film debut in the action thriller “The Contractor,” which opens in theaters April 1.

Nicolas Noblitt, an eighth grader at Whitehouse Junior High, was born at just 26 weeks. He weighed 1 pound 2 ounces, and the premature birth required a 101-day stay in a neonatal intensive care unit. At one year old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Natalie Noblitt, Nicolas’ mother, said despite the challenges, her son knew early on that he wanted to be an actor.

“He’s a true natural, and l think needing to be around so many medical professionals and grownups from the beginning made him more mature,” she said. “Our family motto is ‘inclusion,’ and Nic’s pursuit of acting helps spotlight disability and show that it’s a part of life. We’ve had nothing but positive experiences met so many great families and child actors on set.”

Noblitt said that the family learned quickly that talking to people and entertaining comprised big parts of Nicolas’ personality, but so does his disability.

“It’s impacted me in so many ways. I’ve always used a wheelchair or walker for mobility and have seen firsthand how the world is not always accessible,” Nicolas said. “However, my disability is part of me and shapes who I am.”

In the movie, Nicolas plays Mike Jr. alongside Chris Pine and Ben Foster who plays Mike’s dad.

“I play a pretty normal kid in the movie. He (the character) is a lot like me, although my dad wasn’t in the Special Forces. I get to play catch in the movie, and they actually made my character a White Sox fan, which I am in real life,” said Nicolas, who is 14. “But also, I put in a lot of work studying acting, working on commercials and TV and learning how to perform on set. The filmmakers made sure to show my disability authentically in the movie.”

“The Contractor” is an action film that also stars Gillian Jacobs, Eddie Marsan, Florian Munteanu and Kiefer Sutherland. In it, Pine plays James Harper, who is involuntarily discharged from the U.S. Special Forces, joins a private contracting organization alongside his best friend (Foster) and under the command of a fellow veteran (Sutherland) in order to support his family. Overseas on a covert mission, Harper must evade those trying to kill him while making his way back home.

Nicolas said he enjoyed working with the other actors and flying to Romania to film.

“Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Tyner Rushing were so warm and friendly,” he said. “… And it was such an amazing experience to be in another country, filming in Romania. My whole time on set was like being a part of a family.”

His mother said she was impressed the filmmakers wanted to include a character with a disability and for them to make the effort to find a disabled actor for the role.

“This is how we think all productions should approach reflecting the world we live in, which always has included disability,” she said.

With filming finished, mother and son said the family plans to get involved in the Tyler community advocating for inclusion.

“My husband and I both have worked to advocate for inclusion and access for those with disabilities,” she said. ”While we’re new to East Texas, we’ll be looking for opportunities to get involved locally.”

Nicolas said prior to living in Tyler he was a member of an inclusive dance company and that he and the family volunteered with a nonprofit serving people with disabilities in Southern California.

“I’m going to be looking for opportunities to advocate for inclusion and accessibility in Tyler and beyond,” he said.

Nicolas said he also plans to start theater at Whitehouse Junior and that he wants to show other disabled youths that anything is possible.

“My biggest life dream is continuing to act and show that an actor with a disability can do anything any other actor can do. Our differences can be a good thing. I’m going to keep on doing my best and keep acting,” he said. “Life can be hard with a disability, but technology and adaptions can make life easier. Thankfully things are getting better every day, and I think that my generation is helping us make the world more inclusive.”