By Terry Tang Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Perhaps the actors from the hormone-racing WB network or FOX
were too busy to do both film and TV angst. But "Here On Earth," a
romantic tearjerker now playing in theaters, seems to be the only
recent teen flick that isn’t serving as a starring vehicle for
Joshua Jackson or James Van Der Beek or some other burgeoning
small-screen idol.
Instead, the story of a preppie rich boy (Chris Klein) who falls
for a charming small-town girl (Leelee Sobieski), much to the
chagrin of her long-time boyfriend (Josh Hartnett), takes flight
through three young, yet experienced, actors. The three rising
stars recently chatted about being an on-screen love triangle and
the ups and downs of being discovered at a young age at a Los
Angeles press interview for "Here On Earth."
While Klein, Sobieski and Hartnett don’t have the household-
name notoriety of Leonardo DiCaprio or Natalie Portman, the three
youths are very much in demand by top studio brass. When one looks
at their acting resumes, it isn’t hard to see why.
At 17, Sobieski, who was one reason critics raved about the CBS
miniseries "Joan of Arc," was nominated for both a Golden Globe and
an Emmy for her portrayal of the title character. She also was one
of few actors to play a role in Stanley Kubrick’s final film, "Eyes
Wide Shut."
While success can be just as intimidating as failure in show
business, Sobieski doesn’t seem to have trouble staying grounded.
Though getting dressed up for special events like awards shows is
something any teenager would love, she also sees how primping for
movie premieres can get a little silly.
The actor, who claims to have never spent more than $40 on a
shirt and never will, gets exasperated at times by the implicit
need for stars to get groomed by make-up artists and hair
dressers.
"I had to go through an hour of hair and make-up for (this press
interview). It’s ridiculous. It’s a waste of time. An hour? You
could be in bed sleeping. It’s just kind of silly. At the same
time, I like to do my own make-up. I think hair is unnecessary,"
said Sobieski, whose long, blonde hair hung loose past her
shoulders.
Though the talented actor already has two films in the can and
other offers, she has not ruled out college. Raised and based in
New York City, Sobieski hopes to someday attend a university near
the Big Apple, close to her family. The ideal college life,
however, would mean being able to take off for a few months at a
time to make movies. With the momentum her acting career is on, one
can’t blame the young actor for wanting to juggle both.
"Now that I’m on this train and it’s up at full speed, I don’t
wanna jump out of it and never be able to jump back onto the train
again," Sobieski said. "I’d like to get on the train and keep
working and get off at a stop for like 10 minutes and then get back
on."
Someone who knows about balancing a full-time education with a
film career would be co-star Klein. Though his physical resemblance
to Keanu Reeves has catapulted him into the position of heartthrob,
Klein, 21, is on his way to building a diverse track record. Still
in high school during spring of 1997, Klein was tapped by director
and screenwriter Alexander Payne to play the jock who runs against
Reese Witherspoon’s neurotic schoolgirl in "Election."
The actor took off during part of his first year at Texas
Christian University to shoot "Election" and then made "American
Pie," another sleeper hit, the following year. Then, after
finishing an entire academic year, Klein filmed "Here On Earth."
His insistence on pursuing both paths stems from a passion for
learning in front of a classroom and a camera.
"If you’re in college, you have to want to be there and you have
to want to do the work and you have to wanna put in the time,
especially if you wanna be successful," Klein said. " In
professional life, in acting, you have to wanna be there, you have
to wanna go on auditions."
No doubt, TCU will have to wait. Whatever strategy the actor
uses to keep on reminding filmmakers of his ability seems to be
working. Besides currently shooting a comedy from the Farrelly
Brothers opposite Heather Graham, Klein is also set to star in the
remake of Norman Jewison’s "Rollerball."
Hartnett ("Halloween H2O") is also riding high on a wave of high
profile and independent projects. He recently signed on to be part
of another love triangle. This time, the actor will be competing
with Ben Affleck for the affections of the same woman in the
big-budget WWII epic, "Pearl Harbor."
Now 21, Harnett ventured to Los Angeles in 1997 in pursuit of an
acting career. Unlike most aspiring film actors, he didn’t spend
time working odd jobs. Instead, he gave himself two months to land
a role in either movies or TV. Knowing that was a naive attitude,
he credits having a very responsible agent — a luxury not many
actors can afford.
"She’s always been there for me and treated me like I was her
only client from the get-go," Hartnett said. "I had auditions for
things most people couldn’t get into."
Hartnett is also coping with fame. Aside from dealing with
adoring adolescent girls, he is learning not to take articles
written about him in the press too seriously.
"You can’t sum somebody up in a couple of pages. I would never
try to sum somebody up in a couple of pages. They deserve a whole
novel, (maybe) not even that," Hartnett said. "I can’t be mad at it
because it does help in my career and it’s part of the business.
But at the same time, it’s not my favorite thing."
FILM: "Here On Earth" is now playing in theaters nationwide.