| Daily Brun (U-WIRE) 2000 |
| 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, Hartnett 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." |