Michael Angarano: Making His Own Luck
tMF profiles the talented & charming young actor, New Yorker Michael Angarano
By Jed Medina

Not many people are blessed with the opportunity to enter a deeply rewarding and exciting career. In the case of Michael Angarano, it has been like that since he was 5 years old. As a young model, he was exposed early to the hustle and bustle of a glam job. Not surprisingly, he began his successful transition into acting a couple of years later.

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Considered as one of the most sought-after young actors today, Angarano is in the same league as Jamie Bell, Emile Hirsch and Paul Dano. With the reputation as no-nonsense actors, these guys belong to the A-list of young performers many of today’s most innovative filmmakers sought after. While many of their contemporaries settle for the usual no-brainer teen movies, these guys collaborate with award-winning filmmakers & portray a wide range of characters that challenge their acting skills. They are not afraid to tackle controversial roles either.

Just keeps getting better and better

Since early 2001, Angarano starred in a number of diverse, often critically acclaimed movies- among them as Nick, Meryl Streep's son in Music of the Heart, as the young Red Pollard in the Oscar nominated movie Seabiscuit, as Will Stronghold in Disney’s super adventure film Sky High and as Sid, one of the original Z boys, in Catherine Hardwicke’s Lords of Dogtown.

Angarano also played opposite Jamie Bell and Bill Pullman in Dear Wendy, a movie directed by Thomas Vinterberg, from the script developed by famed director Lars von Triel. Described as “an audacious and stylish exploration of guns and violence in America”, the film was not a box-office and critical success. However, Bell and Angarano were praised for their performances.

He was also highly praised in One Last Thing, a movie about a teenage boy dying of cancer who makes a last wish to spend a weekend alone with a supermodel. It might sounded like an absurd, formulaic sex comedy but it’s quite different. One critic described Angarano and Cynthia Nixon’s performances as “one of the most real and affecting mother-son relationships on film.”

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Making a name for himself

“As soon as I met Michael, I knew he was the kid,” says director Michael Schroeder. “I really responded to his nature and he was the most natural actor I’ve ever seen. He has a real cinematic charm and is going to be a big star.”

Such generous praise from the promising filmmaker. Michael is of course, chosen to play Cameron Kinkaid in Schroeder’s Man in the Chair. The film “centers around a 17-year-old kid who flirts with the law, underachieves at school, and is at odds with his loving mother and his constantly indifferent and derisive stepfather. Despite his flaws and problems, Michael's character dreams to be the "man in the chair," a cutting edge filmmaker, who is afforded a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Man in the Chair is one of the three high-profile movies that Angarano starred in. The other two were Black Irish and Snow Angels.

In Black Irish. Michael stars as Cole, the youngest son and the film’s protagonist. Cole is a good-looking, good-natured, earnest, 15 year-old altar boy. He carries the guilt of a good Catholic schoolboy and is also a gifted young baseball player. He is “a boy on the cusp of manhood, struggling to find his place in the world.”

Black Irish is the first feature of writer/director Brad Gunn:

Making this film was difficult. We were up against it on several fronts, not least of which was timing. We began principal photography on the same day Martin Scorsese began shooting “The Departed” in Boston as well. As one might imagine, competing against a big-budget movie in a tight market for resources was vexing. Fortunately, our game crew performed admirably under extremely tough conditions and under tight time constraints (we shot principal in twenty-two days).

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Gunn also has this to say about Angarano’s performance:

Michael brought such a profound intuitive understanding of his character to the table, and an availability of emotion that anchors the entire movie.

David Gordon Green’s Snow Angel is the third movie that features the young actor. V Magazine, known for featuring actors on the cutting edge has this to say about Mr. Angarano: “Auteur David Gordon Green is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, casting him as a shy, nervous, nerdy teen in his tearjerker Snow Angels, about couples with relationship troubles.”

Kate Beckinsale was heard praising Michael, who has a role that is so much connected to Ms. Beckinsale’s:

“Because I always have a crush on whomever my daughter has a crush on, so I was very keen on working with Michael Angarano,” who had previously starred in the h it family film SKY HIGH. “For my daughter, it was kind of like being in the same room with Elvis when Michael came to our hotel room to visit. Michael has a freshness and an excitement and a kind of guilelessness that is really special that I don’t think every teenager has,” Beckinsale observes. “He has a wonderful little face that makes you wish you were sixteen again.” On their characters relationship, she adds “Arthur (played by Angarano) is at that moment in life where everything seems possible, and Annie is at a moment where she’s aware that certain possibilities have closed down for her. So it’s a poignant relationship.”

