Harold Ramis, Schuyler Fisk and Colin Hanks |
Being the offspring of famous celebrities may be tough, but if you decide to pursue the same career, it's a lot easier if some of the parents' talent rubs off.Take Colin Hanks (son of Oscar-winning superstar Tom Hanks) and Schuyler Fisk (daughter of Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek and director Jack Fisk), for example. They play high school sweethearts in Orange County, a new comedy about one Southern California high school senior and his relentless pursuit to get into Stanford University.
Directed by Jake Kasdan (son of director Lawrence Kasdan), the two burgeoning actors hold their own--and quite nicely, I might add--against a star-packed cast including Jack Black, Catherine O'Hara, Lily Tomlin, Harold Ramis and Kevin Kline.
Hanks and Fisk discuss what they loved about making the movie and how, they really want to make it on their own--even though they have famous movie-star parents
What drew you to Orange County?
Colin Hanks: It was just one of the best scripts I'd read in a long time. It was smart, funny and heartfelt and was everything that constitutes a good movie. I read through it fast and enjoyed it. The script was so well written, and I cared about every single character. I totally went along for the ride. It was very refreshing compared to other comedies involving high school students that I've seen and it made some social statements I thought needed to be said.
Such as?
Hanks: That no matter how much you try, you cannot get away from pop and teen culture. As much as it is about this kid who wants to get into Stanford, it's also this kid's journey and his first steps into adulthood that normally come after you've graduated. He realizes that everything he's been trying to run away from is actually an important part of who he is and should be cherished and not pushed aside.
Schuyler Fisk: The script was so good, so funny. I really wanted to be a part of it. I loved the character of Ashley and identified with her. I think the heart of the film is the relationship between Shaun [Hanks' character] and Ashley, and I loved that. It was so grounding.
What was your college acceptance experience like?
Hanks: I got rejected. A lot. I went to the two schools I got accepted to [Chapman University and Loyola Marymount, both in Southern California]. When I got the packet from Chapman, I didn't know it was an acceptance letter. I just saw a lot of ads for AT&T phone cards, so I put it aside. Three weeks later, I got into Loyola and I was like, "All right! First school I got into!" Then my college counselor asked me if I'd heard from Chapman and I said yeah, they'd sent me a packet but it had only some phone card stuff in it. They said, are you sure that's not the letter of acceptance? So I checked and sure enough, there was the letter. I had no idea.
Fisk: I'm applying to some schools now. Emerson, Brown, Yale...
Yale would be great for drama.
Fisk: I don't know if I want to study drama. I sort of like Emerson because they have so many different and really interesting majors--communications and others. But I'm still looking. I haven't had a lot of time to focus or visit schools, but I plan to.
How was it interacting with all the talented people on the set? Catherine O'Hara, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow, Harold Ramis, the cast list was endless on this film.
Fisk: I never felt like "Oh my God, it's Harold Ramis." He was very cool and so normal.
Hanks: Everyone was so laid back and just pleasant to work with. They were all so humble and just wanted to do a good job. It was nice that everyone was on the same page. That's a testament to Mike [White, the screenwriter] and what a great script he wrote. So many people wanted to be in this movie, regardless of how big their role was. We were able to watch this varied group of actors that have spanned generations of comedy and drama and perform with them; it was better than any acting class.
