Thomas Horn: Extremely Talented, Incredibly Lucky
"With the release of Director Stephen Daldry's newest film, Hollywood is buzzing about this fabulously talented newcomer to the scene"
Today, Friday January 20th, fans of Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock will flock to the theaters to see Stephen Daldry's film Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close, but they're likely to leave a fan of Hollywood newcomer, Thomas Horn.
The dramatic film, based on Jonathan Saffron's novel of the same title, promises to showcase the talent of the now thirteen-year old Thomas Horn who plays Oskar Schell, an 11-year-old New Yorker who lost his father (Tom Hanks) on 9/11 when the twin towers collapsed.
As the Oscar buzz continues to swarm around the film, Children In Film is taking a particularly interested look at the young actor who's story is extremely and incredibly unusual. Why? Because Horn's success story is peppered with unconventional elements. To start, Horn was 'discovered' via an appearance on Jeopardy where he won over 30k. The film's producer, Scott Rudin, noticed Horn and remembered him when it came time to cast the film.
And while it is possible to be discovered in such an eccentric fashion, the true act of being discovered without inserting ones self into the inner-workings of the industry, rarely happens. Unfortunately, those who believe it does risk falling victim to scams and expensive schemes.
That said, Horn's story is one to be celebrated - not for the fact that he was discovered, but more so because of his abilities to display incredible talent while working on the film. Horn had never received formal training and never took a single acting class before he auditioned for the role. Because of this, Horn was extremely malleable.
"I have a particular methodology which I've found incredibly useful over the years," Director Stephen Daldry explained in an NPR interview with Robert Siegel." In brief, it's this sort of late-Stanislavsky methodology where you break a script down into your actions and intentions and you create a little bible, if you like, of an understanding of what the text is. And we spent many months with Thomas doing just that."
Horn is also very intelligent; he loves to learn, frequently reading National Geographic and Atlases in addition to novels. Thomas also has a great emotional range, which he was clearly able to tap in to for his role.
Thomas Horn's story is truly an exceptional one, and one that is receiving great attention this award season. Want to read more? Check out our news section.
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