Jackie Earle Haley is one of those comeback stories Hollywood loves to eat up. Many us remember the freckle-faced boy from The Bad News Bears and Breaking Away, who showed a lot of promise. But when Haley disappeared from the radar, we just chalked it up to another kid actor who fell by the wayside. How wrong we were.
After finally giving up on the biz when the parts dried up, Haley settled into a nice life in San Antonio, Texas, getting married and running his own commercial production company. Then, all of a sudden, Hollywood came a-callin’—again. Writer/director Steven Zaillian tagged him to play the role of Sugar Boy, Willie Stark’s (Sean Penn) grizzled bodyguard in his remake of All the King’s Men, and in quick succession, Little Children’s writer/director Todd Field offered him the part of Ronnie, a convicted sex predator trying to rehabilitate himself in a suburban neighborhood.
Haley discusses with Hollywood.com the remarkable turn of events in his life and about his role in Little Children, a performance which has earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Supporting Actor. According to the talented actor, this wild ride he’s been on has been “both crazy AND cathartic.”
Hollywood.com: It’s funny, I saw Breaking Away probably about a year ago or so, right before All the King’s Men came out. And I actually wondered out loud what had happened to you. Then all of sudden, there you were!
Jackie Earle Haley: [Laughs] That’s crazy. Maybe it was because you had that thought. It went out into the karma world and ended up on Steve Zaillian’s list. Thank you! Yeah, it’s still very surreal to me. It’s been a little while [since King’s Men and Little Children were made], two years, and I’m still pinching myself. Part of me knows it’s real but another part says, “Oh my god, is this really happening?” I feel like I’m going to wake up and go, “Oh, darn.”
HW: Were you nervous at all about getting back into the acting thing or did it immediately feel right?
JEH: Well, you know it was kind of a weird process. I got this call while I was on my honeymoon and when I got back, I had these sides from Steve to do an audition tape [for King’s Men]. I mean, it was a weird experience. I hadn’t acted in awhile but I have been directing and working with actors, so it’s not like it was completely foreign. I had to shake off some cobwebs and get together with some acting friends, really work on the scene, get the lines memorized. But even though I shook off the cobwebs, there was that proverbial bicycle aspect. To give you an example, my wife…she knew about the audition thing and was kinda excited about it but didn’t know what to think. So, when I showed her the audition tape, I looked over at her and her mouth was hanging open. And right after she watched it, she said, “Oh my god, you’re going to get this part.” The weird thing is, I felt it, too. Steve Zaillian called the next day after watching the tape and asked me to fly out to L.A. to meet.
HW: And the rest, shall we say, is history.
JEH: Sort of. I get out there and asked Steve why he thought of me. I mean, I’ve been gone a long time. And he said, “There’s just something about your performances in your past movies I really remembered liking. There’s just something about ya. And check this out, I called Sean [Penn] and asked Sean who he was thinking of for Sugar Boy and Sean said, ‘How ‘bout Jackie Earle Haley?’” Steve’s telling me he has seen a lot people for this role but somehow I captured this guy, without even seeing the script, just by using sides. And all of this stuff has led up to this amazing moment and I’m thinking, “Oh my god, this guy is going to offer me the part!” And it’s like the angels are singing and I just keep saying to myself, “I can’t believe this is happening.” Then suddenly Steve leans in, “I can’t offer you this part because I’ve already cast someone.”
HW: Uh-oh. Suddenly the angels come crashing down…
JEH: Exactly! All of the sudden, all these angels are falling out of the sky, into our coffee and soup and salads. But then Steve says, “Listen, I think I can work this out where everyone is going to be happy.” And he did! I don’t know, man, maybe there’s just this weird kismet thing that I was supposed to do that role.
HW: When you walked onto the set for the first time, what popped into your head?
JEH: Where is craft service? [Laughs] No, actually, I’ll tell ya the first thing that ran through my head, “Holy cow! Look at all these people, look at all these trucks!” It almost seems like it takes twice the amount of people and gear to do the same thing we were doing 20 years ago. That might be, too, the type of films I was on.
HW: And then Little Children comes along soon after. You do an amazing job with the very uncomfortable role of a convicted sex offender. What was your initial reaction to this character?
JEH: My initial reaction was of concern. I think it’s the type of character I preferred NOT to play because people usually deal with it and handle it in a gratuitous way. But when I read [director/writer] Todd Field’s script, it was such an amazing script, such a well-written role, it never dawned on me for a second to shy away from it because of the nature of the character. And I think another important aspect is that the movie is not about him; it’s a subplot. The movie is about Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson and this point in their lives, where they run into each other at the park and how their lives change after meeting one another. Its an incredible love story that has satirical and melodramatic qualities. That’s what the movie is about.
HW: Still, your character, Ronnie, permeates the film.
JEH: Oh, he’s an important element, for sure. I was very concerned about the sensibilities of the character but the way it was written, the way Todd directed it, I think it made sense. It’s really more the specter of this character. He really isn’t guilty of what the masses are accusing him of. And then there’s the one character, Larry, who’s trying to fix things in his life by demonizing [Ronnie]. What’s interesting is that the masses come to such a strong and absolute judgment on this guy based on such little information, more innuendos and rumors. The collective reaction to him is pretty absolute. An interesting phenomenon. But that’s the beauty of the film. We really accomplished what we set out to do. Little Children judges and doesn’t judge at the same time. It really leaves it up to people to make their own decisions.
HW: As a parent yourself, how did the film affect you?
JEH: I think experiencing the whole movie and watching the decisions Sarah [Winslet] and Brad [Wilson] make, enlightened me and uplifted me into being a better father.
HW: Getting to work with Kate Winslet again after All the King’s Men, was there a comfort level there?
JEH: Absolutely! Kate is such a wonderfully supportive, loving friend. On the set, she changes the whole dynamics of the set. She’s an incredible lady, sincere, very real. Her support for me on this movie was amazing.
HW: One last burning question: What did you think of the Bad News Bears remake?
JEH: I didn’t think it was as poignant and as good as the first one, but they traded that for some great one-liners. I thought it was a pretty admirable remake.