Emile Hirsch
Emile Hirsch
Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor, whose works include Wild Iris, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, The Mudge Boy, Imaginary Heroes, Lords of Dogtown, Alpha Dog, Into the Wild, Milk, Speed Racer, Taking Woodstock, The Motel Life, Savages, Lone Survivor, Prince Avalanche, and the A&E networks simulcast miniseries Bonnie & Clyde...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth13 March 1985
CityTopanga, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I've realized that what you think of when you make a 'big movie,' if it's actually a green screen movie, it's like doing independent New York theater because you don't have any backgrounds or props. So it's kind of like making the lowest budgeted film you could possibly imagine, plus $100 million.
The genres are widening. I don't think that there's as many limitations on the kinds of projects that actors can do as there once was.
I was so grateful to have made 'Into the Wild' before I made 'Speed Racer' because on 'Speed Racer' I was indoors every single day, every single scene, on a green screen. Some of the time, just to pass the time, I would think back to climbing mountains in Alaska. That really helped me.
The willingness to keep learning is, I think, the most important thing about trying to be good at anything. You never want to stop learning.
That's really good for an actor - to like the people behind the scenes - because then you treat the camera differently. If you really like someone who's shooting you, you're more open. You're not defensive, you're more relaxed, and I think that translates into a more interesting, natural performance.
I think I've always been half out of my shell and half in. Sometimes I can be extremely wild and sometimes I can be extremely shy. It just depends on the day.
'Brokeback Mountain' just blew me away. I'll always remember talking to Heath Ledger just after he finished that movie and he was going on about working with Ang and how incredible he was.
Especially these days where everything is so polite and so proper, I think that rites of passage are good.
I have a lot of people in my life who are truly ridiculous characters, and they're very, very funny people, but they don't really try to be. They're not cracking jokes.
I'm a very, very conservative driver.
There's something about the good-hearted guy fighting the system. I just love that. That's how 'Speed' is. He's a really focused guy with a heart of gold and the corporations are trying to crush him and use him for his skills to make them more money.
There's something just so kind of smooth about politicians.
It was very, very challenging being on this thing called the gimbal. It would throw you around, give you whiplash, and they'd tie you down.
In Dogtown, skateboards are like bikes to the Chinese.