I've known (one of) these kids since 6th grade...He played Charlie Brown in our Junior High production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." He has always been a good actor. I rember him as kind, intelligent, and maybe a bit aloof. He was the Senior Class VP. He and his running mate won on the promise that they would shave their heads if elected. They wore mowhawks for a good portion of the year after that.
He and my boyfriend used to experiment with lots of illicit drugs in high school. And by experiment they meant, "How many hits of acid can I do before my eyes melt?"
He and the boy who lived next door to me won tons of money doing theatrical karaoke at a local bar. They were excellent--and so funny. The boy next door joined the military after High School and was sent to the first Gulf War. The actor was smart and came straight to Hollywood. It was the talk of the town when he was on a pizza commercial that we all saw. He was our hero.
The first week I lived in Hollywood I was at a party with a bunch of people I'd never met before who knew him from an acting class. They had just been in a limo doing cocaine with him, apparently. It was surreal.
He lived within 5 miles of me the first few years I was in LA, and, of all the stars I've seen in all thet random places in this town, I've never seen him...except on the tv or movie screen.
We talked on the phone once, and he was totally Hollyweird...said something about being tired of all those "Bite and Grins" (food commercials) and that he wanted real work. He also told me he had to get off the phone, because he and his friends were busy solving all the problems of the Universe. Did I mention he was slurring throughout the conversation? And that it was midday?
He seems to be steadily working though--on good projects. The last film I saw him in I was shocked at how old he seemed--he'd always had such a baby face. But I think his destiny is a good one. He'll probably be remembered as one of those "Character Actors" who gets lots of work, and who's face you know, but you can't quite figure out why or from where. He'll make a living, doing what he loves. And he'll always be one of the kids from my small town who "Made Good."