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What’s Next for Michael?

Not everything is all serious for Michael. Coming up is a fun and interesting role in The Forbidden Kingdom. In this long-awaited collaboration between Jackie Chan and Jet Li, Angarano plays a troubled 17-year-old wannabe kung fu warrior who, after a humiliating defeat at the hands of a street gang, is sent back in time to ancient China on an impossible mission to set free the imprisoned Monkey King and return to him his all-powerful staff.

Angarano on character studies and shifting of roles

I did a movie called One Last Thing that I really loved the script so much. I was immersed in that character, in that film for three months. And then literally, two weeks after that, I started on Black Irish. That was definitely the most difficult transition for me. Just because you know you want to shed any characteristics or traits that you have for the other character. You want to create something completely different. So the process is to basically clean your slate, shake yourself off. It's kind of forgetting that ever happened. That's why it was really weird for me to see One Last Thing because I did it, I got so involved it, and then in two weeks, I had to leave it and I went on to Black Irish and then after Black Irish, I went on to Bondage. And I almost forgot about One Last Thing and I then I looked back and saw it. I realized I almost forgot about that whole experience.

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The other actor we’ve heard talking seriously about acting is Ryan Gosling. There are some similarities between Gosling and Angarano. They were both successful in doing mainstream and indie movies. A number of their films were celebrated at various film festivals. They are both young and possess a certain charisma that filmmakers and moviegoers go for.

While Gosling is now at the top of the game, Michael Angarano is just about to reach the height of his young career, and we’re almost certain there is much more up Mr. Angarano’s sleeve.

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Michael Angarano's profile is written by Jed Medina for the Movie-Fanatic.com. Interview quotes and movie news and information courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures, Anywhere Road/Palisades Pictures and Michael's official website [michaelangarano.net].

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Comments (6)

Excellent writeup for an excellent film!

This is a truly great film, and that's not just hyperbole. It was my #1 Top Pick from the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and one of my 5 Top Picks of the year (of over 200 films). I've seen it several times since then.

Here is my review:
http://www.pronetworks.org/forum/story88057.html

larry-411 , February 18, 2008 | url

Great review!

Thanks for the link to the review! We're doing the film feature for Snow Angels, would surely include some quotes from that! Cheers!

jedmed , February 19, 2008

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Welcome Larry! This certainly sounds like a must see film. I have been to your site and it was nice to re-read your review on Snow Angels again. Larry, you gave a great review on this film. I've seen the trailer for this, and I'm often attracted to these types of sad/tragic/drama films.

Jed, looking forward to reading your film feature on Snow Angels. Always enjoy our film features here!

I must admit, I haven't really seen many of Michael Angarano's films, except for I think Lords of Dogtown. In LOD, I especially liked the touching scene when Emile Hirsch and the other actor escapes me (my apologies) were pushing Michael Angarano's charachter in his wheelchair in the empty swimming pool. I also thought Michael was so funny and adorable in Will & Grace playing Jack's son.

Here's hoping that Snow Angels makes it to a theatre near me--after all, it WAS filmed in my Canadian province. Hint, hint to the film makers, LOL!

Jan , February 20, 2008

Thanks Jed and Jan

Wow, thanks so much to both of you for the nice comments. Definitely let me know when you have that Snow Angels feature posted, Jed.

Jan, you definitely should try and pick up some of Michael's work post-Dogtown. That film marked his transition from "child actor" (Sky High) to more mature roles in One Last Thing, Black Irish, and Man in the Chair, the first two of which are available on DVD, and now the upcoming Snow Angels (due in theaters March 7) and The Forbidden Kingdom (April 1.

larry-411 , February 21, 2008 | url

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Hmm...that should be April 18 for The Forbidden Kingdom. Looks like 8 next to ) makes

larry-411 , February 21, 2008 | url

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hey..i seriously ♥ michaell. hes amazing ly cute anda good actor. if only i could meet him. omg.. i ♥ him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhh

katie , July 30, 2008

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