The star of 'Into the Wild' talks to RYAN PEARSON about Sean Penn, greed and going full monty.
Emile Hirsch kayaks into Hollywood stardom. But he says he could do without the big paychecks. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of Paramount Vantage/Chuck Zlotnick)
A star is shorn.
Sitting in a Toronto hotel room, the unkempt, fluffy beard that Emile Hirsch grew out for his career-making role in "Into the Wild" is gone.
In its place is a bit of stubble, formed since filming wrapped a few days earlier on the Wachowskis' "Speed Racer," a cartoon-based film due out next year in which Hirsch also stars.
The 22-year-old actor and Los Angeles native is eating oatmeal for breakfast while promoting "Wild" at the Toronto International Film Festival. Sean Penn's strongest directorial effort to date premiered recently in larger cities and opens in wide release on Friday.
Hirsch has filled out a bit. By running and swimming, he had lost 40 pounds to portray Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation at age 24 alone in the Alaskan wilderness. To understand McCandless' strict moral code, Hirsch also abstained from alcohol for eight months -- just after turning 21, no less.
The sacrifices, and pressure of working under Penn's gaze, resulted in a breakthrough role for Hirsch, who had quietly grown more talented as an actor since his 2002 feature debut in "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys."
In an interview, Hirsch talked to asap about the pressure of acting for Penn, the values he shares with McCandless, and going full monty.
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asap staff reporter Ryan Pearson hasn't been to Slab City.
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